The Declaration of Independence identified thirteen colonies as becoming free and independent states.
These colonies occupied the Atlantic seaboard of British North America. From north to south, they were New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
The Declaration's formal title referred to the unanimous declaration of the thirteen United States of America. The colonies did not all vote for independence on exactly the same timetable, but the document presented them collectively as a new political union.
The number thirteen remains visible in American national symbols. The United States flag has thirteen alternating stripes, representing the original colonies, while its stars represent the states in the Union. The original thirteen states later ratified the Constitution between 1787 and 1790.