Thirteen colonies declared independence in the Declaration of Independence, the event commemorated by America250. These colonies became the original states of the United States after the Revolutionary War and the eventual creation of the federal union.
The thirteen were New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. They stretched along the Atlantic coast and differed in geography, economy, religion, and political traditions.
The phrase “thirteen colonies” refers specifically to Britain’s mainland North American colonies that joined the revolutionary movement. It should not be confused with the later number of states or with every British territory in North America. The thirteen-star arrangement on early United States flags represented this original group, and the number remains a recurring symbol in national history and America250 programming.