Thirteen British colonies declared independence together to form the United States in 1776.
The colonies stretched along the Atlantic coast, from New Hampshire in the north to Georgia in the south. They had separate governments and economies, but increasingly cooperated through the Continental Congress during the conflict with Britain.
The Declaration of Independence listed the colonies as united states, and the Revolutionary War eventually secured their independence. The phrase “thirteen colonies” describes the British colonies before independence; afterward, they became the original thirteen states.
The number is sometimes confused with later state totals. Vermont joined the Union as the 14th state in 1791, followed by Kentucky in 1792. The original thirteen remain represented by the thirteen stripes on the United States flag.