The 13 original American colonies were established by European settlers, primarily from England, along the Atlantic coast of North America between the early 17th and mid-18th centuries:

The story begins with Virginia, the first permanent English colony, founded in 1607 at Jamestown. Sponsored by the Virginia Company, settlers faced harsh conditions—disease, starvation, and conflicts with Indigenous peoples—but tobacco cultivation eventually brought economic stability. In 1620, Plymouth Colony (later part of Massachusetts) was established by the Pilgrims, religious separatists seeking freedom from persecution. The nearby Massachusetts Bay Colony, founded in 1630 by Puritans, grew into a theocratic society centered on trade, fishing, and farming.

Maryland emerged in 1634 as a haven for English Catholics, granted by King Charles I to the Calvert family, though it also attracted Protestant settlers. Connecticut (1636) and Rhode Island (1636) splintered from Massachusetts, driven by religious dissenters like Thomas Hooker and Roger Williams, who prioritized individual liberty and separation of church and state.

The Carolinas were chartered in 1663, splitting into North Carolina and South Carolina by 1712. These colonies thrived on rice, indigo, and later slavery, with South Carolina developing a plantation elite. New Hampshire, initially tied to Massachusetts, became a separate colony in 1679, focusing on timber and fishing.

New York began as New Netherland, a Dutch colony, until the English seized it in 1664, renaming it after the Duke of York. Neighboring New Jersey, also carved from Dutch territory, was established as a proprietary colony in 1664, later splitting into East and West before reuniting as a royal colony in 1702.

Pennsylvania, founded in 1681 by William Penn as a Quaker refuge, promoted religious tolerance and fair dealings with Native Americans, attracting diverse settlers. Its offshoot, Delaware, originally part of New Sweden, became a separate colony in 1704 under Penn’s charter.

Finally, Georgia, the last of the 13, was founded in 1733 by James Oglethorpe as a buffer against Spanish Florida and a social experiment, initially banning slavery (until 1750) and offering land to debtors.

By the mid-18th century, these colonies—diverse in economy, religion, and governance—had grown distinct identities yet shared grievances against British rule, setting the stage for the American Revolution in 1775. Together, they formed the foundation of the United States.

The American Revolution (1775–1783) was a pivotal war where the thirteen American colonies fought for independence from British rule. It began with escalating tensions over taxation and governance, exemplified by acts like the Stamp Act and the Boston Tea Party, leading to armed conflict at Lexington and Concord in 1775. The Declaration of Independence, adopted in 1776, formalized the break from Britain. Under General George Washington, the Continental Army, bolstered by French support after the 1777 Saratoga victory, endured hardships like Valley Forge before triumphing at Yorktown in 1781. The 1783 Treaty of Paris secured U.S. sovereignty, establishing a new nation grounded in revolutionary ideals, though challenges like slavery persisted.

Bailey Anderson, Sr. (1753–1840), born in Stafford County, Virginia, was a Patriot soldier and spy during the Revolution. Relocating to South Carolina’s Ninety Six District, he served in the militia with his father, John, and brothers, Scarlet and Joshua, all of whom perished in the war. Anderson participated in key southern battles—Musgrove’s Mill, Blackstocks, Ninety Six, and the Siege of Augusta—likely spying on British and Loyalist forces in the backcountry. After the war, he migrated to Kentucky (1795), served in its legislature (1800–1802), then moved to Indiana (1805), and finally settled in Texas by 1819. He died in Harrison County, Texas, in 1840, one of 46 Revolutionary War veterans buried there, honored with a Texas Historical Marker.

