North American history and prehistory are a major motivation for travel on this continent. Though written records here do not go back nearly as far as in the "Old Word", with the help of archaeology and other evidence we are able to know much about lifestyles of the indigenous cultures of North America thousands of years back. Once the Mayans began to use writing, and even more so after the Europeans arrived, there is a continuous historical in most of the continent for more than five centuries. During this time colonies were claimed, cities founded, wars fought, revolutions declared, railways laid, migrants settled, and factories built.

Pioneer villages are an important part of both Canadian and U.S. history. Other important part of U.S. history include the American Civil War and indigenous heritage such as New Mexico Pueblos and Ohio prehistoric sites.

Topics

• Mayan civilization (pre-history to today), the civilization that dominated southern Mexico and Central America
• Voyages of Columbus (1490s), the beginnings of contact between North America and Europe
• old towns: includes the historic colonial cities of North America founded as early as 1500s and late as the 1800s depending on the region.
• Atlantic slave trade, sites related to the centuries-long crime that help create today's North America
• Celts, the Celtic diasporas have had major influences all across the North American continent
• Underground Railroad, multiple routes for smuggling slaves who had escaped the southern US across the northern states into Canada or other non-US territory. Active primarily in the 1850s, when US federal law left slaves who had escaped to free states in immediate danger of recapture by slave catchers unless they left the US entirely.
• Pacific War, the Pacific part of the Second World War

Canadian history series

• Indigenous cultures of North America
• New France (1534–1763)
• British Empire (1583-1870)
• War of 1812 (1812-1815)
• Old West (roughly 1869 to 1905 in Canada)

Mexico history series

• Indigenous cultures of North America
• Indigenous cultures of Mesoamerica
• Maya civilization
• Colonial Mexico (1492 to 1810)
• Mexican War of Independence (1810-1821)
• Post-Independence Mexico (1821-1910)
• Mexican Revolution (1910-1920)
• Modern Mexico (1920 to today)

United States history series

• Indigenous cultures of North America
• New France (1534–1763)
• Early United States history (1492 to 1861)
• American Civil War (1861 to 1865)
• Old West (mainly 1865 to 1900)
• Industrialization of the United States (1865 to 1945)
• Postwar United States (1945 to present day)
• Presidents of the United States
• African-American history
• Mexican American history
• National historic areas in the United States

Itineraries

• From Plymouth to Hampton Roads; colonial and antebellum history of the northern Atlantic coast
• From St. Augustine to Hampton Roads; colonial and antebellum history of the southern Atlantic coast
• American Industry Tour from 17th century Massachusetts, to 20th century Chicago
• El Camino Real, the Royal Road linking the 21 Spanish missions of California.
• El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the Royal Road linking Mexico City to New Mexico
• Lewis and Clark Trail
• Oregon Trail
• Trail of Tears
• Ruta del Tránsito, the historic route from east to west across North America that passed through Nicaragua

See also

• Indigenous cultures of South America