Thirteen colonies had declared independence from Britain when the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776, a milestone marked by America250.
The thirteen colonies occupied the Atlantic seaboard of North America and had developed distinct economies, governments, and local identities under British rule. Their delegates acted together through the Second Continental Congress during the Revolutionary War.
The Declaration described the colonies as free and independent states. These states became the political foundation of the new United States, although the war continued for several years after the document was adopted.
The number thirteen later remained important in American symbolism. The first national flag is traditionally associated with thirteen stars and thirteen stripes, representing the original states. Modern United States flags have fifty stars and thirteen stripes, preserving the reference to the founding states while representing the current number of states.