AUTHORS NOTE: Bailey Sanders, Sr., the owner of this website, Oak Cliff BBQ Company, and the creator of Prime Jerky Fries, is the 10th great grandson of this Revolutionary War patriot and Texas First Families pioneer. Bailey carried on the generations old family tradition of serving America, and is a Cold War and Persian Gulf War veteran. Bailey served first on the USS America (CV-66) conventional aircraft carrier, (at the time moored in Norfolk, Virginia), then on board the USS Von Steuben (SSBN-632) and USS Benjamin Franklin (SSBN-640), both FBM nuclear powered submarines (at the time as moored at Charleston Naval Submarine Base, Charleston, South Carolina), and later the USS Frank Cable (AS-40) submarine tender from April 1984 – December 1993.

The Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4, 1776, by the Continental Congress, marked the formal assertion of the 13 American colonies’ break from British rule. Its history reflects the escalating tensions of the mid-18th century and the colonies’ push for self-governance.

By the 1760s, colonial resentment grew due to British policies like the Stamp Act (1765) and Townshend Acts (1767), which imposed taxes without colonial representation in Parliament. The Boston Massacre (1770) and Boston Tea Party (1773) intensified conflicts, leading to punitive measures like the Intolerable Acts (1774). In response, the First Continental Congress convened in 1774 to coordinate resistance, but war broke out in April 1775 with the battles of Lexington and Concord.

The Second Continental Congress, meeting in May 1775 in Philadelphia, initially sought reconciliation. However, King George III’s rejection of their Olive Branch Petition and his declaration of rebellion shifted sentiment toward independence. On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia proposed a resolution for independence, prompting Congress to appoint a committee—Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston—to draft a document. Jefferson, the primary author, completed the initial draft by late June, drawing on Enlightenment ideas from thinkers like John Locke, emphasizing natural rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

The draft underwent revisions, with Congress debating and editing it—most notably removing a passage condemning slavery—to unify the colonies. On July 2, 1776, Lee’s resolution passed, and on July 4, the final Declaration was adopted, signed initially by John Hancock, Congress president, and later by 56 delegates. Printed copies spread the news, with public readings igniting celebrations.

The Declaration didn’t end the war—it raged until 1783—but it defined the colonies as the United States, justifying their rebellion and rallying support. More than a legal document, it became a symbol of liberty, influencing democratic movements worldwide.

The 13 original American colonies were established by European settlers, primarily from England, along the Atlantic coast of North America between the early 17th and mid-18th centuries:

The story begins with Virginia, the first permanent English colony, founded in 1607 at Jamestown. Sponsored by the Virginia Company, settlers faced harsh conditions—disease, starvation, and conflicts with Indigenous peoples—but tobacco cultivation eventually brought economic stability. In 1620, Plymouth Colony (later part of Massachusetts) was established by the Pilgrims, religious separatists seeking freedom from persecution. The nearby Massachusetts Bay Colony, founded in 1630 by Puritans, grew into a theocratic society centered on trade, fishing, and farming.

Maryland emerged in 1634 as a haven for English Catholics, granted by King Charles I to the Calvert family, though it also attracted Protestant settlers. Connecticut (1636) and Rhode Island (1636) splintered from Massachusetts, driven by religious dissenters like Thomas Hooker and Roger Williams, who prioritized individual liberty and separation of church and state.
The Carolinas were chartered in 1663, splitting into North Carolina and South Carolina by 1712. These colonies thrived on rice, indigo, and later slavery, with South Carolina developing a plantation elite. New Hampshire, initially tied to Massachusetts, became a separate colony in 1679, focusing on timber and fishing.

New York began as New Netherland, a Dutch colony, until the English seized it in 1664, renaming it after the Duke of York. Neighboring New Jersey, also carved from Dutch territory, was established as a proprietary colony in 1664, later splitting into East and West before reuniting as a royal colony in 1702.

Pennsylvania, founded in 1681 by William Penn as a Quaker refuge, promoted religious tolerance and fair dealings with Native Americans, attracting diverse settlers. Its offshoot, Delaware, originally part of New Sweden, became a separate colony in 1704 under Penn’s charter.
Finally, Georgia, the last of the 13, was founded in 1733 by James Oglethorpe as a buffer against Spanish Florida and a social experiment, initially banning slavery (until 1750) and offering land to debtors.

