The United States Declaration of Independence declared thirteen colonies to be free and independent states.
Those colonies occupied the Atlantic seaboard of British North America and had developed separate colonial governments, economies, and local identities. Their representatives met in the Second Continental Congress, which formally adopted the declaration in Philadelphia in 1776.
The phrase “Thirteen Colonies” refers to the British colonies that joined the rebellion and later formed the original United States. They were New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
The number thirteen remained important in national symbolism. The first United States flag legislation specified thirteen alternating stripes, representing the original colonies. The current flag retains thirteen stripes even though its stars now represent fifty states.