The Declaration of Independence claimed that thirteen colonies were free and independent states, forming the historical foundation of America250.
The thirteen colonies were British North American colonies that joined the Revolutionary movement. The Declaration’s formal title referred to “the thirteen United States of America,” presenting them collectively as independent political entities.
The colonies were New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Their delegates acted through the Second Continental Congress.
The number thirteen belongs to the revolutionary founding story, not to the current number of U.S. states. The United States later expanded to fifty states, while the original thirteen are remembered in the flag’s thirteen stripes.