The United States Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776 by representatives of thirteen colonies.
The colonies had been British possessions along the Atlantic coast of North America. On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress approved the Declaration, announcing that the colonies regarded themselves as free and independent states rather than part of the British Empire.
The thirteen colonies were New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Their names are reflected in the original design of the United States flag, which had thirteen stars and thirteen stripes.
The colonies did not all vote identically at every stage. New York initially abstained from the July 2 independence vote because its delegates lacked authorization, but the final Declaration was presented as the unanimous declaration of the thirteen United States.