How many colonies declared independence together in the Declaration of Independence?

Thirteen Colonies declared independence together in the Declaration of Independence. They were Britain’s thirteen mainland colonies in North America that became the original United States.

The colonies stretched along the Atlantic coast from New Hampshire in the north to Georgia in the south. Although they had different economies, religious traditions, and local governments, they coordinated resistance through continental congresses during the crisis with Great Britain.

The Declaration called them “free and independent States,” transforming the political relationship from colonial dependency into a claim of national independence. The colonies later operated under the Articles of Confederation before the Constitution created the present federal framework.

The number is sometimes confused with the twelve colonies that voted for independence on July 4, 1776. New York’s delegates initially abstained because they had not yet received authorization from their colonial convention. New York later joined the unanimous decision.