The English presence continued to expand along the east coast of North America, eventually developing into thirteen distinct colonies. As the colonies grew in population and wealth, they became increasingly independent from England. When England began to tax the colonies in the mid-1700s, the colonies protested saying they would not stand for "taxation without representation." In 1775, the Revolutionary War broke out between England and the colonies. The colonies officially declared their independence in 1776 forming the United States of America.