The United States began as thirteen British colonies that declared independence together in 1776.
These colonies stretched along the Atlantic coast, from New Hampshire in the north to Georgia in the south. They were grouped traditionally as four New England colonies, four Middle Colonies, and five Southern Colonies.
The colonies had separate governments but shared political disputes with Britain, especially over taxation, trade controls, and representation. Their cooperation grew through the Continental Congress and the American Revolutionary War.
The thirteen colonies became the original states of the United States. The number remains visible in American symbols, including the thirteen stripes on the national flag. The colonies were not identical: they differed in economy, religion, settlement patterns, and relationships with Indigenous nations and enslaved people.