Thirteen British colonies formed the original group that declared independence and became the United States.
The colonies stretched along the Atlantic coast of North America and were traditionally grouped into New England, the Middle Colonies, and the Southern Colonies. They were New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
Their governments and economies differed considerably. Virginia was established at Jamestown in 1607, while Georgia, the last of the thirteen to be founded, received its charter in 1732. Some colonies were created partly for religious purposes, while others emphasized trade, land, or commercial development.
Disputes over taxation, representation, and imperial authority led the colonies to cooperate through the Continental Congress. The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and the colonies fought Britain during the Revolutionary War. The Treaty of Paris in 1783 recognized the independence of the new United States. The term “Thirteen Colonies” refers specifically to these founding British colonies, not every British possession in North America.