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Outline maps and crayons bring history alive as kids learn how the United States map and the 13 original colonies have changed over time.
Today the 13 original states of the USA hug the Atlantic seacoast. But when the treaty was signed with England at the close of the Revolutionary War in 1783, these 13 colonies controlled a major portion of the land east of the Mississippi River. Each student will need a blank outline map of the United States and red, blue and yellow crayons or markers. Locate and color as you discuss each point below. The First 13 StatesLocate the 13 original states and color them red. Starting in the northeast corner, in New England, you will find New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Moving on down the coast, there's New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia. Today, the area of the 7 smallest former colonies (the 4 in New England plus Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland) is only about 50,000 square miles, and all 7 can easily fit into their former colonial neighbor to the south, North Carolina, with room to spare. The total area today of the states that comprised the 13 original colonies is just over 360,000 square miles, far less than half of the approximately 830,000 square miles of land ceded to the young country by Britain at the end of the Revolutionary War. Where did those extra lands come from? Did states change as the country grew? Did the United States win additional territory from Britain? Here are some of the answers: VirginiaThe King of England was quick to give away land in the New World. The original charter that established Virginia included land from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Mississippi River. Eventually two other states were formed out of the original Virginia territory. Kentucky became the fifteenth state in 1792, and West Virginia was created in 1863. Color Kentucky and West Virginia blue. Circle Virginia, Kentucky and West Virginia and label the entire area Virginia. North CarolinaLike Virginia, North Carolina originally stretched from the east coast to the Mississippi. In 1796 North Carolina was subdivided. Tennessee was born and became the sixteenth state to join the Union. Color Tennessee blue. Circle North Carolina and Tennessee and label the area North Carolina. MassachusettsIt's hard to imagine little Massachusetts as large as present-day Virginia, but until 1820 the Massachusetts boundaries enclosed about 46,000 square miles. But in 1820 Maine became a state, and Massachusetts thus lost about three-quarters of its land. Color Maine blue. Circle Massachusetts and Maine and label the area Massachusetts. VermontThe little state of Vermont has a most colorful history. Sometimes belonging to New Hampshire, then to New York, then becoming an independent government, its land was part of those ceded to the Colonies at the close of the Revolutionary War in 1783. In 1791 Vermont became the fourteenth state to join the Union, and the first after the ratification of the Constitution by the 13 original states. Color Vermont yellow. Unnamed TerritoriesBy far the largest chunks of land were unsettled and unnamed. Eventually this territory became the states of Alabama, Mississippi, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and parts of Minnesota. Color these states yellow. Now the maps roughly resemble the first map of the United States. This is only a glimpse of the fascinating history behind the formation of the states of the USA. Each state has its legends and tales to tell - legends that confirm that history is far more than just names and dates.
The copyright of the article First Map of the United States in Curricula/Lesson Plans is owned by Carla Ruschival. Permission to republish First Map of the United States in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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