1. According to the Library of Congress, John Ferrar’s map was published in London in 1667. His map displays illustrations of plants, animals, bodies of water and objects of resource. Indian land and bodies of water are displayed, but the writing size is small in that there are many locations. In the upper portion of the map is a portrait of the explorer Sir Francis Drake.
The publishing of the map sets the creator in a discourse of 17th century England. This was a time where exploration was a popular activity, as many English were excited to discover new land. The illustrations throughout the map narrate that the settlement of land was not as prioritized as the availability of resources--North America was abundant with fertile, and rather undisturbed land that was largely appealing to European explorers. Many names of Indian land and bodies of water are given, but the writing of location titles are small. The names written show that the land was still considered indigenous at the time and largely “uncivilized”. However, on the map there are sparse English settlements along the Atlantic Coast. The writing of these names, such as “Cape Henry” and “Cape Codd” are larger in size, suggesting a greater importance than the existent Native settlements around them. The explorer’s section of the map is shown with Sir Francis Drake’s portrait and a summary of his observations, “..Whose [New Albion’s, a region of Virginia] happy shores may be discovered to the exceeding benefit of Great Britain and joye of all true English.” This simple sentence speaks for the entire map, showing that the finding of this resourceful land would be an “exceeding benefit” for all who explored it. An excerpt from Valerie Babb’s Crafting Whiteness in Early America accordingly analyzes early American discovery, “Maps made it easy for European states...to lay claim to land and resources, and to ignore existing social and political structures” (Monmonier, 90).
