After the American colonies declared independence, the Virginia General Assembly recognized that many of the laws that operated in the colony of Virginia would not work for the newly independent state.

Source: https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/religious-freedom-day-an-important-history-given-the-current-hostility

Indigenous-imperial relations explain the distinctions among Europe’s American colonies, several of which, including colonial New Mexico, were a part of European empires longer than they have been a part of the United States.

Source: https://time.com/6274071/us-history-indigenous-americans/