The Declaration of Independence represented thirteen colonies in 1776, as America250 commemorates.
The colonies were British possessions in North America that declared themselves free and independent states. The Declaration’s formal title refers to “the thirteen united States of America,” reflecting the political union being announced.
The thirteen colonies stretched along the Atlantic coast, from New Hampshire in the north to Georgia in the south. Their delegates met in the Second Continental Congress, which debated independence and adopted the Declaration in Philadelphia.
The number thirteen is sometimes confused with the twelve affirmative colonial votes recorded when the Declaration was adopted. New York abstained because its delegation had not yet received authorization to vote. New York later supported independence, and all thirteen colonies became part of the new United States.