
1789–1828
Early American Republic
The young nation established its political institutions, expanded its economy, and confronted its first major challenges.
Defining Moments
Key Historical Events
Historic Places
Explore Destinations From This Era

Atwood Museum
Chatham, MA
A preserved 1752 sea captain’s home and expanded museum campus interpreting centuries of Chatham and Cape Cod history.
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Brooklyn Navy Yard
Brooklyn, NY
A landmark New York shipyard where generations of workers built celebrated American warships and where historic industry continues within a modern manufacturing campus.
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Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park
Flagler Beach, FL
Atmospheric coquina ruins preserve the remains of a major antebellum sugar plantation destroyed during the Second Seminole War.
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Canoe Camp
Orofino, ID
A Nez Perce National Historical Park site near Orofino where the Nez Perce helped the Lewis and Clark Expedition build dugout canoes for the westward journey in 1805.
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Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
St. Augustine, FL
The oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States, built by Spain to defend St. Augustine and its Atlantic approaches.
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Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis King of France
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans’ historic Catholic cathedral on Jackson Square, rooted in the city’s 18th-century colonial era and still active as a place of worship.
View DetailsAbout This Era
The young nation established its political institutions, expanded its economy, and confronted its first major challenges.
Last updated August 2, 2026
Road Trips in this Era

Arkansas Statehood & the Making of Little Rock
Follow Arkansas from territorial-era Little Rock through statehood and into the construction of its modern seat of government.
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Brandywine Legacy: Powder Mills to du Pont Estates
Trace the du Pont family's Delaware story from the gunpowder works that launched an industrial empire to two grand estates shaped by later generations.
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Cherokee Nation to Removal: A Northwest Georgia Journey
Trace Cherokee political life, leadership, prosperity, resistance, and forced removal across four northwest Georgia sites tied to the Indian Removal Act and Trail of Tears.
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Freedom Through Delaware: Underground Railroad Stories
Follow stories of freedom seekers and anti-slavery resistance through the courthouse, home, and legal sites that preserve Delaware's Underground Railroad history.
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The First State: From Independence to Ratification
Follow Delaware's path from colonial independence to statehood through its first capitol, a founding-era plantation, and Dover's historic seat of government.
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