Thirteen colonies were represented when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.
The document’s formal title called it the unanimous declaration of the thirteen United States of America. Those colonies were New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
The word “unanimous” requires context. Congress approved the Declaration on July 4, but delegates signed the engrossed parchment over time, with the best-known large signing occurring on August 2. The thirteen colonies also did not all have identical populations, economies, or political positions during the Revolution.
The 13-star American flag later used thirteen stars to represent the original states. By the 2026 America250 commemoration, the United States had 50 states, but the anniversary looks back to the thirteen colonies that declared independence in 1776.