Question 64 of 100 · 2008 civics test
There were 13 original states. Name three.
From the 100-question list, the version for applications filed before October 20, 2025.
Accepted answers
- New Hampshire
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- Connecticut
- New York
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- Delaware
- Maryland
- Virginia
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Georgia
Any one of these is accepted, unless the question asks for more than one.
Why this is the answer
Name any three of the thirteen: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. All thirteen were former British colonies whose representatives declared independence in 1776, and each set up its own government and wrote a state constitution before the states united under the U.S. Constitution. A detail that surprises people: statehood is dated from ratification of the Constitution, not from independence. Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey were first, in 1787; eight more followed in 1788, North Carolina in 1789 and Rhode Island in 1790.