American History

The Story of America

From the first Americans to the modern republic, the key events, people, and turning points that made the United States what it is today, explained in plain English.

📖 ~40 min read•15,000 BCE to the Present•7 Eras · 30+ Key Events

Columbus's 1492 landing initiated centuries of European colonization.

Discovery & Colonization

1492–1763

Long before European explorers arrived, North America was home to tens of millions of Indigenous people, hundreds of distinct nations with their own languages, governments, trade networks, and cultures. European contact changed everything, forever.

Key Events

All 7 Eras

Key Numbers

Years as a nation~249 (since 1776)
Constitutional amendments27
Civil War deaths620,000+
WWII Americans served16 million
Moon landing year1969
9/11 lives lost2,977
COVID-19 US deaths1.1 million+
Original colonies13
States today50

Did You Know?

The Fourth of July wasn't a federal holiday until 1870

Though the first celebration was in 1777, Independence Day wasn't officially declared a federal holiday until Congress acted in 1870, 94 years after the Declaration was signed.

Two presidents died on July 4th

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, both signers of the Declaration of Independence, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, exactly 50 years after the Declaration was adopted. James Monroe died on July 4, 1831.

The Constitution was nearly scrapped twice

The Articles of Confederation failed so completely that the founders scrapped them entirely at the Constitutional Convention. The resulting Constitution barely survived ratification, it passed in New York by just 3 votes.

Women couldn't vote for most of American history

The United States declared 'all men are created equal' in 1776. Women didn't win the right to vote until 1920, 144 years later. Black women in the South faced further barriers until the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Keep Exploring

›The Constitution ›The Bill of Rights ›Constitutional Amendments ›The Civil War Amendments ›The Supreme Court ›Landmark Cases ›U.S. Immigration ›The Executive Branch ›The Legislative Branch

Our Nation Explained In A Way We All Can Understand

The Story of America

Discovery & Colonization

Key Events

The First Americans

Columbus Arrives

Jamestown, The First Permanent English Colony

The Pilgrims and the Mayflower Compact

The Slave Trade and Colonial Slavery

The French and Indian War