Maps

http://www.libs.uga.edu/darchive/hargrett/maps/1633m4.jpg

This map is a depiction of early America Virginia in 1633. The first thing that I notice when I look at this map is how the title is adorned with illustrations of an American colony. Whether it is Jamestown or a different settlement, I do not know, but it shows me that when they drew up this map that their main idea of Virginia at the time, and their main focus, was the settlements made there and the power of the whites on the New World. What also illustrates this point for me is the dominance of European things, like boats, and the settlements, and the lack of Native American things, with only a small depiction of two Native Americans trading on the side. This just proves to me that the settlers saw the land as their own, with little to no obstruction from the Native Americans. A line from Crafting Whiteness in Early America that also illustrates this point is from page 56, “…America suggested a certain inevitability to English control of the North American continent.” Another aspect of the map that comes to mind is the number of sea monsters depicted in the oceans. This to me showed that though the English are clearly in control of the land, there is still much yet to be discovered from the New World and dangers to be hold. The portrayals of other animals in the land, like turkeys and deer, show the prosperity of the land and usefulness to the English.