Detailed Instructions: Given a passage and a question, find the answer to the question based on the passage. The answer should consist of only one word that lies in the span of only one of the sentences in the passage.
Q: Paragraph: The Thirteen Colonies were a group of British colonies on the east coast of North America founded in the 17th and 18th centuries that declared independence in 1776 and formed the United States of America . The Thirteen Colonies had very similar political , constitutional , and legal systems , and were dominated by Protestant English - speakers . They were part of Britain 's possessions in the New World , which also included colonies in Canada and the Caribbean , as well as East and West Florida .
Question: when did the colonies became the united states

A:
1776