Region / World History
Americas
Explore 21 selected events from Americas across the six reading eras, with dates, complete stories, representative locations and bibliographies.
3500–801 BCE
Early Civilizations
Caral: Early Cities in the Andes
Monumental platforms and sunken courts grew within a coastal economy linking farming, fishing and exchange.
Olmec Colossal Stones and Ceremonial Centers
Large earthen platforms, stone sculptures, and networks of exchange appeared along the Gulf coast of Mexico, and Olmec art influenced many parts of Mesoamerica.
800 BCE–499 CE
Classical World
Olmec Colossal Stones and Ceremonial Centers
Large earthen platforms, stone sculptures, and networks of exchange appeared along the Gulf coast of Mexico, and Olmec art influenced many parts of Mesoamerica.
Teotihuacan: Planning, Monuments and Influence
Huge public monuments and ordered urban spaces supported a cultural influence that reached across Mesoamerica.
Writing, Calendars, and Rivalry in Maya Cities
Maya cities such as Tikal built temples and carved monuments, flourishing amid complex calendars, dynastic politics, and exchange among city-states.
500–1399 CE
Interwoven Worlds
Teotihuacan: Planning, Monuments and Influence
Huge public monuments and ordered urban spaces supported a cultural influence that reached across Mesoamerica.
Writing, Calendars, and Rivalry in Maya Cities
Maya cities such as Tikal built temples and carved monuments, flourishing amid complex calendars, dynastic politics, and exchange among city-states.
Cahokia: Mounds and Settlement Networks
An agricultural society in the Mississippi valley built major earthworks and linked a central settlement with surrounding villages.
1400–1749 CE
Global Encounters
Chan Chan: The Urban Order of Chimor
A royal capital on Peru’s northern coast organized power through distinct palace compounds before Inca conquest.
Inca Roads Span the Andes
Inca rule centered on Cuzco expanded rapidly, with roads, storage facilities, and labor-service systems connecting mountains, coasts, and river valleys.
1492: Sustained Contact Across the Atlantic
Columbus's fleet reached the Bahamas; the sustained contact that followed brought exchanges of species, colonial conquest, and immense changes to Indigenous societies.
The Fall of Tenochtitlan and Colonial Conquest
Spanish forces and numerous Indigenous allies captured the Aztec capital, as epidemics, siege, and local politics together reshaped Mesoamerica.
1750–1913 CE
Age of Revolutions
The Thirteen North American Colonies Declare Independence
The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, arguing for independence through natural rights and the consent of the governed; the war continued afterward.
Haitian Independence: Enslaved People Transform the Atlantic
After war and repeated struggles, the Haitian Revolution won independence, destroyed colonial slavery, and challenged an order based on race and enslavement.
Wars of Independence and New States in Spanish South America
A crisis of the Spanish crown prompted struggles for self-government and independence in the Americas; forces led by Bolívar, San Martín, and others fought across regions and established new states.
Brazilian Independence: Another Path in Portuguese America
Pedro declared separation from Portugal at Ipiranga; Brazil established an independent state as an empire, following a different path from Spanish South America.
The U.S. Civil War and the Constitutional Abolition of Slavery
A crisis over slavery and the survival of the Union developed into civil war, changing the structure of the country and advancing the abolition of slavery at the constitutional level.
The Mexican Revolution and the Constitution of 1917
A revolution against long-standing rule became intertwined with struggles over land, labor, and state power, with the Constitution of 1917 marking an important stage in institutional reconstruction.
1914–2024 CE
Modern World
The Mexican Revolution and the Constitution of 1917
A revolution against long-standing rule became intertwined with struggles over land, labor, and state power, with the Constitution of 1917 marking an important stage in institutional reconstruction.
The United Nations and the Postwar International Order
In the final phase of the Second World War, countries signed the United Nations Charter, seeking to maintain peace and pursue international cooperation through collective institutions.
The Cuban Revolution: Batista's Rule Ends
Batista left Cuba as revolutionary forces advanced, and a new government was established, changing the political landscape of the Caribbean.
The U.S. Civil Rights Act: Challenging Segregation and Employment Discrimination
The sustained civil rights movement helped secure federal legislation prohibiting discrimination in public places, employment, and other areas, expanding legal protections for equal rights.
Apollo 11 and the First Crewed Moon Landing
Apollo 11 accomplished the first crewed landing on the Moon, and television allowed audiences around the world to witness a new phase of space exploration together.
ARPANET: The First Message on an Internet Precursor
Researchers in California sent the first ARPANET message; experiments in packet switching and networking across institutions laid foundations for the later development of the internet.
The Global Financial Crisis and Cross-Border Risk
Risks in U.S. housing and credit markets spread through global financial networks, and the crisis intensified in 2008, changing social life through unemployment, tighter credit, and slow recovery.