The Age of Enlightenment and the Map, 1650-1800
"European politics, philosophy, science and communications were radically reoriented during the course of the “long 18th century” (1685-1815) as part of a movement referred to by its participants as the Age of Reason, or simply the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment produced numerous books, essays, inventions, scientific discoveries, laws, wars and revolutions." http://www.history.com/topics/enlightenment
The period of European Enlightenment promoted mapmaking to revolutionary status. "As a form of knowledge, "map" proliferated as a metaphor exemplifying the construction of knowledge in general. The concept of the geographical map was dynamic and exciting to contemporaries, embodying as it did the complex and intellectually fruitful discipline of "mathematical cosmography" that integrated the study of the heavens and the earth. The intersections between maps and scientific inquiry reflected that integration in the work of the newly created, state-sponsored scientific institutions to support cartographic endeavors. Government and administrative institutions increasingly relied on maps in order to regulate and control their territories. A burgeoning widespread print and visual culture produced maps in both manuscript and print that adhered to a common aesthetic of layout and design. Calls for a "plain" aesthetic, with decorative and pictorial features concentrated in the map periphery, were part of the general Enlightenment print rhetoric." https://geography.wisc.edu/histcart/volume-4-cartography-in-the-european-enlightenment/
The period of European Enlightenment promoted mapmaking to revolutionary status. "As a form of knowledge, "map" proliferated as a metaphor exemplifying the construction of knowledge in general. The concept of the geographical map was dynamic and exciting to contemporaries, embodying as it did the complex and intellectually fruitful discipline of "mathematical cosmography" that integrated the study of the heavens and the earth. The intersections between maps and scientific inquiry reflected that integration in the work of the newly created, state-sponsored scientific institutions to support cartographic endeavors. Government and administrative institutions increasingly relied on maps in order to regulate and control their territories. A burgeoning widespread print and visual culture produced maps in both manuscript and print that adhered to a common aesthetic of layout and design. Calls for a "plain" aesthetic, with decorative and pictorial features concentrated in the map periphery, were part of the general Enlightenment print rhetoric." https://geography.wisc.edu/histcart/volume-4-cartography-in-the-european-enlightenment/
Re-engraving of Guillaume Delisle's original map first published in 1718.
Click on map to zoom in.
Illustration found on a Delisle 'promotional' map of the selling of shares in the Mississippi Company.
The Delisle map became one of the most influential maps of North America in the first decades of the 1700s designed specifically for political and financial objectives. The map helped establish inflated claims by the French to vast tracts of new land in the Americas, invalidating English claims, and setting the stage for the French and Indian War, 1756-63. The Delisle map, considered a persuasive or promotional tool rather than navigational map, was instrumental in the first state sponsored bank fraud known as the Mississippi Bubble orchestrated by John Law in 1720. The French Treasury, depleted by years of war, didn't have the resources to control the territory, but managed to print and sell shares (first paper money) for the Mississippi Company that led to financial ruin throughout France. Delisle's map was the first detailed map of the Gulf region, and the the Mississippi River. It includes the routes of the early explores of De Soto, La Salle, and Ponce de Leon, and the location of Indian tribes, as well as French fortifications. The Delisle map was the first to name Texas, and the settlement that would become New Orleans founded in 1716. The map details the important fur trade routes connecting the Indian nations and the ports along the Gulf Coast, as well as New Orleans at the mouth of the Mississippi River, to the French markets in Europe.
The Delisle family, (c. 1700 - c. 1760) redefined European cartography. Claude Delisle, the family patriarch, had twelve sons, four of which made significant contributions to map making. Guillaume, one of Claude's sons, schooled in astronomy, science, mathematics, and cartography, applied his disciplines to the information provided by 18th century navigators to establish a technique known as the scientific method of mapmaking. This revolutionary approach created a more accurate illustration of the new lands in the west. He identified the correct longitudes of America, and stylized his maps with a combination of detailed information with an aesthetic presentation. Two of Claude's sons were employed by Peter the Great of Russia as astronomers and surveyors for Russian explorations in the northwest coast of the Pacific.
Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville, 1661 – 1706 was a soldier, ship captain, explorer, colonial administrator, knight, adventurer, privateer, trader, and founder of the French colony of La Louisiane of New France.
Determining the Southern Boundary with Spain
Andrew Ellicott's survey of the 31st parallel, 1795-1800
Andrew Ellicott was a second-generation Pennsylvanian, self-taught in astronomy, the sciences and mathematics. He was commissioned to survey his home state's boundaries, and eventually he surveyed all the boundaries of the 13 states in the new union. He was also chosen by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson to survey, and lay out the streets, for the District of Columbia.
