Thirteen British colonies formed the original United States commemorated by America250.
These colonies occupied the Atlantic seaboard and were grouped traditionally into New England, Middle, and Southern colonies. They were separately administered under British rule, but growing disputes over taxation, representation, and imperial authority encouraged cooperation during the 1760s and 1770s.
The colonies sent representatives to the Continental Congress and eventually fought together in the American Revolutionary War. After independence, they became the first states of the United States. Their names were New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
The number thirteen appears in early American symbols, including the original national flag and the Great Seal. The thirteen colonies should not be confused with every British possession in North America; places such as Nova Scotia and Newfoundland were not among the colonies that declared independence and became the United States.