Final answer:
The United States today has a more flexible class system, though systemic racism remains an issue, contrasting with the highly stratified, ancestry-based caste system of Spanish colonies. Indigenous relations differed, as the Spanish integrated native peoples, whereas the British displaced them. Economic models also diverged between Spanish large landholdings and British family farms.
Step-by-step explanation:
The social structure of the United States today differs considerably from the social structure of the Spanish colonies. In the Spanish colonies, the caste system was highly stratified, based heavily on ancestry and race, with a clear hierarchy where those of Spanish descent, or peninsulas, enjoyed the highest status.
Conversely, U.S. society is characterized by a more flexible class system that is influenced by the country's history of individualism and entrepreneurship. Despite this flexibility, systemic racism has been and continues to be a significant issue in the United States, tracing back to the era of slavery and segregation, when African Americans and other minorities were legally and socially disenfranchised.
In addition, the interaction with the indigenous populations was markedly different between the territories. While the British often displaced native populations, the Spanish integrated the indigenous and their mestizo descendants into their society, albeit within a subordinate status, incorporating them into the workforce and occasionally defending their rights through local Spanish legal systems.
Lastly, economic models diverged as well, with Spanish America favouring large landholdings managed by a small elite of large landowners contrasting with the British preference for individual family farms, often available to even low-status individuals after a period of indenture, promoting ideologies of personal liberty and ownership.