By the mid-18th century, these colonies—diverse in economy, religion, and governance—had grown distinct identities yet shared grievances against British rule, setting the stage for the American Revolution in 1775. Together, they formed the foundation of the United States.

The Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4, 1776, by the Continental Congress, marked the formal assertion of the 13 American colonies’ break from British rule. Its history reflects the escalating tensions of the mid-18th century and the colonies’ push for self-governance.

By the 1760s, colonial resentment grew due to British policies like the Stamp Act (1765) and Townshend Acts (1767), which imposed taxes without colonial representation in Parliament.

The Boston Massacre (1770) and Boston Tea Party (1773) intensified conflicts, leading to punitive measures like the Intolerable Acts (1774). In response, the First Continental Congress convened in 1774 to coordinate resistance, but war broke out in April 1775 with the battles of Lexington and Concord.

The Second Continental Congress, meeting in May 1775 in Philadelphia, initially sought reconciliation. However, King George III’s rejection of their Olive Branch Petition and his declaration of rebellion shifted sentiment toward independence. On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia proposed a resolution for independence, prompting Congress to appoint a committee—Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston—to draft a document. Jefferson, the primary author, completed the initial draft by late June, drawing on Enlightenment ideas from thinkers like John Locke, emphasizing natural rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

The draft underwent revisions, with Congress debating and editing it—most notably removing a passage condemning slavery—to unify the colonies. On July 2, 1776, Lee’s resolution passed, and on July 4, the final Declaration was adopted, signed initially by John Hancock, Congress president, and later by 56 delegates. Printed copies spread the news, with public readings igniting celebrations.
The Declaration didn’t end the war—it raged until 1783—but it defined the colonies as the United States, justifying their rebellion and rallying support. More than a legal document, it became a symbol of liberty, influencing democratic movements worldwide.

The 13 original American colonies were established by European settlers, primarily from England, along the Atlantic coast of North America between the early 17th and mid-18th centuries:

The story begins with Virginia, the first permanent English colony, founded in 1607 at Jamestown. Sponsored by the Virginia Company, settlers faced harsh conditions—disease, starvation, and conflicts with Indigenous peoples—but tobacco cultivation eventually brought economic stability. In 1620, Plymouth Colony (later part of Massachusetts) was established by the Pilgrims, religious separatists seeking freedom from persecution. The nearby Massachusetts Bay Colony, founded in 1630 by Puritans, grew into a theocratic society centered on trade, fishing, and farming.

Maryland emerged in 1634 as a haven for English Catholics, granted by King Charles I to the Calvert family, though it also attracted Protestant settlers. Connecticut (1636) and Rhode Island (1636) splintered from Massachusetts, driven by religious dissenters like Thomas Hooker and Roger Williams, who prioritized individual liberty and separation of church and state.

The Carolinas were chartered in 1663, splitting into North Carolina and South Carolina by 1712. These colonies thrived on rice, indigo, and later slavery, with South Carolina developing a plantation elite. New Hampshire, initially tied to Massachusetts, became a separate colony in 1679, focusing on timber and fishing.

New York began as New Netherland, a Dutch colony, until the English seized it in 1664, renaming it after the Duke of York. Neighboring New Jersey, also carved from Dutch territory, was established as a proprietary colony in 1664, later splitting into East and West before reuniting as a royal colony in 1702.

Pennsylvania, founded in 1681 by William Penn as a Quaker refuge, promoted religious tolerance and fair dealings with Native Americans, attracting diverse settlers. Its offshoot, Delaware, originally part of New Sweden, became a separate colony in 1704 under Penn’s charter.

Finally, Georgia, the last of the 13, was founded in 1733 by James Oglethorpe as a buffer against Spanish Florida and a social experiment, initially banning slavery (until 1750) and offering land to debtors.

