Which of the following states was NOT one of the original 13 states?

The answer is California because it was not one of the original 13 states that formed the United States. The original 13 states, which declared their independence from Great Britain in 1776, included Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and others along the eastern coast. California, on the other hand, was admitted to the Union much later, in 1850, as the 31st state. This distinction is key in understanding the historical context of the formation of the United States and the timeline of statehood. The original states were primarily established along the Atlantic coast, which makes California's later admission to the Union significant in terms of westward expansion and the development of the nation.