Thirteen original British colonies are represented in the history commemorated by America250.
The Thirteen Colonies were British settlements along the Atlantic coast of North America that declared independence in 1776 and became the first states of the United States. They stretched from New Hampshire in the north to Georgia in the south.
The colonies were not identical. Their economies, religious traditions, political institutions, and relationships with Indigenous peoples varied considerably. New England included Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire; the Middle Colonies included New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware; and the Southern Colonies included Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
A frequent mistake is counting only the colonies that later ratified the Constitution early or only the mainland colonies most often shown on maps. The standard historical term “Thirteen Colonies” refers to all thirteen British colonies that united in the independence movement.