The 13 original colonies of the United States were the foundation of what would become a new nation, born from a blend of ambition, conflict and compromise. These colonies stretched along the ...

All other colonies that wished to join the nascent nation would have to get approval from 9 of the U.S.’s 13 states. Canada, of course, never took the U.S. up on its offer. Still, the proposal ...

Thirteen colonies become the United States of America, Sept. 9, 1776 Independence Hall, as seen in Philadelphia in May 2016, was the site of the Second Continental Congress. | AP Photo ...

On this day in history, Sept. 9, 1776, the United States of America were formally created by the Second Continental Congress, in a "unanimous declaration." ...