The Library of Congress

Map Collections: 1500-2004

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Go directly to the collection, Map Collections: 1500-2004, in American Memory, or view a Summary of Resources related to the collection.

Map Collections can form the basis for lively reading, discussion, and creative writing activities. Using the collection, students can hone their understanding of places and times in history while they develop their language arts skills.

1) Literature

A map of Lewis and Clark's track across the western portion of North America. . . , 1814

Read aloud or have students read about the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Use this Lewis and Clark map to locate places described in the literature. Using the books and map, have students write an essay about or discuss the question: "What was the most important contribution of the Lewis and Clark expedition?" (Examples of important contributions might include: mapping the West and opening it for new settlement, documenting Western flora and fauna, and making contact with Native Americans.)

2) Journal Writing

Map of California roads for cyclers, 1895

Using this map of California roads for cyclers, have students plan a trip. Students will need to research place names in other resources to write journal entries for key stops along the way. For example, students might describe the natural and man-made surroundings, the people they met, or the transportation they used.

3) Descriptive Writing

Ask students to select a person from the "American Colonization Society" section of the Special Presentation found in America's First Look into the Camera: Daguerreotypes, 1839-1864. This person will become their research subject. Next, have students review the Special Presentation "History Of Liberia: A Time Line," and compare the dates of their subject to the time line. Finally, have students search on Liberia in the Map Collections: 1500-2004 to find a relevant map that matches the dates of their subject.

Using the materials they have selected, have students write a postcard from their subject's point of view. The postcard might answer questions such as:

• What was it like to settle in Liberia?
• How was life in Liberia different from life in the United States?
• What were daily life and duty like for their subject?

Students can also search on colonization or Liberia in African American Perspectives, 1818-1907, for viewpoints on the colonization movement.