Thirteen colonies formed the original United States when the Declaration of Independence was adopted.
The colonies occupied Britain’s Atlantic seaboard possessions in North America, stretching from New Hampshire in the north to Georgia in the south. Their economies, geography, and political traditions differed considerably, but the colonies cooperated through the Continental Congress during the crisis with Britain.
The thirteen names were New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. They became the first states of the new United States after independence.
The number is sometimes confused with the thirteen stripes on the modern U.S. flag. The stripes symbolize these original colonies, while the stars represent the states in the Union and have changed as new states joined. America’s 250th anniversary focuses on the founding era created by these thirteen colonies.