This attractive map of North America provides an interesting political overview of the continent, though the borders are irregular and the content is largely outdated! Mexico still retains much of the territory ceded after the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (though Yucatan is apparently independent), the U.S. is gifted a generous portion of Canadian territory in the Pacific Northwest, and Hispaniola remains unified. A rich variety of geographic features, major settlements, frontier outposts, and Native American villages are named. The map was created by Andrea Cassella and published in Turin, Italy in 1857 by Giovanni Battista Maggi. In the mid-1850s, North America was marked by growing sectional tension and shifting borders. The United States had recently expanded westward after the Mexican-American War, acquiring vast territories including California and the Southwest. Mexico, having lost nearly half its territory, was politically unstable, while the U.S. faced intensifying conflict over slavery in its new lands. In British North America, Canada remained a set of colonies under British control, moving gradually toward confederation and greater autonomy.
