A map of the British and French dominions in North America, with the roads, distances, limits, and extent of the settlements, humbly inscribed to the Right Honourable the Earl of Halifax, and the other Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners for Trade & Plantations.
Commonly Referred to as The Mitchell Map of North America, it is not navigational but political showing both the passage of time and shifts of power. More than most maps, the bias and intention of both the author and his patron are explicit.
- Completed in 1755
- Depicting North America but created in London
- Printed Engraving
- Drawn by John Mitchell
- Engraved by Thomas Kitchin
- Published by Andrew Millar
- For the Earl of Halifax to promote his position in Parliament: no compromise with the French, building up to the Seven-Years’ War/French and Indian War
- 6′-5″ x 4′-6″ tiled on 8 sheets
- 1:2,000,000
- Mercator Projection
Issues of political importance as evidenced by the map:
- Place names transitioning from Native to English
- Native names beyond the European sphere of influence clearly marked as irrelevant
- British military victories over the Spanish and Natives marked
- Iroquois territory coloured red as British although they were technically only allies
- Acadia transitioning to Nova Scotia as a result of war on the European continent 40 years earlier
- Perceived territorial disputed with the French are marked (Halifax needs a justification for war)
- Inaccuracies extend the Mississippi river all the way to the 50th parallel meaning the Canada/US border was not properly established in the area until 1843
Although technically inaccurate, a copy of this map was used to establish the borders of the United States at the Treaty of Paris in 1783. It has been used as recently as 1980 to settle a fisheries dispute off the coasts of Nova Scotia and Maine.
Full resolution map can be found here: https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3300.ar004000/
Follow