Map Analysis

Map Analysis

The first map that I chose was from the David Rumsey’s Map Collection called the “Maine”. The map indicates all of the mountain ranges, rivers, and bodies of water throughout the land. The map is also broken up into twelve colored sections. Each section contain multiple towns or ranges that appear to have English or European names, but a few have Indian titles. The colored sections don’t appear to be divided up between any particular towns or settlements. By looking very closely at the map, one can see that it has numbered squares drawn on it. Some squares even have letters, but the squares seem to overlap between the settlements and colored sections.

I think that this map shows the way Americans seem to conquer land, give it their own name, and claim it as their own, just because they “discovered” it. The European names given to the settlements and towns show that Europeans were probably the creators of the map. The map also depicts the little respect that many settlers had for Indians. Babb’s chapter also explains how as more settlers came to America, the maps contained fewer and fewer Indian names through the quote, “Aside from a leopard-like animal and a few trees dotting the landscape, no indigenous elements are present” (p. 54).Very few of the locations on the map contain Indian titles. The creation of the map was most likely to help European settlers in Maine know where all of the other towns were. With very few Indian names on the map, European immigrants may feel more comfortable settling and feel more at home.
http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~200428~3000321