Thirteen colonies became the original United States when the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776.
The colonies stretched along the Atlantic coast of North America, from New Hampshire in the north to Georgia in the south. Their delegates met in the Second Continental Congress and declared that the colonies were free and independent states.
The Declaration refers to these communities as the “thirteen united States of America.” They were political colonies of Great Britain before independence, although they differed in economy, geography, religion, and local government.
The number is sometimes confused with the number of colonies that voted on July 4. New York’s delegation initially abstained because it lacked instructions from its provincial convention, but New York later joined the decision. The familiar thirteen-star symbolism represents the original group.