Historical perspectives in the field of special education are often overlooked or minimally surveyed. This article examines distinct eras in the history of special education in the United States: Early Reform (1800 – 1870), Stagnation and Regression (1870-1950), and Contemporary Reform (1950 – present). Themes consistently emerging in each era include (a) the treatment of people with disabilities following societal and cultural trends; (b) changing conceptions of disability as a qualitative or quantitative phenomenon; (c) shifting emphases on nature and nurture; and (d) the new not necessarily being better than the old. Parallels between eras are also discussed.