American boundaries : the nation, the states, the rectangular survey / Bill Hubbard, Jr.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 439-440) and index.

Introduction: Boundaries in the United States as the manifest division of the nation's lands -- The colonies stake claims to land in the West -- The idea of a national domain emerges -- The national domain expands -- A method of forming new states emerges -- The evolution of the territories and states -- Inventing a rectangular survey in the Ordinance of 1785 -- Putting a rectangular survey on the ground in Ohio -- The rectangular survey evolves into its final form -- The survey is extended across the public domain -- The spread of the survey across Montana -- Epilogue: Other ways to apportion a public domain.

For anyone who has looked at a map of the United States and wondered how Texas and Oklahoma got their Panhandles, or flown over the American heartland and marveled at the vast grid spreading out in all directions below, American Boundaries will yield a welcome treasure trove of insight. The first book to chart the country's growth using the boundary as a political and cultural focus, Bill Hubbard's masterly narrative begins by explaining how the original thirteen colonies organized their borders and decided that unsettled lands should be held in trust for the common benefit of the people. Hubb.

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