1841 Weiland Map of North America w / Republic of Texas

This is an 1841 Carl Ferdinand Weiland map of North America including the Republic of Texas.

A Closer Look

An ephemeral Republic of Texas that predates Texan claims in New Mexico which would give rise to the 'Stovepipe' configuration is illustrated here. The United States stretches from Atlantic to Pacific, though the border between the U.S. and Mexico is depicted at the 42nd parallel. As this map predates the Mexican-American War, this border is not unusual, however it means that most of what constitutes the modern American Southwest is still a part of Mexico. Also, the northern border of the United States contains a gap, likely reflecting the still undecided dispute between Britain and the United States over what is now British Columbia, known as the 54°40' dispute.

The Geography of the Republic of Texas

The geography of Texas illustrated here predates Texas's claims to New Mexico, as stated above. Later, the Republic of Texas would claim to all land east of the Rio Grande, which extended north to modern-day Wyoming, to the U.S. border, which at that time was the Arkansas River. The Republic would exist for another five years, until Texas was formally admitted to the United States in December 1845 and ceded its sovereignty to the United States on February 19, 1846. The annexation of Texas led to a deterioration of foreign relations between the United States and Mexico due to an unresolved border dispute between Texas and Mexico and directly led to the Mexican-American War.

Publication History

This map was created and published by Carl Ferdinand Weiland in 1841. It was published in Weiland's Allgemeiner Hand Atlas and a digitized example is part of the David Rumsey Map Collection.