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The Thirteen Colonies were a group of British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America during the 17th and 18th centuries. Grievances against the imperial government led the 13 colonies to begin uniting in 1774, and expelling British officials by 1775. Assembled at the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, they appointed George Washington as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army to fight the American Revolutionary War. In 1776, Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence as the United States of America. Defeating British armies with French help, the Thirteen Colonies gained sovereignty with the Treaty of Paris in 1783. The Thirteen Colonies in their traditional groupings were: the New England Colonies (New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut); the Middle Colonies (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware); and the Southern Colonies (Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia). These colonies were part of British America, which also included territory in The Floridas, the Caribbean, and what is today Canada. The Thirteen Colonies had similar political, constitutional, and legal systems, and each was largely dominated by Protestant English-speakers. The first of the colonies, Virginia, was established at Jamestown, in 1607. The New England Colonies, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, were substantially motivated by their founders' concerns related to the practice of religion. The other colonies were founded for business and economic expansion. The Middle Colonies were established on the former Dutch colony of New Netherland. Between 1625 and 1775, the colonial population grew from 2 thousand to 2.4 million, largely displacing the region's Native Americans. The population included people subject to a system of slavery, which was legal in all of the colonies. In the 18th century, the British government operated under a policy of mercantilism, in which the central government administered its colonies for Britain's economic benefit. The 13 colonies had a degree of self-governance and active local elections, and they resisted London's demands for more control over them. The French and Indian War (1754–1763) against France and its Indian allies led to growing tensions between Britain and the 13 colonies. During the 1750s, the colonies began collaborating with one another instead of dealing directly with Britain. With the help of colonial printers and newspapers, these inter-colonial activities and concerns were shared and led to calls for protection of the colonists' "Rights as Englishmen", especially the principle of "no taxation without representation". Conflicts with the British government over taxes and rights led to the American Revolution, in which the colonies worked together to form the Continental Congress and raised the Continental Army. They fought the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) with the aid of the Kingdom of France and, to a much lesser degree, the Dutch Republic and the Kingdom of Spain. British colonies In 1606, King James I of England granted charters to both the Plymouth Company and the London Company for the purpose of establishing permanent settlements in America. The London Company established the Colony of Virginia in 1607, the first permanently settled English colony on the continent. The Plymouth Company founded the Popham Colony on the Kennebec River, but it was short-lived. The Plymouth Council for New England sponsored several colonization projects, culminating with Plymouth Colony in 1620 which was settled by English Puritan separatists, known today as the Pilgrims. The Dutch, Swedish, and French also established successful American colonies at roughly the same time as the English, but they eventually came under the English crown. The Thirteen Colonies were complete with the establishment of the Province of Georgia in 1732, although the term "Thirteen Colonies" became current only in the context of the American Revolution. In London, beginning in 1660, all colonies were governed through a state department known as the Southern Department, and a committee of the Privy Council called the Board of Trade and Plantations. In 1768, a specific state department was created for America, but it was disbanded in 1782 when the Home Office took responsibility. New England colonies Province of Massachusetts Bay, chartered as a royal colony in 1691 Popham Colony, established in 1607; abandoned in 1608 Plymouth Colony, established in 1620; merged with Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691 Province of Maine, patent issued in 1622 by Council for New England; patent reissued by Charles I in 1639; absorbed by Massachusetts Bay Colony by 1658 Massachusetts Bay Colony, established in 1628; merged with Plymouth Colony in 1691 Province of New Hampshire, established in 1629; merged with Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1641; chartered as royal colony in 1679 Connecticut Colony, established in 1636; chartered as royal colony in 1662 Saybrook Colony, established in 1635; merged with Connecticut Colony in 1644 New Haven Colony, established in 1638; merged with Connecticut Colony in 1664 Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations chartered as royal colony in 1663 Providence Plantations established by Roger Williams in 1636 Portsmouth established in 1638 by John Clarke, William Coddington, and others Newport established in 1639 after a disagreement and split among the settlers in Portsmouth Warwick established in 1642 by Samuel Gorton These four settlements merged into a single Royal colony in 1663 Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut, and New Haven Colonies formed the New England Confederation in 1643, and all New England colonies were included in the Dominion of New England (1686–1689). Middle colonies Delaware Colony (before 1776, the Lower Counties on Delaware), established in 1664 as proprietary colony Province of New York, established as a proprietary colony in 1664; chartered as royal colony in 1686; included in the Dominion of New England (1686–1689) Province of New Jersey, established as a proprietary colony in 1664; chartered as a royal colony in 1702 East Jersey, established in 1674; merged with West Jersey to re-form Province of New Jersey in 1702; included in the Dominion of New England West Jersey, established in 1674; merged with East Jersey to re-form Province of New Jersey in 1702; included in the Dominion of New England Province of Pennsylvania, established in 1681 as a proprietary colony Southern colonies Colony of Virginia, established in 1607 as a proprietary colony; chartered as a royal colony in 1624. Province of Maryland, established 1632 as a proprietary colony. Province of North Carolina, previously part of the Carolina province (see below) until 1712; chartered as a royal colony in 1729. Province of South Carolina, previously part of the Carolina province (see below) until 1712; chartered as a royal colony in 1729. Province of Georgia, established as a pro.... Discover the William M Wiecek popular books. Find the top 100 most popular William M Wiecek books.