How Maps Reveal (and Conceal) History

About This Event

For over five hundred years, America has been defined through maps. Whether handmaidens of diplomacy, tools of statecraft, instruments of social reform, or tools of persuasion, these sources record efforts to make sense of the world. They invest information with meaning by translating it into visual form, and in the process reflect decisions about how the world ought to be seen. Above all, maps remind us that the past is not just a chronological story, but also a spatial one. Join us in exploring some key maps that have shaped our shared history, ranging from iconic battle plans to unknown treasures by ordinary Americans.