The purpose of The Compass Rose is to raise awareness of Special Collections' resources and to foster the use of these resources. The blog series also reports significant new programs, initiatives, and acquisitions of Special Collections. This post was guest written by Special Collections intern Ashlei Jones after she created the finding aid for AR575 National Geographic Maps.

As the University of Texas at Arlington celebrates its 130th anniversary, it is interesting to take a step back and think about how and why institutions celebrate these milestone achievements. It is often customary for institutions to celebrate these occasions by looking back at the artifacts and memorabilia they created over the years to see just how much they have evolved. And as the United States gears up to celebrate its own milestone achievement – its 250th birthday – we can think about what other artifacts have been created and preserved over the years to highlight the country's own history and development. 

The Cartographic Collections at UTA’s Special Collections and Archives hold several National Geographic maps that were created with the sole purpose of celebrating a milestone or reflecting on a period of history. By comparing several of these National Geographic maps from different years, we can see how and why they released different maps over time to document America’s development over the course of its 250-year existence. 

In 1931, National Geographic released a map that documented George Washington’s travels before, during, and after the revolution for the 200th anniversary of his birth. Viewers can follow the path of one of America’s most notable founding fathers and the first president of the country. They can see some of the most historic sites in early American history, including Valley Forge and a zoomed-in comprehensive look at Mount Vernon (Figure 1). This map showcases the beginning of America’s journey, led by the man who guided the fledgling country to a position that it would maintain for the next 250 years. They can take the path with him during the French and Indian War, the Revolution, and his subsequent travels. The map is marked to show the places that would have been named during Washington’s time, while places he visited are highlighted in bold colors and fonts to make them easily identifiable to the viewer and stand out from the areas that have been built and renamed since Washington’s time (Figure 2).

For the centennial anniversary of the Civil War, National Geographic released a Map that showed all the battlefields of the Civil War (Figure 3). It acknowledges a war that played a key role in shaping the young country. This map depicts the battlefields and other significant events of the war. The bottom right corner shows the major offensives of the battles between the Confederate Army (red) and the Union Army (blue). However, the main map shows the events that occurred before April 1, 1863 (blue) and after (red) (Figure 4). The map provides detailed explanations of each area highlighted throughout. A map released to commemorate the centennial anniversary of a war that has had, and continues to have, such a profound impact on America's history, reminds people that this history will not be forgotten and is an integral part of America’s story. 

Another map produced by National Geographic depicts the American flags as they appeared in the early 1960s. It displays all the flags of the 50 states and the territories under American jurisdiction, including the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. It also depicts the American flag throughout the years, before it evolved into the stars and stripes version seen today. The top right corner represents the changes the flag has undergone and even shows the changes of the Confederate States of America flags that were in use during the Civil War. This section provides descriptions of each flag, along with its years of use during its active period. There are also tips on caring for the flag and a copy of the Pledge of Allegiance. The map showcases each of the individual state maps, along with a brief explanation of why that state's flag is featured, as well as other relevant information about the state in question. This map does show its age, as some of the states have changed their flags since it was published, and the illustrations and representations of old beliefs can be uncomfortable for some viewers. For example, consider states like Georgia and Mississippi, which no longer display this version of their flag and have changed it to reflect their states’ changing views (Figure 5). However, like the Civil War battle map, these uncomfortable moments are a part of American history and are essential to the grand story that is America.

America might be celebrating 250 years, but it took a great deal to get there. There were the beginnings, the revolution, and the Founding Fathers, the war that almost tore the nation apart, and the other events that have shaped the country as we know it today. These maps illustrate specific moments of the United States' past, how these moments have shaped the present, and how they will continue to do so in the future. As UTA and the United States celebrate these milestones, we can look back at the pivotal moments in our past that shaped our history. From the good and the bad, these snapshots of moments in history are what made the country we know today, and without them, we might have been living in a very different United States. By preserving these artifacts in UTA’s Special Collections and Archives, we can continue to reflect on these histories as we move forward into the future.