By the mid-18th century, these colonies—diverse in economy, religion, and governance—had grown distinct identities yet shared grievances against British rule, setting the stage for the American Revolution in 1775. Together, they formed the foundation of the United States.

The American Revolution (1775–1783) was a pivotal war where the thirteen American colonies fought for independence from British rule. It began with escalating tensions over taxation and governance, exemplified by acts like the Stamp Act and the Boston Tea Party, leading to armed conflict at Lexington and Concord in 1775. The Declaration of Independence, adopted in 1776, formalized the break from Britain. Under General George Washington, the Continental Army, bolstered by French support after the 1777 Saratoga victory, endured hardships like Valley Forge before triumphing at Yorktown in 1781. The 1783 Treaty of Paris secured U.S. sovereignty, establishing a new nation grounded in revolutionary ideals, though challenges like slavery persisted.

Bailey Anderson, Sr. (1753–1840), born in Stafford County, Virginia, was a Patriot soldier and spy during the Revolution. Relocating to South Carolina’s Ninety Six District, he served in the militia with his father, John, and brothers, Scarlet and Joshua, all of whom perished in the war. Anderson participated in key southern battles—Musgrove’s Mill, Blackstocks, Ninety Six, and the Siege of Augusta—likely spying on British and Loyalist forces in the backcountry. After the war, he migrated to Kentucky (1795), served in its legislature (1800–1802), then moved to Indiana (1805), and finally settled in Texas by 1819. He died in Harrison County, Texas, in 1840, one of 46 Revolutionary War veterans buried there, honored with a Texas Historical Marker.

AUTHORS NOTE: Bailey Sanders, Sr., the owner of this website, Oak Cliff BBQ Company, and the creator of Prime Jerky Fries, is the 10th great grandson of this Revolutionary War patriot and Texas First Families pioneer. Bailey carried on the generations old family tradition of serving America, and is a Cold War and Persian Gulf War veteran. Bailey served first on the USS America (CV-66) conventional aircraft carrier, (at the time moored in Norfolk, Virginia), then on board the USS Von Steuben (SSBN-632) and USS Benjamin Franklin (SSBN-640), both FBM nuclear powered submarines (at the time as moored at Charleston Naval Submarine Base, Charleston, South Carolina), and later the USS Frank Cable (AS-40) submarine tender from April 1984 – December 1993.

The Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4, 1776, by the Continental Congress, marked the formal assertion of the 13 American colonies’ break from British rule. Its history reflects the escalating tensions of the mid-18th century and the colonies’ push for self-governance.

By the 1760s, colonial resentment grew due to British policies like the Stamp Act (1765) and Townshend Acts (1767), which imposed taxes without colonial representation in Parliament. The Boston Massacre (1770) and Boston Tea Party (1773) intensified conflicts, leading to punitive measures like the Intolerable Acts (1774). In response, the First Continental Congress convened in 1774 to coordinate resistance, but war broke out in April 1775 with the battles of Lexington and Concord.

The Second Continental Congress, meeting in May 1775 in Philadelphia, initially sought reconciliation. However, King George III’s rejection of their Olive Branch Petition and his declaration of rebellion shifted sentiment toward independence. On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia proposed a resolution for independence, prompting Congress to appoint a committee—Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston—to draft a document. Jefferson, the primary author, completed the initial draft by late June, drawing on Enlightenment ideas from thinkers like John Locke, emphasizing natural rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

The draft underwent revisions, with Congress debating and editing it—most notably removing a passage condemning slavery—to unify the colonies. On July 2, 1776, Lee’s resolution passed, and on July 4, the final Declaration was adopted, signed initially by John Hancock, Congress president, and later by 56 delegates. Printed copies spread the news, with public readings igniting celebrations.

The Declaration didn’t end the war—it raged until 1783—but it defined the colonies as the United States, justifying their rebellion and rallying support. More than a legal document, it became a symbol of liberty, influencing democratic movements worldwide.

