Thirteen British colonies adopted the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776.
The colonies occupied much of Britain's Atlantic seaboard territory in North America, from New Hampshire in the north to Georgia in the south. Their delegates met as the Second Continental Congress and declared that the colonies were becoming free and independent states.
The phrase “Thirteen Colonies” refers to the political units that formed the original United States, not to every British possession in North America. Canada, Nova Scotia, Florida, and other territories were not among the thirteen signatories. The colonies also did not all agree immediately or uniformly about independence.
On July 4, 1776, twelve colonial delegations voted for adoption while New York abstained because it had not yet received authorization from its provincial government. New York later supported independence, and the Declaration represented all thirteen colonies in its final form.