2000 United States Territorial Growth Map

The centerpiece of this fascinating map collection is a reproduction of a 1784 map by Connecticut engraver Abel Buell. This map presents, as if settled, a question that threatened to tear the new nation apart: Who controlled the West—the region beyond the Appalachian Mountains? An excellent overview describing the issues, conflicts, and opportunities that were central to how land was acquired, usurped, and annexed as the United States took shape. Includes maps that show Europe's Claims to North America circa 1750, A New Nation on the Stage 1787, Expansion West of the Mississippi 1803, Coming of Age 1821, Coast to Coast 1850, The Union Holds 1877, and all fifty states today.