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America’s Story on One Page: 1215–1849

Fifteen moments in the long argument about what power may and may not do — grouped into three colour-coded eras.

The Ideas — 1215 to 1776
1215Magna Carta. English barons force the king to agree that even kings must follow rules. The argument starts here.
1620Mayflower Compact. Colonists write their own rules before stepping off the ship — government by agreement, not decree.
1689English Bill of Rights. Parliament lists things the king may never do. The idea of limits gets written down again.
1773Boston Tea Party. Colonists dump taxed tea into the harbour — a protest about being ruled without a say.
1776Declaration of Independence. The colonies explain why they’re leaving: rights come first, governments exist to protect them.
The Founding — 1776 to 1791
1781Victory at Yorktown. The Revolutionary War is effectively won. Now comes the harder part: building something.
1787Constitutional Convention. A summer in Philadelphia arguing over who gets which powers — and which powers nobody gets.
1788The Constitution is ratified. The machinery of the new government is agreed. Not everyone is convinced it has enough limits.
1791Bill of Rights. Ten amendments written as limits on government power: “Congress shall make no law…”
The Young Republic — 1791 to 1849
1803Louisiana Purchase. The country doubles in size with one deal — bought, not conquered.
1812War of 1812. A second war with Britain tests whether the young republic can survive.
1829Andrew Jackson becomes president. A new kind of president — and a lesson in what concentrated power does.
1838Trail of Tears. The government forces the Cherokee from their land. Thousands die. Power used exactly as the founders feared.
1849The Gold Rush. Hundreds of thousands go west chasing fortune — and build towns, trade and law as they go.
One question that works for every line on this page: who had power here, who wanted it — and what stopped them? Pick an event at dinner and ask it. The whole sweep from 1215 to 1849 is that question asked over and over.
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