Land Surveys (one-day lesson)
Overview
In this lesson, students will read and think about the relationship between maps and nature. In the century between 1785 and 1890, the United States government began and completed the surveying of national territory. Students learn about the origins of the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the large-scale topographical surveys that were commissioned a century later. They also read and analyze historians' interpretations of these policies.
Learning Goals:
- Students will learn about the 1785 Land Ordinance and the establishment of the USGS.
- Students will begin to think critically about how maps shape and define nature.
DAY ONE
Website Materials:
Step 1: 15 minutes: Introduction
a) Hand out “Mapping Nature” and have students answer questions.
b) Share and discuss students’ answers.
Step 2: 15 minutes: Read document
a) Pass out “Land Ordinance of 1785.” Ask students to answer the following questions:
- What was the Land Ordinance of 1785?
- What would Rundstrom (from "Mapping Nature") say about the Land Ordinance of 1785?
Step 3: 20 minutes: Read document
Pass out “USGS Surveys” and have students answer questions.
Homework
Students should answer the following questions:
- How is Rundstrom’s analysis in “Mapping Nature” similar to Short’s analysis in “USGS Surveys”? How do the analyses differ?
- Respond to these authors’ interpretations of mapping the West. Are you convinced by their arguments? Why or why not?
EVALUATION CRITERIA:
For this homework assignment to meet standards, students must fulfill the following criteria:
- Identify that both authors critique land surveys as acts of governmental power; neither author sees land surveys as simple inventories of geographic terrain.
- Identify that Rundstrom emphasizes the government's subjugation of nature, whereas Short emphasizes the government's territorial claims.
- Students offer a personal response that demonstrates their comprehension of the authors' arguments.
- Writing is clear.
