Answer:
1. The "motherland", as she was called, was Great Britain, for the founders of the United States were descendants of Great British colonizers. However, you must note that there are other nations in which their descendants lived in the US, such as those from France (i.e. New France, or Louisiana), as well as Spain, (i.e. New Spain).
2. Many people in the thirteen colonies, which was located at the east coast, and stretched from present-day Maine to present-day Georgia (present-day Florida being in the hands of Spain). This essentially made most of the founding fathers and citizens British descent.
3. The country that legally ran the government was the British crown, which transferred the right to rule to the US nation following their debacle against the colonists in the US Revolution.
4. Other countries that colonized the area included Portugal, Spain (Florida & southern present-day US), France (Mid-US), Netherlands (Northern US), Dutch (effectively driven out by Britain, but contested most of the Northern US).
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