British America

For American people of British descent, see British American.

British America consisted of the British Empire in continental North America in the 17th century and 18th century. British America consisted of the thirteen colonies. Formally, the British Colonies in North America were known as "British America" and the "British West Indies" until 1783, when Britain recognized the United States of America as a sovereign nation. After that, "British North America" (or, simply, "Canada") were used to describe the remainder of Britain's continental North American possessions. (The term "British North America" was first used informally in 1783, but it was uncommon before the Report on the Affairs of British North America (1839), called the Durham Report.)

At the start of the American Revolution in 1775, the British Empire included twenty colonies north and east of New Spain (Present day areas of Mexico and the Western United States). East Florida and West Florida were ceded to Spain in the Treaty of Paris (1783) which ended the American Revolution, and then ceded by Spain to the United States in 1819. All but one of the remaining colonies of British North America joined together from 1867 to 1873 forming Canada. Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949.

List of colonies in 1775
The Thirteen Colonies that formed the original United States of America:


 * Province of Massachusetts Bay
 * Province of New Hampshire
 * Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
 * Connecticut Colony
 * Province of New York
 * Province of New Jersey
 * Province of Pennsylvania
 * Delaware Colony
 * Province of Maryland
 * Colony and Dominion of Virginia
 * Province of North Carolina
 * Province of South Carolina
 * Province of Georgia

Colonies that became a part of the British North America
 * Province of Nova Scotia
 * Colony of Newfoundland (Labrador attached to Newfoundland in 1763)
 * Province of Quebec (Upper Canada and Lower Canada after the Constitutional Act of 1791)
 * Island of St. John (separated from Nova Scotia in 1769, renamed Prince Edward Island in 1798)
 * Rupert's Land (i.e., the Hudson's Bay Land)

Other British Loyalist colonies (1763-1783) that eventually became part of the United States of America, which were ceded by Britain to Spain in 1783:
 * Province of East Florida
 * Province of West Florida