A History of America in 100 Maps

INTRODUCTION 9

on paper long before any real control was exercised on the

ground. The map is also evidence that while the Revolutionary

War consumed the east, the Southwest was engulfed in a set of

very different imperial and geopolitical struggles.

The historical role of maps extends far beyond exploration

and diplomacy. The explosion of cities in the late nineteenth

century, for example, sparked the widespread use of maps as a

tool of reform. W. E. B. DuBois was among the first sociologists

to examine the dynamics of segregation in his landmark study,

The Philadelphia Negro (1899) (see page 168). DuBois sought

to explain why even elite and established African Americans

in Philadelphia exercised so little social mobility relative to

immigrants. By attempting to map the problem, DuBois joined

a much larger conversation about urban space: Charles Booth

mapped London’s poor, Florence Kelley mapped Chicago’s

immigrants, New York reformers mapped the density of

Manhattan’s tenement districts, and—most notoriously—San

Francisco’s Board of Supervisors mapped Chinatown in a

vicious effort to control the Chinese population. This frenzy

of urban mapping reveals not just the complex hierarchy of

race and ethnicity in the Gilded Age, but also the more general

emergence of social science.

The maps in this volume were made in vastly different

contexts. Yet when considered together, they underscore the

persuasive power of cartography. Some do this explicitly,

such as Malachy Postlethwayt’s attempt to advance British

control over the slave trade in the mid-eighteenth century

(page 74). Similarly, the Federalists pointedly satirized

Republican redistricting efforts in the Gerry-mander map

of 1813, just as the Wilson administration mocked German

peace efforts in 1917 (pages 116 and 180). But these are just

the obvious cases of an observation that applies to every map

in this book: each was made in a particular moment and for a

specific end. However authoritative their claims or scientific

their appearance, maps are the agents of their authors.

The significance of these maps is often embedded within

their design. Catharine Cook’s charming map of 1818

(page 118) speaks volumes about female education in the

early republic. Likewise, John Wiltberger’s imaginary

map of sin and temptation on page 126 captures not just

contemporary arguments for temperance but an antebellum

understanding of Christianity and moral reform. Many of these

images are compelling, even seductive, while others go about

their business quietly. Who can resist the elaborate graphic

style of Richard Edes Harrison, who masterfully conveyed the

new realities of geography in the age of aviation? His maps on

pages 206 and 208 integrated geography and design in service

to a new posture of American internationalism during World

War II. Similarly, Heinrich Berann’s breathtaking painting of

the ocean floor on page 242 helped an entire generation make

sense of the emerging theory of plate tectonics. In both cases,

the artistry and visual design were integral to the power of

the map.

Each of the chapters that follow opens with a brief overview

of the period before focusing on the maps themselves. Some

stories are better served by maps than others: exploration and

settlement, imperial rivalry, military conflict, infrastructure,

and territorial expansion all figure prominently. But just as

salient are themes of migration, slavery, politics, education,

reform, and even leisure. Some of these maps have never been

published, while others have long drawn attention. Each grew

out of contemporary circumstances and concerns, and as

such has the potential to both illuminate and complicate our

understanding of history. Examined in context and with care,

these artifacts offer unrivaled windows into the past.

During the Civil War, the Census Office adapted several existing maps to aid Union

military strategy. This detail is taken from a large map of Georgia, which was

annotated to include census data on population and resources for each county.

For the full map and its relevance during the war, see page 147.