How many British colonies formed the United States after declaring independence in 1776?

Thirteen British colonies formed the United States after declaring independence in 1776.

The Thirteen Colonies stretched along the Atlantic coast of North America, from New Hampshire in the north to Georgia in the south. Their colonial governments differed, but disputes over taxation, representation, and imperial authority helped bring them together in the Continental Congress.

On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. The document described the colonies as free and independent states rather than British colonies. They then fought the American Revolutionary War with important assistance from France.

The colonies are sometimes confused with the thirteen original states as later organized under the new republic. The names largely correspond, but colonial borders and political arrangements were not identical to modern state boundaries. The Treaty of Paris in 1783 recognized the independence of the United States and formally ended the war.