Map Activity

http://www.libs.uga.edu/darchive/hargrett/maps/1710s4.jpg

The map I chose was of North America as a whole. It spans from the top of South America to well above the Arctic Circle. The map includes mountain ranges, lakes, rivers, and specific labels. The detailing in the map shows the mapmakers expansive knowledge of North American landscape. It was made in 1710 by two geographers. I find the names found on the map very interesting.

 Found on most regions are the names regarding to the European nations which conquered the land. New France/Canada, New Spain/Mexico and most of Central America, New Britain/northern Canada, and New England/America’s east coast, which includes territories named after English royals, such as Maryland and Georgia. Further north, the names are also interesting, but don’t regard to a specific European nation. They do, however, reference specific European explorers and ideals brought over from the Old World. A sea which lies above the Arctic Circle is named Christian Sea. Both Hudson and Baffin’s Bay are named for early English explorers. These maps, I believe, show the disregard for Native peoples and their claim to the land. By renaming the already inhabited lands titles that are specifically European, they omit a sense of ownership and dominance of the Native population. As Valerie Babb states in her essay Crafting Whiteness in America, “The sense of entitlement expressed in [these] accounts accustomed English,” as well as Spanish and French, in my opinion, “mind to thinking of the North American continent as theirs for the taking. This proprietary attitude fostered subsequent avowals of [European] superiority to sustain the belief of [European] right to North America.”

There is a sort of ornate design on the map, in which the title of the map and the mapmakers’ names are stated. Around the edges of it, there are three figures, presumably native. They are outfitted in billowing garb hardly covering them. One is wearing a headdress of leaves, one is holding a walking stick, and another has a monkey in its arms. Alligators, birds of prey, and fauna are also placed around the figures. One of the figures holds an umbrella, addressing the trade fostered between the two populations.  An open chest is at the bottom of the design. All of these drawings show the riches and new discoveries featured in the lands that were included by the map. It also portrays the Natives more as animals than humans.