Definition of Thirteen Colonies

Before the independence of the United States in 1776, Great Britain ruled the territory from the east coast since the early seventeenth century. This vast territory consisted of thirteen colonies (Virginia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Georgia). Originally, most of the inhabitants of these territories came from England, but over the years Irish, German, French Huguenot and Flemish settlers joined. It is important to note that the settlers left their countries for political and religious reasons (for example, New Jersey was founded by Quakers suffering from persecution in England and Georgia were founded by former debt prisoners so they could start a new lifetime).

The Thirteen Colonies depended politically on the English government but enjoyed a certain autonomy

The colonists had, economically, an intense commercial activity in the northern colonies and important raw materials in the southern colonies. Despite the differences between the Thirteen Colonies, a

identity common. Social and economic ties increased when there was a reaction to the authoritarianism of the monarch Jorge lll.

Relations between the colonies and Great Britain worsened after the Seven Years' War between France and England, as the The British made the decision to increase taxes among the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies to cope with a profound crisis financial. The tax increase affected all types of activities (bureaucratic procedures, ordinary mail and products such as painting, the press or tea).

The colonists considered these contributions to be abusive and illegitimate and in 1770 a massive protest took place that culminated in the well-known Boston Massacre. The British Crown agreed to withdraw the fees except those for tea. As a reaction to this measure, a group of settlers decided to launch a shipment of tea into the sea in Boston Harbor (this episode has been considered a symbol of civil disobedience).

The road to independence

Between 1775 and 1783 the War of Independence took place between the Thirteen Colonies and Great Britain. In 1776 the Independence of the colonies was proclaimed and all of them formed a new nation, USA. In 1783 the Treaty of Paris was signed, by which the United States and Great Britain signed the peace definitive.

The transformation of the Thirteen Colonies into a new nation was a clear historical precedent for the independence process of the Spanish colonies in the continent South American.

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Themes in Thirteen Colonies