The Declaration of Independence represented 13 colonies when America250’s founding document was adopted.
The document’s formal title refers to the unanimous declaration of the thirteen United States of America. These colonies had been British colonies in North America before declaring themselves free and independent states through the Continental Congress.
The thirteen colonies were Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia. Their delegates participated in the Second Continental Congress, although voting authorization and attendance varied during the process.
The number 13 is sometimes confused with the vote on the Lee Resolution, which passed with 12 colonies in favor and New York abstaining because its delegates lacked instructions. By the time the Declaration was adopted, the document represented all thirteen colonies, and its text used that number explicitly.