The 13 original American colonies were established by European settlers, primarily from England, along the Atlantic coast of North America between the early 17th and mid-18th centuries:

The story begins with Virginia, the first permanent English colony, founded in 1607 at Jamestown. Sponsored by the Virginia Company, settlers faced harsh conditions—disease, starvation, and conflicts with Indigenous peoples—but tobacco cultivation eventually brought economic stability. In 1620, Plymouth Colony (later part of Massachusetts) was established by the Pilgrims, religious separatists seeking freedom from persecution. The nearby Massachusetts Bay Colony, founded in 1630 by Puritans, grew into a theocratic society centered on trade, fishing, and farming.

Maryland emerged in 1634 as a haven for English Catholics, granted by King Charles I to the Calvert family, though it also attracted Protestant settlers. Connecticut (1636) and Rhode Island (1636) splintered from Massachusetts, driven by religious dissenters like Thomas Hooker and Roger Williams, who prioritized individual liberty and separation of church and state.
The Carolinas were chartered in 1663, splitting into North Carolina and South Carolina by 1712. These colonies thrived on rice, indigo, and later slavery, with South Carolina developing a plantation elite. New Hampshire, initially tied to Massachusetts, became a separate colony in 1679, focusing on timber and fishing.

New York began as New Netherland, a Dutch colony, until the English seized it in 1664, renaming it after the Duke of York. Neighboring New Jersey, also carved from Dutch territory, was established as a proprietary colony in 1664, later splitting into East and West before reuniting as a royal colony in 1702.

Pennsylvania, founded in 1681 by William Penn as a Quaker refuge, promoted religious tolerance and fair dealings with Native Americans, attracting diverse settlers. Its offshoot, Delaware, originally part of New Sweden, became a separate colony in 1704 under Penn’s charter.
Finally, Georgia, the last of the 13, was founded in 1733 by James Oglethorpe as a buffer against Spanish Florida and a social experiment, initially banning slavery (until 1750) and offering land to debtors.

By the mid-18th century, these colonies—diverse in economy, religion, and governance—had grown distinct identities yet shared grievances against British rule, setting the stage for the American Revolution in 1775. Together, they formed the foundation of the United States.

The Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4, 1776, by the Continental Congress, marked the formal assertion of the 13 American colonies’ break from British rule. Its history reflects the escalating tensions of the mid-18th century and the colonies’ push for self-governance.

By the 1760s, colonial resentment grew due to British policies like the Stamp Act (1765) and Townshend Acts (1767), which imposed taxes without colonial representation in Parliament.

The Boston Massacre (1770) and Boston Tea Party (1773) intensified conflicts, leading to punitive measures like the Intolerable Acts (1774). In response, the First Continental Congress convened in 1774 to coordinate resistance, but war broke out in April 1775 with the battles of Lexington and Concord.

The Second Continental Congress, meeting in May 1775 in Philadelphia, initially sought reconciliation. However, King George III’s rejection of their Olive Branch Petition and his declaration of rebellion shifted sentiment toward independence. On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia proposed a resolution for independence, prompting Congress to appoint a committee—Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston—to draft a document. Jefferson, the primary author, completed the initial draft by late June, drawing on Enlightenment ideas from thinkers like John Locke, emphasizing natural rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

The draft underwent revisions, with Congress debating and editing it—most notably removing a passage condemning slavery—to unify the colonies. On July 2, 1776, Lee’s resolution passed, and on July 4, the final Declaration was adopted, signed initially by John Hancock, Congress president, and later by 56 delegates. Printed copies spread the news, with public readings igniting celebrations.
The Declaration didn’t end the war—it raged until 1783—but it defined the colonies as the United States, justifying their rebellion and rallying support. More than a legal document, it became a symbol of liberty, influencing democratic movements worldwide.