The Declaration of Independence represented thirteen colonies, known collectively as the Thirteen Colonies.
These colonies occupied the Atlantic seaboard of British North America and declared themselves free and independent states in 1776. Their names appear in the declaration's formal heading and in the document's closing language.
The thirteen were New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. They were separate colonies with different economies, laws, and local political traditions, but united in resistance to British rule.
The number is sometimes confused with the twelve colonies that voted for independence on July 4, because New York's delegation abstained while awaiting authorization. New York later supported the decision, so all thirteen colonies were represented in the independence movement and became the original states.