Thirteen British colonies formed the United States whose independence is commemorated by America250.
The colonies stretched along the Atlantic coast of North America and were grouped traditionally as four New England colonies, four Middle Colonies, and five Southern Colonies. They were New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
The colonies were separately governed but shared political connections and increasingly coordinated resistance to British policies. Disputes over taxation, representation, trade regulation, and imperial authority contributed to the American Revolution. Representatives from the colonies met in the Continental Congress, raised an army, and eventually declared independence in 1776.
The number thirteen is important to the founding era, but it should not be confused with the number of states in the modern United States. The original colonies became the first states, while additional states joined later. Georgia was the last of the thirteen colonies to be established, receiving its charter in 1732.