History of North America

The history of North America traces human societies and events across the continent, from Indigenous beginnings through colonization, nation-building, and the present.

Peopling of the Americas: The migration and settlement of the Americas by human populations during prehistory. These migrations began the continent’s human history long before European arrival.
Indigenous peoples of the Americas: The diverse peoples whose societies developed across the Americas before and after European colonization. Their histories long predate colonial borders and remain central to the continent’s past.
Oral history: The collection and study of historical information preserved through spoken testimony and memory. Oral traditions and interviews preserve histories often absent from written colonial records.
Settler colonialism: A form of colonialism in which settlers seek permanent control of land and displace Indigenous societies. It helps explain enduring struggles over Indigenous sovereignty and land across the continent.
History of Canada: The history of the societies, territories, and political institutions that became Canada. It offers a focused account of a major national history within the continent-wide frame.
European colonization of the Americas: The establishment of European empires and settlements across the Americas from the late fifteenth century onward. Colonization transformed Indigenous societies and created lasting political and cultural divisions.
Mesoamerican civilizations: The civilizations of a cultural region spanning central and southern Mexico and parts of Central America. Their cities, states, and traditions shaped a major part of North America’s precolonial history.
Archaeology of the Americas: The study of past societies in the Americas through material remains and their contexts. Archaeology provides evidence for periods and communities with few surviving written sources.
Indigenous land rights: Legal and political claims by Indigenous peoples to lands, resources, and territorial authority. These claims reflect dispossession and unresolved treaties from centuries of colonization.
History of Mexico: The history of the societies and political states that became modern Mexico. Its Indigenous, Spanish colonial, and republican histories follow distinct trajectories within North America.

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History of the AmericasBroader topic: It follows the northern portion of the hemisphere in greater geographic detail.