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The Thirteen Colonies were part of what became known as British America
British America

For American people of British descent, see British American.British America consisted of the British Empire in continental North America in the 17th century and 18th century....
, a name that was used by Great Britain until the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1783)

The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ratified by the Congress of the Confederation on January 14, 1784 and by the King of Great Britain on April 9, 1784 , formally ended the American Revolutionary War between the Kingdom of Great Britain and United States, which had rebelled against British rule starting in 1775....
 recognized the independence of the original thirteen United States of America in 1783. These British
British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, and other Dependent territory ruled or administered by the United Kingdom , that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries....
 colonies in North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 rebelled against British rule
American Revolution

The American Revolution refers to the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which the Thirteen Colonies of North America overthrew the governance of the British Empire and then rejected the British monarchy to become the sovereign United States of America....
 in 1775, this was due to the taxation that Great Britain was imposing on the colonies. A provisional government
Provisional government

A provisional government is an emergency or interim government set up when a political void has been created by the collapse of a previous administration or regime....
 was formed which proclaimed their independence, which is now celebrated as having occurred on July 4, 1776, and subsequently became the original thirteen United States of America.






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Encyclopedia


The Thirteen Colonies were part of what became known as British America
British America

For American people of British descent, see British American.British America consisted of the British Empire in continental North America in the 17th century and 18th century....
, a name that was used by Great Britain until the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1783)

The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ratified by the Congress of the Confederation on January 14, 1784 and by the King of Great Britain on April 9, 1784 , formally ended the American Revolutionary War between the Kingdom of Great Britain and United States, which had rebelled against British rule starting in 1775....
 recognized the independence of the original thirteen United States of America in 1783. These British
British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, and other Dependent territory ruled or administered by the United Kingdom , that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries....
 colonies in North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 rebelled against British rule
American Revolution

The American Revolution refers to the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which the Thirteen Colonies of North America overthrew the governance of the British Empire and then rejected the British monarchy to become the sovereign United States of America....
 in 1775, this was due to the taxation that Great Britain was imposing on the colonies. A provisional government
Provisional government

A provisional government is an emergency or interim government set up when a political void has been created by the collapse of a previous administration or regime....
 was formed which proclaimed their independence, which is now celebrated as having occurred on July 4, 1776, and subsequently became the original thirteen United States of America. The colonies were founded between 1607 (Virginia), and 1733 (Georgia
Province of Georgia

The Province of Georgia was one of the Southern colonies in British North America. It was the last of the Thirteen original colonies established by Kingdom of Great Britain in what later became the United States....
), although Great Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain

The Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a country in North-West Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1801....
 held several other colonies in North America and the West Indies
Caribbean

The Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and Northern America, east of Central America, and to the north of South America....
.

Not counting the areas west of the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains

The Appalachian Mountains or , often called the Appalachians, are a vast mountain range in eastern North America. Definitions vary on the precise boundaries of the Appalachians....
 (which were largely unsettled by Europeans at the time of the American Revolution), the Thirteen Colonies gave rise to 16 present-day states: the original 13 states, Vermont
Vermont

Vermont is a U.S. state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. The state ranks 43rd by land area, , and 45th by total area....
 (which had been disputed between New Hampshire
New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a U.S. state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States of America. The state was named after the southern English Counties of England of Hampshire....
 and New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
 and which was an independent republic from 1777 to 1791), Maine
Maine

The State of Maine is a U.S. state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, New Hampshire to the southwest, the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast....
 (formerly part of Massachusetts
Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. It borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north....
), and West Virginia
West Virginia

West Virginia is a U.S. state in the Appalachian, Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia on the southeast, Kentucky on the southwest, Ohio on the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland on the northeast....
 (formerly part of Virginia
Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
.)

