United States of America

The Thirteen Colonies were British settlements on the eastern seaboard of North America, established between 1607 (Virginia) and 1733 (Georgia). They declared independence on 4 July 1776, becoming the United States of America — the first modern republic founded on Enlightenment principles of popular sovereignty and natural rights. Victory in the Revolutionary War was secured with decisive French military and financial support. The Articles of Confederation (1781) proved too weak to govern, and the Constitution of 1787 established the federal framework that endured. The new republic's democratic experiment became an inspiration and a provocation throughout the Atlantic world, directly influencing the French Revolution of 1789 and the string of revolutions that followed.

• Existed: 1607 CE – present
• Type: Entity
• Government: Federal Republic
• Capital: Washington, D.C.