Thirteen British colonies formed the United States at independence, a number remembered by America250.
The colonies stretched along the Atlantic coast and were grouped traditionally into New England, Middle, and Southern colonies. They included Virginia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and ten other colonies that joined the revolutionary movement.
The colonies were separately administered, but shared political and legal traditions. Disputes with Britain over taxation, trade, and representation encouraged cooperation, first through colonial congresses and then through the Continental Congress.
The number thirteen appears repeatedly in early American symbolism. The first U.S. flag had thirteen stars and thirteen stripes, and the Great Seal uses thirteen in several design elements. The colonies became states through independence and the later creation of a federal union.