Mapping Vast Early America

This page hosts H-Early-America's series on all things maps! As historian and cartographer J. B. Harley argued, maps both shaped and were shaped by the worldviews of their particular contexts. Following that line of argument, this series of short editorials examines (1) how authors in the early Americas used maps as texts to articulate political ambitions and (2) how maps represent space using the language of contemporary sciences. Maps take many forms, ranging from traditional charts of geographic space, like Abraham Ortelius' Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (1570), to more abstract represenations like the "Indian Cacique: A Map Describing the Situation of Several Nations of Indians" (1724). By way of editorial, news updates, and discussion, this series discusses how maps served particular interests and how researchers may incorporate maps into their analyses of vast early America. As always, the editors look forward to your contributions! Send us an editorial or discussion using the keyword "maps." We look forward to your submissions.