Maps help us make sense of our world. A sampling of the Library of Congress Geography and Map Division’s 4.5 million treasures has been digitized and is available in Map Collections: 1500 - 2003. This activity introduces historical maps from the American Memory collections. A graphic organizer, for analysis and note taking, and a set of guiding questions for each type of map have been provided.
Analyzing a Map: What are maps and what do they do? What common characteristics do they have? Most maps have a title, which often includes temporal information. Maps have orientation, which includes compass direction and geographic relationships within an established area. Maps have a source, or author, which often gives insight about its intended purpose and reason for creation. Maps may have a legend explaining the symbols used and a scale showing how distance is represented. Many maps use grids to show lines of latitude and longitude.
What can be learned from historic maps? In addition to teaching geographic understanding, maps do an excellent job of illustrating change over time. They personalize history by giving evidence of familiar landmarks and of people, their beliefs, and the political policies of an era.