American literature is often divided into five major periods:
- The Colonial and Early National period (17th century to 1830)
- The Romantic period (1830 to 1870)
- Realism and Naturalism (1870 to 1910)
- The Modernist period (1910 to 1945)
- The Contemporary period (1945 to present)
https://www.britannica.com/art/American-literature