July 4th commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, when the country officially seceded from the British Empire. The territory that became independent at that time consisted of only thirteen colonies: Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

Twelve of the 13 American colonies voted to secede from Great Britain. Tensions between the colonists and the British had risen sharply, sparking the start of war. This war is known today as the American Revolutionary War or the American Revolution.