Thirteen colonies were represented when the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776.
The colonies were British possessions along the Atlantic coast of North America. Their delegates gathered in the Second Continental Congress and eventually declared that the colonies were free and independent states. The phrase “thirteen colonies” refers to the political units that became the original United States.
The thirteen were New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. They did not all have identical populations, economies, or political interests.
The number is sometimes confused with the twelve colonies that voted for independence on July 4, because New York’s delegation initially abstained while awaiting authorization. New York later supported the decision, and all thirteen colonies became part of the new nation.