Thirteen colonies are named in the formal title of the United States Declaration of Independence.
The title of the engrossed document is “The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America.” It refers to the thirteen British colonies that declared themselves independent states in 1776.
Those colonies stretched along the Atlantic seaboard, from New Hampshire in the north to Georgia in the south. Their delegates met in the Second Continental Congress and acted together despite major differences in geography, economy, religion, and political opinion.
The word “unanimous” was added in connection with a July 19, 1776, resolution ordering the parchment version to be engrossed under that title. New York had initially abstained from the July 4 vote while awaiting authorization, but later joined the declaration, allowing the document to describe all thirteen colonies as united.