George Washington appointed Major Andrew Ellicott as Surveyor for the delineation of the 31st parallel in 1796. It would take nearly 4 years to survey the line of demarcation between the United States and East and West Florida, the property of Charles V of Spain. Ellicott had to overcome a multitude of obstacles including; distrusting Indians, obstructing Spanish officials, locals with divided loyalties, limited supplies and military support, and the wild terrain with a host of insects and disease.
Ellicott returned to Philadelphia in the spring of 1800 and submitted his report to the State Department. President John Adams withheld the report from the Senate, and with no appropriation for compensation Ellicott experienced serious financial difficulties.
In 1803 Ellicott published his Journal that includes, a diary of his experience, astronomical observations, mathematical calculations, and precise maps. His personal account of the journey reveals the social and political climate at a critical time in American history. The astronomical and mathematical calculations were presented in 8 folding plates in the Appendix. Ellicott's finely engraved map was divided into 6 two-page spreads to make it legible in book form. The 6 folding map plates were not included in the Second edition of his Journal in 1814.
After the publication of his Journal Ellicott rose to considerable prominence in the world of science, but his accomplishments were overshadowed by the purchase of the Louisiana territories from the French in the same year as the publication of his Journal.
George Washington appointed Major Andrew Ellicott as Surveyor for the delineation of the 31st parallel in 1796. It would take nearly 4 years to survey the line of demarcation between the United States and East and West Florida, the property of Charles V of Spain. Ellicott had to overcome a multitude of obstacles including; distrusting Indians, obstructing Spanish officials, locals with divided loyalties, limited supplies and military support, and the wild terrain with a host of insects and disease.
Ellicott returned to Philadelphia in the spring of 1800 and submitted his report to the State Department. President John Adams withheld the report from the Senate, and with no appropriation for compensation Ellicott experienced serious financial difficulties.
In 1803 Ellicott published his Journal that includes, a diary of his experience, astronomical observations, mathematical calculations, and precise maps. His personal account of the journey reveals the social and political climate at a critical time in American history. The astronomical and mathematical calculations were presented in 8 folding plates in the Appendix. Ellicott's finely engraved map was divided into 6 two-page spreads to make it legible in book form. The 6 folding map plates were not included in the Second edition of his Journal in 1814.
After the publication of his Journal Ellicott rose to considerable prominence in the world of science, but his accomplishments were overshadowed by the purchase of the Louisiana territories from the French in the same year as the publication of his Journal.
This map is a digital reconstruction and restoration of a portion of the engraved map plates in Andrew Ellicott's Journal of 1803, MSMoHP, 2016
Click on Ellicott's Journal to view a PDF version.
Boundary disputes and the treaties that resolved them.
The Treaty of Paris of 1763 was signed to end the American territorial disputes of the colonists nations of England, France, and Spain. England got basically all the Americas east of the Mississippi River. Spain gave up East and West Florida to England for Havana, and acquired the enormous Louisiana territory from France.
By 1781 Spain had retaken West Florida from England who was busy loosing the Revolutionary War with the colonists. The Treaty of Paris of 1783 was signed and acknowledged U.S. independence, and Spain's right to West Florida.
A boundary dispute arose when England, in the 1763 treaty, moved the original northern boundary farther north to include forts and trading post along the major rivers within the territory. Spain claimed the northerly boundary in the 1783 treaty and blocked U.S. citizens from navigating on the Mississippi river and trading in the port city of New Orleans.
The boundary dispute and the restrictions of U. S. citizens on navigation and trade were resolved in the Treaty of San Lorenzo / Pinckney's Treaty, 1795. The northern boundary was moved back south to the 31st parallel, and both countries agreed to a joint expedition to officially mark the boundary between Spanish West Florida and the United States.
George Washington appointed Major Andrew Ellicott as Surveyor for the delineation of the 31st parallel in 1796. It would take nearly 4 years to complete involving a multitude of obstacles including distrusting Indians and Spanish officials, locals with divided loyalties, limited supplies and military support, and the wildest of terrain with a host of insects and disease.
By 1781 Spain had retaken West Florida from England who was busy loosing the Revolutionary War with the colonists. The Treaty of Paris of 1783 was signed and acknowledged U.S. independence, and Spain's right to West Florida.
A boundary dispute arose when England, in the 1763 treaty, moved the original northern boundary farther north to include forts and trading post along the major rivers within the territory. Spain claimed the northerly boundary in the 1783 treaty and blocked U.S. citizens from navigating on the Mississippi river and trading in the port city of New Orleans.
The boundary dispute and the restrictions of U. S. citizens on navigation and trade were resolved in the Treaty of San Lorenzo / Pinckney's Treaty, 1795. The northern boundary was moved back south to the 31st parallel, and both countries agreed to a joint expedition to officially mark the boundary between Spanish West Florida and the United States.
George Washington appointed Major Andrew Ellicott as Surveyor for the delineation of the 31st parallel in 1796. It would take nearly 4 years to complete involving a multitude of obstacles including distrusting Indians and Spanish officials, locals with divided loyalties, limited supplies and military support, and the wildest of terrain with a host of insects and disease.
