Eras in American History

By Martin Kelly, About.com Guides to American History

American History can be divided into numerous eras. This section focuses on the major eras in America's past.

1. Colonial Era
2. Federalist Period
3. Age of Exploration
4. Age of Jackson

5. Cold War
6. Westward Expansion
7. Reconstruction
8. Prohibition Era

Colonial Era

The Colonial Era is a fascinating era in American History. The Colonial Era covers the time from when the European countries had created colonies in North America to the time of independence, especially focusing on the history of the thirteen British colonies.

• Overview of Colonial America
• Chart of the Thirteen Colonies
• New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies

Federalist Period

The era when both George Washington and John Adams were president was called the Federalist Period. Both Washington and Adams were of the Federalist party. However, Washington did include members of both the Federalist and Anti-Federalist parties.

• George Washington
• John Adams
• Alien and Sedition Acts
• Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

Age of Exploration

The Age of Exploration lasted from the 15th through 17th centuries when the Europeans were searching the globe for trading routes and natural resources. It resulted in the founding of numerous colonies in North America by the French, British, and Spanish.

• Timeline: 1600-1625
• Samuel de Champlain
• Age of Exploration Resources

Age of Jackson

The time between 1815 and 1840 was known as the Age of Jackson during which the involvement of the American people in elections and the powers of the presidency greatly increased.

• Andrew Jackson
• Top 10 Significant Presidential Elections
• War of 1812

Cold War

The Cold War was a stand-off between the two major superpowers left at the end of World War II: the United States and the Soviet Union. They both tried to further their own ends by influencing nations around the world. The period was marked by conflict and increasing tension that only resolved with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991.

• Gary Powers and the U-2 Incident
• Watergate FAQ
• Dwight Eisenhower
• John F. Kennedy
• Lyndon B. Johnson

• Richard Nixon
• Gerald Ford
• Jimmy Carter
• Ronald Reagan

Westward Expansion

From the first settling of America the colonists had a desire to find new, undeveloped land to the west. Over time, they felt they had a right to settle from "sea to sea" under a manifest destiny.

• Texas Independence Timeline
• Wild West Quiz
• Going to California: 49ers and the Gold Rush
• East Meets West: Chinese-Americans and the Transcontinental Railroad

• Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase
• Cynthia Ann Parker
• Sundance Kid
• Frederick Jackson Turner

Reconstruction

At the end of the Civil War, the US Congress adopted a reconstruction effort to help reorganize and reassimilate the Southern states. It lasted from 1866 to 1877 and was an extremely turbulent period for the nation.

• Civil War Overview
• Abraham Lincoln
• Andrew Johnson

Prohibition Era

Read about the fascinating Prohibition era, a time when America decided to "legally" give up drinking alcohol. Unfortunately, the experiment ended in failure with growing crime rates and lawlessness.

• Prohibition Era
• Herbert Hoover's Speech About the Ills of Prohibition
• Herbert Hoover
• Franklin D. Roosevelt