Maps and the American Identity

Maps have always been an important element in the American identity. From the days of the exploring age to the latest political race, maps have played an enduring role in the development of what the American identity has become and is evolving onto.

When many immigrant families arrived in the “new world” they had nothing more than a map and the storied that they had heard from friends, relatives or the stranger passing through. Maps were an important component in the early development of the American landscape and identity.

Even today maps still play a crucial role in many aspects of forming not only what people think of us but also what we think of ourselves. With the development of better technology we are now capable of mapping more diverse and complicated problems or questions about ourselves. Like I mentioned we can map political races and how certain regions of the US align politically. However with such data as the census we can also understand even more complicated questions or problems such as poverty, housing, transpiration and many other topics relating to our population or identity. Maps have and always will have a defining place in our American identity.