Maps Provide a Special View of American History

 

When people use maps, they are usually seeking directions to a place they want to go.

But Susan Schulten sees much more in maps, like history, culture and art. She shares some of those findings in her book, A History of America in 100 Maps.

Schulten travels back in time, using maps of the past. Her book explores the hopes, dreams and fears of ordinary people dating back to before the United States came to be.

“There is practically no area of American history where maps don’t sort of enrich our understanding," Schulten said. “Maps record past scenarios², past situations, past relationships of power, but they also influenced people at the time in terms of future decision making.”

Schulten is a history professor at the University of Denver, in Colorado. She studies cartography, the making of maps. During her research, she became very interested in a series of maps made by American schoolgirls in the early 1800s. The detailed³ maps appealed to her not only for their beauty, but also because of what they taught about a little-known period in American education.

“New schools educating young women for the first time outside the home prepared a curriculum that involved teaching them not just geography but map drawing," she says. She says the girls studied technical methods of art, writing and understanding geography by creating their own maps.

The schools for girls were open for only a short time. Knowledge of them might have been lost if not for the maps they left behind.

Schulten says those early maps also helped establish a national identity and loyalty⁴ for the United States in its early days.

Schulten says that most American colonists⁵ were first loyal to their colony and then to the King of England. After independence, schools became a place to establish a shared meaning of the new country.

“There’s such an emphasis after the Revolution on using education to help create a civic⁶ identity and it becomes readily apparent," Schulten says.

The book also includes some Native American maps. They help shape an understanding of how Natives saw power relationships. A 1721 map, most likely made by a Cherokee leader, includes a number of circles. The sizes of the circles are linked to the perceived power of the individual tribes.

“It’s a representation of space from a non-European perspective," Schulten said.

Some maps in the book recall dark moments in American history.

An 1885 report on the Chinatown neighborhood in San Francisco, California, helps tell of the racism⁷ that Chinese laborers⁸ experienced. These immigrants had helped build the transcontinental railroad. After it was complete, many of the workers settled in San Francisco.

A report commissioned by city supervisors⁹ described the Chinese in extremely offensive race-based terms. A map made for the report shows opium¹⁰ places, gambling¹¹ establishments and houses where sex was sold in Chinatown.

The message of the report and map was that the Chinese should be removed.

From political moves like gerrymandering, to advertising¹², to “red” and “blue” states, maps tell many American stories. They can also be used to push reform, and help to set the country on a new course.

Schulten says there were maps used to support the anti-alcohol movement, the opposition¹³ to slavery and the fight gain voting rights for women.

A History of America in 100 Maps includes maps never before published, Schulten said. Others are well known. But all can provide a special understanding of America's past.

I’m Caty Weaver¹⁴.

Words In This Story

practically - adj. almost or nearly?

scenario¹ - n. a sequence of events especially when imagined?

curriculum - n. the courses that are taught by a school, college, etc.?

geography - n. the natural features (such as rivers, mountains, etc.) of a place?

emphasis - n. special importance or attention given to something?

perceived - v. generally understood or recognized

opium - n. a powerful illegal drug that is made from a type of poppy?

gambling - n. the practice or activity of betting money : the practice of risking money in a game or bet?

gerrymandering - n. to divide (a state, school district, etc.) into political units that give one group an unfair advantage

1 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

2 scenarios   

n.[意]情节；剧本；事态；脚本

参考例句：

• Further, graphite cores may be safer than non-graphite cores under some accident scenarios. 再者，根据一些事故解说，石墨堆芯可比非石墨堆芯更安全一些。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Again, scenarios should make it clear which modes are acceptable to users in various contexts. 同样，我们可以运用场景剧本来搞清楚在不同情境下哪些模式可被用户接受。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

3 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

4 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

5 colonists   

n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Colonists from Europe populated many parts of the Americas. 欧洲的殖民者移居到了美洲的许多地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some of the early colonists were cruel to the native population. 有些早期移居殖民地的人对当地居民很残忍。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

7 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

8 laborers   

n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工

参考例句：

• Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

9 supervisors   

n.监督者，管理者( supervisor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I think the best technical people make the best supervisors. 我认为最好的技术人员可以成为最好的管理人员。 来自辞典例句
• Even the foremen or first-level supervisors have a staffing responsibility. 甚至领班或第一线的监督人员也有任用的责任。 来自辞典例句

10 opium   

n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的

参考例句：

• That man gave her a dose of opium.那男人给了她一剂鸦片。
• Opium is classed under the head of narcotic.鸦片是归入麻醉剂一类的东西。

11 gambling   

n.赌博；投机

参考例句：

• They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
• The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。

12 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

13 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

14 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。