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Home / Historical Periods / American History

Period

American History

1607–1912 CE

American History covers the major colonial, revolutionary, Civil War and frontier settings that appear most often in historical fiction. It includes early settlement, Puritan New England, the American Revolution, slavery, westward expansion, the Civil War and the long mythic afterlife of the frontier.

This category is useful because American fiction often crosses strict period lines. A family saga, military novel or frontier story may move from colonial society into revolution, expansion, sectional crisis or Reconstruction. Grouping these contexts keeps American material visible without forcing every reader to start from a single war.

American historical fiction ranges from James Fenimore Cooper and Kenneth Roberts to Michael Shaara, Charles Frazier, Geraldine Brooks, Paulette Jiles, Larry McMurtry, Charles Portis and Philipp Meyer. The category supports war novels, settler narratives, slavery and emancipation fiction, westerns, frontier adventures and novels about law, race, land and national identity.

Related people for American History

Aaron Burr1756–1836 Abraham Lincoln1809–1865 Alexander Hamilton1757–1804 Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington1769–1852 Benedict Arnold1741–1801 Benjamin Disraeli1804–1881 Benjamin Franklin1706–1790 Bernard Montgomery1887–1976 Buffalo Hump1800–1870 Caleb Cheeshahteaumuck1644–c. 1660s Charles Goodnight1836–1929 Charles II of England1630–1685 Charles I of England1600–1649 Charles V1500–1558 Christopher Gist1706–1759 Edward Braddock1695–1755 Edwin M. Stanton1814–1869 Elisha M. Pease1812–1883 Elizabeth I1533–1603 Elizabeth Raleigh1565–c. 1647 Erwin Rommel1891–1944 Francisco de Miranda1750–1816 Francis Drake1540–1596 Francis McLeandied 1781 Frederick Douglass1818–1895 Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben1730–1794 George Armstrong Custer1839–1876 George III1738–1820 George Washington1732–1799 Giuseppe Garibaldi1807–1882 Great Peacemakerborn c. 15th century Harriet Tubman1821–1913 Henry Adams1838–1918 Henry James1843–1916 Horatio Nelson1758–1805 James G. Blaine1830–1893 James Madison1751–1836 Jean Devèze1753–1829 Jefferson Davisborn 1946 John Adams1735–1826 John Carverc. 16th century–1621 John Hay1838–1905 John Laurens1754–1782 John Moore1761–1809 Johnny Appleseed1774–1845 John Tradescant the Younger1608–1662 John Wesley Hardin1853–1895 John Wilkes Booth1838–1865 Lawrence Washington1718–1752 Louis XVI of France1754–1793 Manuel Lisa1772–1820 Martín Cortés1520–1569 Mary Todd Lincoln1818–1882 Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla1753–1811 Myles Standish1584–1656 Napoleon1769–1821 Oliver Cromwell1599–1658 Paul Revere1735–1818 Peleg Wadsworth1748–1829 Philip II of Spain1527–1598 Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury1563–1612 Robert Clive1725–1774 Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex1565–1601 Roy Bean1825–1903 Rutherford B. Hayes1822–1893 Salmon P. Chase1808–1873 Samuel J. Tilden1814–1886 Sitting Bull1831–1890 Stephen Girard1750–1831 Theodore Roosevelt1858–1919 Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald1775–1860 Thomas Hickeydied 1776 Thomas Jefferson1743–1826 Tom Cribb1781–1848 Tom Molineaux1784–1818 Ulysses S. Grantborn 1946 Victoria1819–1901 Walter Raleigh1552–1618 Wilhelm II1859–1941 William Bradford1590–1657 William H. Seward1801–1872 William Holland Thomas1805–1893 William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe1729–1814 William Lobb1809–1864 William McKinley1843–1901 William Randolph Hearst1863–1951 William Tryon1729–1788

Series

Series about American History (2 series)

Narratives of Empire in Order

by Gore Vidal 5 books 4.3

Gore Vidal’s seven-volume Narratives of Empire sequence follows the United States from the revolutionary generation to the Cold War, combining the lives of the fictional Schuyler, Sanford and Day families with presidents, senators, journalists and political operators. The novels treat public history as a contest over power, reputation…

The Culper Ring in Order

by Roseanna M. White 3 books 4.7

The Culper Ring series traces a fictional family legacy of espionage across three American conflicts: the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and the Civil War. Secret correspondence, divided loyalties and inherited codes connect generations of spies who must decide what they are prepared to sacrifice for country,…

Books

30 Best Novels About American History

Bestselling authors first, then star rating.

Non Fiction

15 Non-Fiction Books About American History

Histories, biographies and reference works are listed separately from the historical novels above.