By Susan Schulten.
The University of Chicago Press, 2012.
272 pages, 47 halftone illustrations. $50.00, cloth.
ISBN 978-0-226-74068-3
Review by: Marcy Bidney, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
Susan Schulten’s Mapping the Nation exemplifies the idea that geography is a large component of the story of the history of the world and—in the case of this book—the history of the United States. Focusing primarily on the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Schulten weaves many histories—of geography, geographic education, map making, and map collection—together with stories of the maps, atlases and individuals which were key to the development of these histories. In this book, Schulten gives us a window into somewhat esoteric parts of American history which have rarely been examined.
The book includes five chapters, divided into two parts tracing two developments: mapping the past and mapping the present. The first part, “Mapping the Past,” focuses on historical mapping and the use of maps to illustrate the early history of the United States. Schulten masterfully traces the history of information visualization as it pertains to the development of a national identity in the early years of American independence. Pulling from her earlier work on Emma Willard, Schulten weaves in a discussion about the history of early education in the United States, using the crossroads of geography and history to illustrate the important role both disciplines played in the development of education in the United States. In addition to Willard, Schulten introduces us to Johann George Kohl, Frederick Jackson Turner, Charles Paullin, and John Kirtland Wright and explores their roles in the development of both a national identity for citizens and a National Identity as a country through the use of geographic visualizations.
The second part, “Mapping the Present,” does not focus on our present, but on mapping the present as it was in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the United States, highlighting the shift from maps that focused on history to maps that focused on contemporary data and information. Here we are introduced to Alexander von Humboldt and Karl Ritter. Together these two men dramatically changed cartography by introducing the idea of thematic mapping and the creation of data visualizations for the purpose of cross disciplinary study. These final three chapters cover a range of topics, including mapping epidemics, medical geography, and the development of climate maps. Schulten goes on to use slavery in the United States to introduce the use of statistical cartography, and the role which the Coast Survey, Frederick Law Olmstead, and John Mallet played in mapping the strength of the southern rebellion during the Civil War. She finishes the book by discussing how government statistical mapping grew to include the social environment of the United States.
The companion website to Mapping the Nation is quite impressive. Schulten has included high resolution images of the maps discussed in each chapter, allowing readers to interact with them in ways that are not possible with the static, black and white images in the book. In addition to the maps, Schulten has also created a blog to continue the discussion of the relationship between maps and history, particularly as it pertains the history of the United States. With one to two posts per month, this blog offers additional insight into the development of visual representations of the United States and its history.
As a geographer, I’m of the belief that everything is geographical. As an undergraduate student I had a professor who was fond of saying, “If you can map it, it’s geography.” So, if you imagine the many ideas, facts, and statistics that can be mapped, then you can understand how difficult it is to tell the story of a place without talking about the many aspects and influences of geography.
Mapping the Nation is a well-written history of mapping in and of the United States, presented in an interesting and very readable manner. This book will be of interest to academics and non-academics alike. Anyone with a general interest in the history of the United States or the history of geography education and mapping will find this book accessible and easy to read. On the academic side, professors of history, political science, education, and geography would find this book a solid addition to their syllabus, particularly if they wish to bring a focus to mapping and spatial visualization.