How many original colonies were there?

How many original colonies were there? There were 13 original colonies. These British colonies stretched along the Atlantic coast of North America and united in the American Revolution to form the 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 colonies developed at different times and for different reasons. Virginia began with Jamestown in 1607, while Georgia, founded in 1732, was the last of the thirteen to be established. Some colonies were shaped strongly by religious goals, while others grew through trade, agriculture, and land speculation.

A common mix-up is counting every British colony in North America. Territories such as Canada, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Florida, Bermuda, and the British West Indies were not among the thirteen colonies that declared independence. Another detail often overlooked is that the colonies had separate governments, although they shared many political and legal traditions. Their cooperation grew during disputes with Britain over taxation, representation, and imperial control.