The Declaration of Independence declared thirteen colonies free and independent.
The thirteen colonies were British colonies along the Atlantic coast of North America. The Declaration announced that they were no longer politically connected to Great Britain and asserted that they had become free and independent states. These colonies later developed into the first thirteen states of the United States.
The word “unanimous” was added to the formal title after Congress adopted a resolution on July 19, 1776. New York’s delegates had initially abstained from the July 4 vote because they lacked authorization from their colony, but New York later joined the declaration. The final document therefore referred to the “thirteen United States of America.”
The number thirteen can be confused with the twelve colonies that initially voted in favor on July 4, with New York abstaining. It can also be confused with the 50 states of the modern United States. America250 looks back to the founding union of thirteen colonies in 1776.