Outline of U.S. History from Early Settlement to the 2008 Presidential Election goes in-depth in these areas of history: Early Settlement Colonial Period Road to Independence Forming a Government Westward Expansion Sectional Conflict Civil War Economic Growth Discontent and Reform War, Prosperity, and Depression The New Deal and World War II Postwar Prosperity Civil Rights and Social Change A New World Order Bridge to the 21st Century 2008 Presidential Election