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Martin Waldseemüller
1507

Martin Waldseemüller's Universalis Cosmographia is the first record of the name 'America' referring to the newly-discovered continents in the western hemisphere. The largest map of the world up to that time (printed on 12 sheets it measures 4 x 7 feet when assembled), it was intended by Waldseemüller to be a tribute to the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci. It seems Waldseemüller believed Vespucci had discovered the new world, and on the map he labels the new lands "America" (shown in South America), the first time the name appears on a printed map, and writes in the text accompanying the map:

"I do not see why anyone would rightly forbid calling it (after the discoverer Americus...) 'Amerige,' that is, land of Americus, or 'America'"

In 1516 Waldseemüller published another map of the world removing the name America, having decided Vespucci no longer deserved the honor, but by then the name had stuck.

The depiction of the new world on the map is notable for many geographical features: even though no European explorer is believed to have known of the existence of the Pacific Ocean, the western coast of South America is drawn with some degree of accuracy, and the Pacific Ocean is represented as a vast body of water separating the new world from Asia. Another mystery is that the peninsula of Florida seems to be represented on the map, even though the official discovery of Florida took place later, in 1513, by Ponce de León.

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(Recent and Accurate Map of Florida, Province of America)

Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues
1591

Le Moyne traveled to what is now the southeastern United States as part of Rene de Laudonniere's 1564 expedition to map the coastline, harbors and towns. This map shows the Florida region and the coastline to the northeast, Port Royal, Fort Caroline, Cuba, rivers, native villages, and other geographical entities, and remained the definitive map of the region for 100 years after it was published though the map contains numerous inaccuracies. The northeast coast extends too far east, and the map shows the Sea of Verrazano at the top, a great inland sea thought by the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazano to lie to the west of the Outer Banks of North Carolina before the mainland in that area had been explored. Lake George in Florida and the Okefenokee Swamp seem to be shown, and the Appalachian Mountains (Montes Apalatci) are clearly labeled below the depiction of the Sea of Verrazano.

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John Smith
1624

John Smith's map was the most influential map of Virginia throughout the 17th century, and was the basis of numerous derivative maps of the region. The map is based on a three-month exploratory survey by boat in the summer of 1608 under the direction of Smith, and is the earliest published map of the entire Chesapeake region. It shows the location of Jamestown, as well as Native American villages along the bay. In the upper left a vignette of the council of Chief Wahunsonacock (Powhatan) with the label "Powhatan Held this state and fashion when Capt. Smith was delivered to him, 1607" depicts Smith's first meeting with Chief Powhatan.

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(New Netherland, New England, and also a part of Virginia)

Nicolaes Visscher
1685

Visscher's map of the Dutch colony of New Netherland is one of the best known maps of the region, and shows the eastern coast of the US from the Chesapeake Bay north to Maine. The map shows the Dutch colony in yellow, the British colony of New England in pink, and other regions in green whose borders were in a state of change in the late 17th century (present-day Vermont in the north, and Delaware and the eastern shore of Maryland in the south). The map includes many place names in Dutch and English, as well as numerous Native American names, sometimes showing multiple versions of a name for a single place. Included as well are drawings depicting the buildings of Mohican villages and Native Americans rowing in canoes in the Atlantic (with the name "Canoo"), and images of turkeys, rabbits, bears, foxes and otters. At the bottom right is the often copied inset view of New Amsterdam (renamed to New York in 1664 by the British) depicting the fort, windmill, and numerous buildings and ships of the Dutch settlement.

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John Mitchell
1755

Considered by some to be the most important map in the history of the United States, Mitchell's 1755 map of the British colonies served as the foundation for establishing the boundaries of the new country at the Treaty of Paris in 1783 after the American Revolutionary War. One of Mitchell's concerns in making the map was the possibility that the French might take control of the land west of the Appalachian Mountains. The British Board of Trade shared his concerns and gave Mitchell access to a wealth of maps and other materials (including maps prepared by General George Washington and Peter Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson's father). Mitchell extended the boundaries of the colonies to the western limits of the map to stress the British claims to western lands, and also included notes containing claims of English settlements in the regions beyond the mountains.

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Thomas Jefferys
1758

Jefferys' map shows the British colonies from Virginia north to New York, and extends west to present day Indiana and Kentucky, and is primarily concerned with providing information to the viewer about the lands to the west of the British colonies. The map includes numerous notes, especially concerning inland water communications and natural resources, as well as the locations and nature of various Native American tribes. The map is also notable for its political commentary directed against France and at the same time encouraging the British king to retain interest in the lands west of the original colonies:

"Were there nothing at Stake between the Crown of Great Britain and France but the Lands on the Ohio, we may reckon it as great a Prize as has ever been contended for between two Nations. ...It is impossible to conceive that had his Majesty been made acquainted with its Value and great Importance, the large Strides the French have been making for several Years past in their Incroachments on his Dominions, that his Majesty would sacrifice one of the best Gems in his Crown to their Usurpation and boundless Ambition."

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Samuel Augustus Mitchell
1846

As the country expanded westward, the boundaries of the country and its territories and states were in a constant state of change. This 1846 map of the western half of the country shows the political geography of the west on the eve of the Mexican-American War. Texas (annexed by the US in 1845) is shown extending north and west into parts of present-day New Mexico and Colorado. California, then still under Mexican control, consisted of the present-day states of California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona and New Mexico. The northern boundary of the territory of Oregon, which consisted of present-day Washington, Oregon and Idaho, had not yet been established. Both the boundary preferred by the British (along the Columbia River) and that preferred by the US (along the 49th parallel) are shown. The land north of Texas extending to the border with Canada is shown as three large territories: Missouri (parts of present-day Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska), Iowa (parts of present-day North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa), and Indian Territory (parts of present-day Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma). The map also includes many well-known routes, including the Oregon Trail, Lewis and Clark's route, the Santa Fe Trail, and the Old Spanish Trail.

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Gaylord Watson
1875

Watson's railroad map of the United States was designed to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the country in 1876. The country had entered the Industrial Revolution, and the map stresses themes of technology and progress. The entire railway system is detailed, including names of all the towns with railroad stops. The cartouche drawing on the right shows a train traveling full speed towards the viewer, flanked by Native Americans hunting buffalo to the left, and scenes of agriculture and cities with smokestacks to the right. The theme of the centennial is expressed by several inset drawings (Main Building of the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, a portrait of George Washington, the Capitol building in Washington, and Independence Hall in Philadelphia), numerous charts containing statistical data (population by state and county, population of cities, distances between cities, a list of state and territorial governors), and the text of the Declaration of Independence.

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Birds Eye View Maps

1870-1900

Variously called "Birds Eye View Maps", "Panoramic Maps" or "Perspective Maps", these maps of hundreds of US towns and cities were popular during the post-civil war era, and showed urban features from a height of 2000 to 3000 feet above the ground. In addition to depicting the layout of a town in great detail, the maps often included detailed drawings of commercial and government buildings, schools, churches, railway depots, hospitals and private residences.

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