Hello, Reader.
Have you ever wondered how the names on our maps came to be?
The recent debate over renaming the "Gulf of Mexico" the "Gulf of America" highlights how place names are not just labels on a map, but powerful symbols of history, identity, and authority.
A Historical Perspective: The Power of Place Names
Maps do more than just depict geography; they reflect the priorities, politics, and power of their creators.
European mapmakers often named newly charted lands after monarchs (Virginia, for Elizabeth I), saints (St. Louis), or significant patrons (New York for the Duke of York or Pennsylvania after William Penn), leaving their cultural imprint on territories that were already rich with Indigenous names and histories.
In early America, place names became a way to assert control. English settlers renamed Native American places to reflect their own heritage, effectively overwriting Indigenous languages and stories. A river, a town, or even a "gulf" could be rebranded to signify who held power in that space.
British American colonists complained regularly how Parliament and the Crown used maps and place names to assert imperial authority over the colonists and limit the colonists' rights and need for political representation.
In his book, The Geographic Revolution in Early America, Martin Brückner highlights how at the direction of the British government mapmakers regularly used a "possessive terminology" on British-made maps "that was geared toward downplaying the colonists' specific continental identity...Our colonies-- our western dominions-- our plantations-- our islands-- our subjects in America-- our authority-- our government." Brückner goes on to state that "positioning the name "America" grammatically as a locative object prevented the nominal recognition of the colonist as a non-British identity living in a non-European environment."[1]
The names used on maps often have connotations of dominion and imperial authority (or aspirations of authority), but they are rarely permanent. They change as cultures evolve and societies grapple with their history.
🎧 Tune In For More
To delve deeper into the intricate history of maps and place names, explore these episodes of Ben Franklin’s World:
- In Episode 177 join Martin Brückner for an exploration of how maps influenced social and political life in early America.
- Discover the role cartography played in colonial power dynamics with Christian Koot in Episode 256.
- Accompany Max Edelson in Episode 186 and uncover how Great Britain used maps to expand and trace the boundaries of its empire and imperial authority.
These conversations offer valuable insights into how the maps we often take for granted have been used to shape perceptions, assert control, and influence history.
🧠 Share Your Thoughts!
What place names in your hometown have interesting or controversial histories?
Join the conversation-- just hit ‘Reply’ to share your thoughts. Or join our Facebook community to connect with fellow history lovers.
Cheers,
Liz Covart
Host, Ben Franklin’s World
📝 End Notes
[1] Martin Brückner, The Geographic Revolution in Early America: Maps, Literacy, & National Identity, (Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press for the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, 2006), pgs 75-76.
📖 Further Reading
Joyce E. Chaplin, Round About the Earthy: Circumnavigation from Magellan to Orbit, (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2012)
Stephen Greenblatt, Marvelous Possessions: The Wonder of the New World, (Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 1991)
Christian J. Koot, A Biography of a Map in Motion: Augustine Herrman's Chesapeake, (New York: New York University Press, 2018)
