Thirteen Colonies

The Thirteen Colonies were thirteen British colonies in North America, separately chartered and governed, that rebelled, signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 becoming independent sovereign states, thereby establishing the United States of America.

The Thirteen Colonies

Contemporaneous documents almost always listed the colonies in geographical order, roughly from north to south, as follows (the division into three regions is a later construct of historians, though New England was always considered to be a distinct region):

New England:
- Province of New Hampshire, later New Hampshire
- Province of Massachusetts Bay, later Massachusetts and Maine
- Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, later Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
- Connecticut Colony, later Connecticut
Middle Colonies:
- Province of New York, later New York and Vermont
- Province of New Jersey, later New Jersey
- Province of Pennsylvania, later Pennsylvania
- Delaware Colony (before 1776, the Lower Counties on Delaware), later Delaware
Cheasapeake Colonies:
- Province of Maryland, later Maryland
- Colony and Dominion of Virginia, later Virginia, Kentucky and West Virginia
Southern Colonies:
- Province of North Carolina, later North Carolina and Tennessee
- Province of South Carolina, later South Carolina
- Province of Georgia, later Georgia

Reference is sometimes seen to the Chesapeake Colonies, these being the Province of Maryland and the Colony and Dominion of Virginia; so called because they border the Chesapeake Bay; otherwise, they are considered Southern Colonies.

Proprietary, royal, and charter colonies

The Thirteen Colonies were established by one of three possible means.

Proprietary colonies: Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. The British Crown gave a charter (document) and land to a private owner (proprietor) who would then govern the colony.

Royal colonies: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The British Crown retained sovereignty over the colony and governed it.

Charter colonies: Rhode Island and Connecticut. The British Crown granted a charter (document) to a group of settlers, who would then govern the colony.

British colonies in mainland North America that did not join the rebellion

Britain held several other colonies on mainland North America in 1776 which did not join the thirteen in their Revolution against the Crown.

Future Canadian provinces

Nova Scotia (including present day New Brunswick)
Newfoundland
St. John's Island (now called Prince Edward Island)
the Province of Quebec, which included present day Quebec and Ontario

Future American states

East Florida (forming most of today's Florida)
West Florida (which now forms parts of the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida)

External links

Thirteen Colonies | Former British colonies