After the Louisiana Purchase was finalized in 1803, the United States and Spain disputed whether that transaction included West Florida. The United States government coveted the region, but had no legitimate claim as France never had control or legal title east of the Mississippi River. Spain's occupation continued with troops stationed in Mobile and Baton Rouge. Many of the citizens of West Florida were former Americans who migrated to the area in search of opportunity, they had no allegiance to the Spanish crown, and in 1804 the Spanish military had to put down a rebellion. As more expatriated Americans migrated to the area there would continue to be unrest with Spanish rule. By June of 1810 another revolt was in the making, and the people began to organize a military and prepare for action. On September 23, before dawn, an armed group attacked and captured the Spanish fort at Baton Rouge. A declaration of independence was delivered to the Governors of the Mississippi Territory and the Orleans Territory, along with a request for annexation by the United States and protection from the Spanish. A constitution was modeled on the U.S. Constitution, and plans were made to take Mobile and Pensacola from the Spaniards to incorporate the eastern part of the Spanish province into the new Republic of West Florida. In October President Madison, realizing the opportunity for a geopolitical prize, circumvented the rule of law by side stepping legislative and constitutional authority and issued a proclamation directing the Governor of Orleans Territory, with the assistance of the governor of Mississippi Territories, to take possession of West Florida. On December 10, 1810, the Stars and Strips were raised in Baton Rouge, and the Republic of West Florida passed into history.
French Territories, 1657
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The region had originally been claimed by the French, who planted settlements from the Mississippi east to Mobile Bay during the
1700s. Great Britain gained control of the district - along with all of Spanish Florida - in 1763 under the terms of the treaty that ended the Seven Years or French and Indian War. England then combined the former French territory in what is now Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi with the section of Florida west of the Apalachicola River to create its new colony of West Florida. Spain, which allied with the fledgling United States in the American Revolution, in turn gained control of the entire region in 1783 by the treaty that ended the revolution. http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com Source: Library of Congress
1700s. Great Britain gained control of the district - along with all of Spanish Florida - in 1763 under the terms of the treaty that ended the Seven Years or French and Indian War. England then combined the former French territory in what is now Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi with the section of Florida west of the Apalachicola River to create its new colony of West Florida. Spain, which allied with the fledgling United States in the American Revolution, in turn gained control of the entire region in 1783 by the treaty that ended the revolution. http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com Source: Library of Congress
English map 1765
English map of Province of West Florida, Thomas Kitchin, 1781 printed in The London Magazine. Relief shown in hachures. Source: Library of Congress
British West Florida, 1781
English map of East and West Florida from the London Magazine, 1765 Source: Library of Congress
French West Florida, 1778
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French map of West Florida, 1778
Drawn in 1763 when France lost 7 years war. England divides East and West Florida at same time.
Source: Library of Congress
Drawn in 1763 when France lost 7 years war. England divides East and West Florida at same time.
Source: Library of Congress
Spanish West Florida, 1781
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Bernard Romans 1741–1784 Dutch-born American navigator, surveyor, cartographer, naturalist, engineer, soldier, promoter, and writer. His best-known work, A Concise Natural History of East and West Florida, published in 1775, is a valuable source of information about the Floridas during the period of British control. His maps and charts are considered better than any produced before, and also for many years after, their publication. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Romans
Bernard Roman's map was drawn in 1774 and published in 1781. He was active in the colonist's campaign against the British forces during the Revolutionary War, was captured by the Royal Navy in 1780, and held prisoner until the end of the war in 1783. He died, or was killed, aboard ship while returning home in 1884.
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Roman's hydrographic map surveyed and charted the Gulf of Mexico for navigation. The depths are shown in soundings, a measurement of the sea close to the shore that is shallow enough for the bottom to be reached with a sounding line.
Soundings are measured in fathoms (a fathom = 6 feet.) His map shows relief in hachures, short parallel lines used in hill shading, their closeness indicating the steepness of gradient. Source: Library of Congress
Soundings are measured in fathoms (a fathom = 6 feet.) His map shows relief in hachures, short parallel lines used in hill shading, their closeness indicating the steepness of gradient. Source: Library of Congress
West Florida was a small rectangular region straddling the Gulf of Mexico from lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas and the Mississippi River on the west, to the Chattahoochee and Apalachicola rivers on the east, and extending north as far as an imaginary line running due east from the confluence of the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers. It included the old Spanish port of Pensacola and the former French settlements of Mobile, Biloxi, and Natchez. http://mshistorynow.
Spanish map 1800
Vicente Sebastian Pintado y Brito, 1774-1829 Spanish cartographer, engineer, military officer and land surveyor of Spanish Louisiana and Spanish West Florida. Source: Library of Congress
