1796 The United States of North America with the British Territories and those of Spain...
The United States of North America with the British Territories and those of Spain according to the Treaty of 1784
By: William Faden
Date: 1796 (dated) London
Dimensions: 21 x 25 inches (53.4 x 63.5 cm)
A rare 6th state of William Faden's map showing the original layout of the United States as per the treaty of 1784 that officially recognized the signing of the Treaty of Paris on September 3rd, 1783. Negotiated by Benjamin Franklin, the treaty finally ended the Revolutionary War.
As the title suggests, the map presents the boundaries of the United States along with the territories controlled by Britain and Spain. For Britain, this includes everything within the red boarders that for the most part represent the current limits of Canada. It is only in the region around Maine and the west coast of Newfoundland that these borders have changed. In Newfoundland, the French were allowed to operate fisheries for salting and exporting cod, a benefit they that was included in the 1793 Treaty of Paris.
Spanish territory includes all of the previously French claims of Louisiana as well as Florida, which had already been under Spanish control, and is divided into East and West Florida. It would not be until 1819 when then Secretary of State John Quincy Adams would sign the Florida Purchase Treaty, which gave control of Florida to the United States. Spanish control of Louisiana would also be short-lived as in 1803, Spanish officials would formally convey the colonial lands and their administration to France. Immediately following the conveyance, Napoleon Bonaparte sold the 530,000,000 acres to the United States for $15 million, doubling the size of the United States and putting the wheels in motion for the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-1806.
Franklinia of New State of Franklin
This 6th state is one of only a few states in the Faden sequence to include the short-lived state of “Franklinia," or "New State of Franklin," located between North Carolina and Tennessee in the heart of the Smokey Mountains. Between the years 1785 and 1790, settlers in the region attempted to secede from North Carolina and had support from seven states in the Union, but that wasn't enough to meet the required two-thirds support at the Constitutional Convention and it failed to receive statehood. The area was then annexed by North Carolina in 1790 and later reverted back to Tennessee.
The Western Territory
In this map, the newly established Western Territory encompasses parts of present-day Pennsylvania and New York as well as Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota at an interesting point in time. The map includes many of the original tribes and aboriginal nations that had long thrived in the regions, including the Six Nations that had walked the line of diplomatic neutrality between the French and British in years past in an effort to not make friends or enemies with either side and remain in control of their vast nation. The Western Territory also included thousands of French settlers that had lived and roamed the area for around 100 years as fur trappers and traders. Finally, several new land grants can be found that reference the likes of the Ohio Company, Seven Rangers, Army Lands, Colonel Simmes, New Jersey Company, and the Wabash Company to name a few.
New Additions Found in the 6th State
The 6th state is the first map to recognize the state of Tennessee with the title "Tannessee Government." It is the first to recognize the Nation's Capital which was still known as “Washington or the Federal City.” It is also the first to name the land west of the Mississippi in present-day Missouri "New Iberia," which was the result of a large grant made by the Spanish to American Colonel George Morgan, to establish a colony just west of the Mississippi. Morgan mapped out a town which he called New Madrid, near the present site of New Madrid, Missouri, and returned to Pittsburgh in June 1789 to continue negotiations with the Spanish, only to abandon his colonization plans a few years later.
A final interesting addition to the map that came about with the 6th state is the verbiage added to colour reference that pertains to the Northwest Territory (Purple) and the Aboriginal boundaries of their land. The text reads as follows, The whole of the Countries not actually settled by Europeans should belong by right to the Aboriginies...
This map is sought after by collectors for a wide variety of reasons, many listed above and others that we have not touched on. Like the Melish maps that began in 1816, these were issued as part of a series that gradually tell the story of development and change to the United States as a nation. Of the fourteen states on this map, the 6th state is one of a few that stands out among all others. This particular example is even more unique as it was dissected into sixteen smaller sheets and laid on linen to be sold as a folding map.
Condition: This map is in A condition with no major tears or separations to the map or original linen-backing that holds it together. Toning is apparent, but even throughout and offers a sense of age and an element of character. Color is original but has faded some with time. Overall, this is a very nice example of a rare and important map of the United States.
Inventory #12159
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