Which group tried to resist the recreation of European social structures in the New World?

The correct choice is New York merchants. This group played a significant role in opposing the social hierarchies and structures that European settlers attempted to impose in the New World. New York merchants, as part of an emerging middle class, were more focused on trade and economic opportunity rather than adhering strictly to the aristocratic traditions found in Europe. They sought to establish a more egalitarian social structure based on commerce and trade, challenging the elite status that many European settlers aimed to recreate in their colonies.

The other groups listed had different focuses or contexts. The Paxton Boys, for example, were primarily concerned with their grievances against the colonial government and Native American relations. Scots-Irish settlers often faced their own hardships and tended to settle on the frontier, focusing more on survival and autonomy than on resisting European structures. Lastly, while Quakers were known for their beliefs in equality and religious tolerance, their resistance was more directed towards issues of broader social justice rather than specifically opposing European social hierarchies in the New World.