The Case for a New Historical Atlas of Early America

Abstract

O NE of the stated objectives of the Institute of Early American History and Culture is encourage and assist writers and scholars in their studies and research.' Since I944 the Institute has been providing assistance chiefly through the editorial work in its publication program. The product of this effort is some sixty books by historians throughout the United States and twenty-seven volumes of the William and Mary Quarterly in its Third Series. In the course of our editing, as well as in personal research by the staff, we have encountered numerous questions that one would expect to find answered in a comprehensive historical atlas of the United States. Yet, among the atlases published during the last few decades, only Paullin and Wright2 serves the more demanding user with a high degree of satisfaction, though not without serious limitations. Atlases of world history, like Palmer' or Shepherd,4 give perforce little attention to American history, and even in a general work on the United States, e.g., The American Heritage Atlas of United States History (New York, i966), only limited space can be devoted to the early period. Within that narrow range the compiler cannot cover the essentials, let alone indulge much in innovation. In all of the atlases the sins of omission are far greater than those of commission, and the scholar is more likely to be disappointed than satisfied in seeking information beyond the usual diluted historical fare. Recognizing the real need for an atlas of early American history, the Institute in partnership with the Newberry Library proposes to undertake