Becoming a Better Reader of American History
How Organizing American History In Time Periods Can be Helpful
There is no pause button in real life; one era ends, and the other just happens. There’s no stop in the story. The next episode of history is on autoplay with no off switch. Whew diving into history can be intimidating.
So, it happens I often get asked how I organized US history for both teaching and personal study. The questioners are usually folks who love history and don’t know how to study it other than find a random book at their local bookstore. Others simply don’t have time to start down a rabbit hole and need a little help deciding where to start. Or maybe they were convinced in school that they did not like history and that it was boring and dry, but they later learned that they actually liked it. I get it. It can be daunting. So, I decided to write up the answers I give to this question. But first a bit on the slippery periodization of history.
Periodization is sometimes arbitrary and always a simplification. You use it as a shorthand to help organize thoughts and discussion. However, it is understood that the terms are not the final word on any time period. Historians learn not to let the perfect be the enemy of good because people and the story of humanity are complicated, so we tend to go with a good enough periodization. Periodization is a concept in the study of history; it is a tool that helps historians organize, interpret, and understand the past. By dividing history into distinct periods, historians can more easily analyze trends, movements, and events within a coherent framework. This process of categorizing the past into segments is not just a matter of convenience; it profoundly shapes how history is studied, taught, and understood. Now, an important note for readers who might be or know someone contemplating a career in history: universities and institutions often have a time period in mind when they are hiring for a position, such as “Early America” or “20th Century Canada.” They are looking for a specialist in an area and period. So, periodization does shape the profession, but the individual scholar often has their own method of making history flow in their mind so they can research and write.
These divisions are often based on significant events, changes, or developments that mark a departure from the preceding period. For example, the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance in European history is commonly used as a major periodization marker, usually around the fall of Constantinople to the Islamic Ottoman Empire in 1453, reflecting a shift in cultural, intellectual, and social dynamics. Again, that is a simplification but a relatively harmless and useful one. Yet medievalist and Renaissance scholars also recognize that the transition from medieval to early modern history began earlier in some parts of Europe and later in others.
The word "epoch" comes from the Greek "epochē," meaning "a point in time" or "a stopping point." It entered English in the early 17th century via Late Latin "epocha."
Historians track change-over-time. That’s the job: analyzing, questioning, and explaining particular stories of change and developments over a period of time. Historians and anthropologists use terms like "epoch," "period," "era," and "age" to categorize and describe different segments of time in history. These terms, while often used interchangeably in casual conversation, have specific connotations and are applied in distinct ways depending on the context. Each term helps historians to frame their analysis, identify patterns, and communicate complex historical developments more effectively. Epoch, for example, is usually reserved for long stretches of pre-historic times and not really used much for recorded history of the last 6,000 years or so, again with exceptions of personal use and style. It is even more specific in geology; for example, we are in the Holocene Epoch, which started with what we call the last Ice Age. But we are dealing with history. A "period" is a more general term used to describe a distinct block of time in history, typically characterized by particular features, events, or themes. For example, you might refer to “the Colonial Period” in America.
"Period" comes from the Greek "periodos," meaning "a way around" or "a cycle of time," which passed through Latin as "periodus" before entering English in the late 14th century.
An "era" is similar to a period but is often used to describe history marked by overarching themes or dominant ideologies. The term "era" usually connotes a more sustained or significant change than a "period." The "Victorian Era" refers to the period of Queen Victoria's reign in Britain from 1837 to 1901, characterized by industrial expansion, colonialism, and strict social mores.
The term "era" originates from the Late Latin "aera," meaning "a fixed point in time," which was used to denote an epoch for reckoning dates. It entered English in the mid-17th century.
An "age" is often used to describe a significant phase in history defined by a particular characteristic or theme, such as a technological development, cultural movement, or dominant political system. The term "age" is usually associated with a more specific and identifiable feature than an era or period. An example is “The Age of Napoleon.”
"Age" comes from the Latin "aetas," meaning "age" or "lifetime," which derived from "aevum," meaning "eternity" or "generation." It came into English through Old French "aage" in the late 13th century.
As you can see, there is some overlap, and it is not always clear-cut when to use one or the other, so do not be intimidated by the terminology. Just roll with it. Now, how do I connect and link American history across the centuries?