Colonies



Contemporaneous documents usually list the thirteen revolutionary colonies of British North America
British North America

British North America consisted of the colonies and territories of the British Empire in continental North America after the end of the American Revolutionary War and the recognition of United States ....
 in geographical order, from north to south.
  • New England Colonies
    New England Colonies

    The New England Colonies of British Colonial America included colonies of Massachusetts Bay Colony, Connecticut Colony, Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and Province of New Hampshire....
    • Province of New Hampshire
      Province of New Hampshire

      The Province of New Hampshire was a British overseas territories organized on October 7, 1691, during the period of British colonization of the Americas....
      , later New Hampshire
      New Hampshire

      New Hampshire is a U.S. state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States of America. The state was named after the southern English Counties of England of Hampshire....
    • Province of Massachusetts Bay
      Province of Massachusetts Bay

      The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a British overseas territories chartered October 7, 1691 in North America by William and Mary, the joint monarchs of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland....
      , later Massachusetts
      Massachusetts

      The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. It borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north....
       and Maine
      Maine

      The State of Maine is a U.S. state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, New Hampshire to the southwest, the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast....
    • Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
      Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

      Providence Plantation was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams , a theologian, nonconformist, and linguist on land gifted by the Narragansett sachem Canonicus....
      , later Rhode Island
      Rhode Island

      Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a U.S. state in the New England region of the United States....
    • Connecticut Colony
      Connecticut Colony

      The Colony of Connecticut was an English colony that became the U.S. state of Connecticut. Originally known as the River Colony, it was organized on March 3, 1636 as a haven for Puritan noblemen....
      , later Connecticut
      Connecticut

      Connecticut is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The state borders New York to the west and south , Massachusetts to the north, and Rhode Island to the east....
      .
  • Middle Colonies
    Middle Colonies

    The Middle Colonies, also known as the Bread Colonies for the region's production of wheat and grain, were one area of Thirteen Colonies in pre-Revolutionary War Northern America....
    • Province of New York
      Province of New York

      The Province of New York resulted from the capture of the Dutch Republic colony of Provincie New Netherland by the Kingdom of England, and included all of the present U.S....
      , later New York
      New York

      The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
       and Vermont
      Vermont

      Vermont is a U.S. state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. The state ranks 43rd by land area, , and 45th by total area....
    • Province of New Jersey
      Province of New Jersey

      The Province of New Jersey was an English colony that existed within the boundaries of the current U.S. state of New Jersey from 1674 until 1702....
      , later New Jersey
      New Jersey

      New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
    • Province of Pennsylvania
      Province of Pennsylvania

      The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as Pennsylvania Colony, was a North American colony granted to William Penn on March 4, 1681 by King Charles II of England....
      , later Pennsylvania
      Pennsylvania

      The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
    • Delaware Colony
      Delaware Colony

      Delaware Colony was an English colony in North America. It was part of the Middle Colonies....
       (before 1776, the Lower Counties on Delaware), later Delaware
      Delaware

      Delaware is a U.S. state located on the East Coast of the United States in the Mid-Atlantic States region of the United States. The state takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, a British nobleman and Virginia's first colonial governor, after whom Cape Henlopen was originally named....
  • Southern Colonies
    Southern Colonies

    The Southern Colonies of British Colonial America consisted of the Province of North Carolina, the Province of South Carolina, and the Province of Georgia....
     (depending on the subject under discussion, Virginia and Maryland may be grouped as the Chesapeake Colonies
    Southern Colonies

    The Southern Colonies of British Colonial America consisted of the Province of North Carolina, the Province of South Carolina, and the Province of Georgia....
    )
    • Province of Maryland
      Province of Maryland

      The Province of Maryland was an English colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1776, when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen colonies in establishing the United States and became the U.S....
      , later Maryland
      Maryland

      Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic States of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the Washington, D.C. to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east....
    • Colony and Dominion of Virginia
      Colony and Dominion of Virginia

      The Colony of Virginia was the English colony in North America that existed briefly during the 16th century, and then continuously from 1607 until the American Revolution ....
      , later Virginia
      Virginia

      The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
      , Kentucky
      Kentucky

      The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a U.S. state located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is normally included in the group of Southern United States , but it is uncommonly included, geographically and culturally, in the Midwestern United States....
       and West Virginia
      West Virginia

      West Virginia is a U.S. state in the Appalachian, Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia on the southeast, Kentucky on the southwest, Ohio on the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland on the northeast....
    • Province of North Carolina
      Province of North Carolina

