Thirteen Colonies

Published: July 13, 2026 · Updated: July 13, 2026

1607–1776

The Thirteen Colonies were the British colonies along the Atlantic coast that joined to declare independence as the United States in 1776. They stretched from New England to Georgia.

What it was

Founded from 1607 at Jamestown onward, the colonies grew as farming, trading, and plantation societies with their own assemblies. Their populations mixed English and other European settlers, Indigenous peoples, and enslaved Africans.

Role

Each colony governed much of its own affairs under the Crown, developing traditions of self-rule. Tensions with Britain over taxation and control grew sharp after the Seven Years’ War.

Fate

In 1776 the colonies declared independence, becoming the founding states of the United States. Their institutions of representative government shaped the new republic.

Periods

Colonial era c. 1600–1775

Regions

North America