TAMPA, Florida, July 2 -- The University of South Florida posted the following news: * * * Not one of the original 13 colonies: How Florida helped shape the American Revolution * By Arielle Stevenson, University Communications and Marketing In 1776, rebellion spread through Britain's mainland colonies. Royal authority was being challenged from Massachusetts to Georgia. In Philadelphia, delegates approved the Declaration of Independence, creating the United States of America. Across the 1  more