      The Province of North Carolina was originally part of the Province of Carolina, which was chartered by eight Lords Proprietors. The province later became the U.S....
      , later North Carolina
      North Carolina

      North Carolina is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north....
       and Tennessee
      Tennessee

      Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
    • Province of South Carolina
      Province of South Carolina

      The South Carolina Colony was originally part of the Province of Carolina, which was chartered in 1663. The colony later became the U.S. state of South Carolina....
      , later South Carolina
      South Carolina

      South Carolina is a U.S. state in the Southern United States of the United States. It borders Georgia to the south and North Carolina to the north....
    • Province of Georgia
      Province of Georgia

      The Province of Georgia was one of the Southern colonies in British North America. It was the last of the Thirteen original colonies established by Kingdom of Great Britain in what later became the United States....
      , later Georgia
      Georgia (U.S. state)

      Georgia is a U.S. state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against United Kingdom rule in the American Revolution....


Other divisions prior to 1730


Dominion of New England
Dominion of New England

The Dominion of New England in America was a short-lived administrative union of England colonies in the New England region of North America....
 : Created by King James II
James II of England

James II and VII was List of English monarchs, List of Scottish monarchs, and King of Ireland from 6 February 1685. He was the last Roman Catholic Church monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of Kingdom of England, Kingdom of Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland....
 with the consolidation of Maine
Maine

The State of Maine is a U.S. state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, New Hampshire to the southwest, the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast....
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a U.S. state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States of America. The state was named after the southern English Counties of England of Hampshire....
, Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony

The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, centered around the present-day cities of Salem, Massachusetts and Boston, Massachusetts....
, Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony

Plymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 until 1691. The first settlement was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by John Smith of Jamestown....
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island

Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a U.S. state in the New England region of the United States....
, Connecticut
Connecticut

Connecticut is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The state borders New York to the west and south , Massachusetts to the north, and Rhode Island to the east....
, Province of New York
Province of New York

The Province of New York resulted from the capture of the Dutch Republic colony of Provincie New Netherland by the Kingdom of England, and included all of the present U.S....
, East Jersey
East Jersey

East Jersey, together with West Jersey, was a distinct, separately governed Province of New Jersey that existed for 28 years, between 1674 and 1702....
, and West Jersey
West Jersey

Province of New Jersey was governed as two distinct provinces, East Jersey and West Jersey, for the 28 years between 1674 and 1702.Determination of an exact location for a border between West Jersey and East Jersey was often a matter of dispute....
 into a single larger colony in 1685. The experiment was discontinued with the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution

The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, was the overthrow of British monarchy James II of England in 1688 by a union of Parliament of England with an invading army led by the Dutch Republic stadtholder William III of England , who as a result ascended the English throne as William III of England....
 of 1688-89, and the nine former colonies re-established their separate identities in 1689. Province of Maine
Province of Maine

The Province of Maine refers to several England colonies of that name that existed in the 17th century along the northeast coast of North America, at times roughly encompassing portions of the present-day U.S....
 : Settled in 1622 (An earlier attempt to settle the Popham Colony
Popham Colony

The Popham Colony was a short-lived English colonization of the Americas colonial settlement in North America that was founded in 1607 and located in the present-day town of Phippsburg, Maine near the mouth of the Kennebec River by the proprietary Virginia Company of Plymouth....
 on Sagadahoc Island, Maine in 1607 was abandoned after only one year). Massachusetts Bay colony encroached into Maine during the English Civil War
English Civil War

The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Roundhead and Cavalier. The First English Civil War and Second English Civil War civil wars pitted the supporters of Charles I of England against the supporters of the Long Parliament, while the Third English Civil War saw fighting between supporters...
, but, with the Restoration
English Restoration

The English Restoration, or simply The Restoration began in 1660 when the English monarchy, Scottish monarchy and Irish monarchy were restored under Charles II of England after the Interregnum that followed the English Civil War....
, autonomy was returned to Maine in 1664. Maine was officially merged into Massachusetts Bay Colony with the issuance of the Massachusetts Bay charter of 1691. Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony

Plymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 until 1691. The first settlement was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by John Smith of Jamestown....
 : Settled in 1620 by the Pilgrims
Pilgrims

Pilgrims, or Pilgrim Fathers , is a name commonly applied to the early settlers of the Plymouth Colony in present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts....
. Plymouth was absorbed by Massachusetts Bay Colony with the issuance of the Massachusetts Bay charter of 1691. Saybrook Colony
Saybrook Colony

The Saybrook Colony was established in late 1635 at the mouth of the Connecticut River in what is today Old Saybrook, Connecticut and environs....
 : Founded in 1635 and merged with Connecticut Colony in 1644. New Haven
New Haven Colony

The New Haven Colony was an England colonial venture in present-day Connecticut in North America from 1637 to 1662....
 : Settled in late 1637. New Haven was absorbed by Connecticut Colony with the issuance of the Connecticut Charter in 1662, partly as royal punishment by King Charles II for harboring the regicide judges who sentenced King Charles I to death. East
East Jersey

East Jersey, together with West Jersey, was a distinct, separately governed Province of New Jersey that existed for 28 years, between 1674 and 1702....
 and West Jersey
West Jersey

Province of New Jersey was governed as two distinct provinces, East Jersey and West Jersey, for the 28 years between 1674 and 1702.Determination of an exact location for a border between West Jersey and East Jersey was often a matter of dispute....
 : New Jersey was divided into two separate colonies in 1674. The Jerseys were reunited in 1702. Province of Carolina
Province of Carolina

The Province of Carolina from 1663 to 1712, was a North American Kingdom of Great Britain proprietary colony, controlled by the Lords Proprietor, a group of eight English noblemen led informally by member Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury....
 : Founded in 1663. Carolina colony was divided into North Carolina and South Carolina in 1712. Both colonies became royal colonies in 1729.

Population

(Note: the population figures do not account for the native tribes who originally resided there.)

Year Population
1625 1,980
1641 50,000
1688 200,000
1702 270,000
1715 434,600
1749 1,046,000
1754 1,485,634
1765 2,240,000
1775 2,418,000

At the time of the Revolutionary War, approximately 85 per cent of the white population was of English, Irish, Welsh, and Scottish descent. Persons of German origin represented 8.8 per cent of the white population, and those of Dutch origin represented 3.5 per cent of the colonists.


See also

  • New England Colonies
    New England Colonies

    The New England Colonies of British Colonial America included colonies of Massachusetts Bay Colony, Connecticut Colony, Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and Province of New Hampshire....
  • Middle Colonies
    Middle Colonies

    The Middle Colonies, also known as the Bread Colonies for the region's production of wheat and grain, were one area of Thirteen Colonies in pre-Revolutionary War Northern America....
  • Southern Colonies
    Southern Colonies

    The Southern Colonies of British Colonial America consisted of the Province of North Carolina, the Province of South Carolina, and the Province of Georgia....
  • Chesapeake Colonies
  • British North America
    British North America

    British North America consisted of the colonies and territories of the British Empire in continental North America after the end of the American Revolutionary War and the recognition of United States ....
  • Colonial America
    Colonial America

    The term colonial history of the United States refers to the history of the land that would become the United States from the start of European colonization of the Americas to the time of independence from Europe, and especially to the history of the thirteen colonies which declared themselves independent in 1776....
  • Colonial government in the Thirteen Colonies
  • History of the United States (1776-1789): Independence and the American Revolution
  • American Revolution
    American Revolution

    The American Revolution refers to the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which the Thirteen Colonies of North America overthrew the governance of the British Empire and then rejected the British monarchy to become the sovereign United States of America....
  • History of the United States
    History of the United States

    The first known inhabitants of modern-day United States territory are believed to have arrived over a period of several thousand years beginning sometime prior to 15,000 - 50,000 years ago by crossing Beringia into Alaska....
  • British colonization of the Americas
    British colonization of the Americas

    British colonization of the Americas began in the late 16th century, before reaching its peak after colonies were established throughout the Americas, and a protectorate was established over the Kingdom of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean....