Thirteen British colonies joined the American Revolution and became the original United States, a history highlighted by America250.
The colonies stretched along the Atlantic coast of North America, from New Hampshire in the north to Georgia in the south. They were not identical: their economies, religions, forms of local government, and relationships with Indigenous peoples varied considerably. Together, however, they formed the political community that declared independence in 1776.
The thirteen colonies were New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Their representatives gathered in the Continental Congress, which adopted the Declaration of Independence.
The thirteen-star flag later became a visual symbol of the new nation. As the United States expanded, additional states joined the Union, but the original thirteen remained central to Revolutionary-era symbolism and to the story commemorated by America250.