The Pacific Ocean Through the Eyes of Curious Americans in the 1820s by Isabella Lack
The Pacific Ocean can be viewed in so many different ways. Through primary sources, secondary sources, archives, photos or even Maps. So far in this class we have explored those different perspectives to understand different views around the Pacific Ocean. A specific view we have covered is of the United States when discovering the Pacific Ocean from the West coast. This perspective is very unique and interesting because it is not mentioned often in the history books we might have seen during school. However, that does not take away its importance because there's many different things to be learned when trying to understand the American perspective. For example they have a very different opinion on Pacific Islands and trade with China. Because of their unique location, Pacific trade is much more efficient however very new. A map written by E. blunt shows just how much Americans knew about the Pacific Ocean during the early 1800s and how this knowledge grew as the years went by is shown in multiple readings we have analyzed.
Before comparing the multiple sources, background information is needed to fully understand the map. To analyze the map, information about the author, the motive, and the details are very important. According to the map, Edmund M. Blunt is the author and William Hooker is the hydrographer and engraver. Because this is a map of a body of water, not land, the illustrator would not be a cartographer but a hydrographer. After further researching Blunt, details about his firm and timeline showed that his sons took over around the time of the creation, 1924. Because his son is also named Edmund Blunt, and produced his own work, he might be the actual hydrographer. However, it is more likely that this is their fathers work as it would have taken a long time to publish it and the sons were known for republishing his work. Although E Blunt plagiarized much of his work on The American Coast Pilot in 1976, his most important work on American Navigation, it is not known if the information on this map is plagiarized. Nonetheless, he was so popular and reliable that much of his work was still republished well into the 1880s. This information is according to Geographicus, a current map selling company.
As stated by the map, William Hooker, the hydrographer and engineer, was an “Instrument Maker & Chart Seller to the U.S Navy and Agent for the Nautical Store”. This information allows us to infer that the purpose of these maps were for their audience, the U.S Navy to better understand the pacific waters. Because of the early age of this map, America didn’t have the knowledge they did later on in the 1800s about the pacific ocean. It wasn’t until the 1840s that they knew more about this because this is when they acquired more North American land. Maps like this were very important for the government so that they could further predict their future trade routes with countries on the other side of the Pacific. Obviously you could say that the motive of E Blunt was the profit of selling these maps in New York, however it can be theorized that Hooker had other purposes for this map.
Lastly, the content on the map itself is important as well. Most of the map is pretty empty. This shows the lack of knowledge the US had on pacific islands. However, the lower section of the map shows islands and voyages many early Americans took to discover these new waters. The left side of the map shows Asia and the Sea of Japan, this indicates their early knowledge of Chinese trade. This shows their willingness to discover new lands.
Through this background information gained from the source, we can analyze its importance when understanding the histories of the pacific islands. Because of the emptiness of the map, Americans must not have known much about Pacific Islands and their knowledge was pretty broad. Because of the scarce island names, they must not have voyaged much. We can also infer this because we know that they didn’t own the west coast until the 1850s. Because this map was made in the 1820s we know they didn't do many voyages in the pacific ocean. Because of the small amount of voyages, we know they did not trade yet. However, because of the interest of the pacific we can infer there will be trade in the near future. Lastly, because the pacific was so new to them, they lacked the cultural aspect of it. Many pacific islands were occupied by tribes that were culturally attached to the water. The US does not have this attachment so they have a different perspective of the ocean.
We can take this analysis and connect it to two of the readings we examine in class. Yokota has an interesting argument that can be connected to this source. Yokota discusses the origin of US and Chinese trade. She talks about how Americans wanted to trade with China so they could gain authority and respect right in the beginning of their newly developed country. Yokota states, “their presence in Asia and the Pacific symbolized their newly won freedom.” (Yokota 30). They believed Chinese trade was the best solution for this because Europeans and the Chinese had a very good trade alliance and if Americans had this trade they could show their mother country just how powerful they could be. This map shows just how determined the US was to trade on the pacific. Yokota also says, “US mariners and merchants immediately began to cast about for innovations that would give them a competitive edge against Europeans in the China trade, and, as a result, they were the first to establish a regular sea route that connected the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.” (Yokota 37). This shows how determined the US was to voyage and discover the Pacific Ocean. Not only did the US want to trade with China because of European connections, China was also just the most valuable trade country in the world at the time. According to Yokota, “The desire for Chinese products such as silks, teas, and porcelain provided the impetus for Americans’ initial incursions into the entire transpacific world” (Yokota 30). This desire for Chinese products pushed Americans to discover transpacific trade. This discovery is shown in this map. For example, names of ships and ship captains can be seen near new found Islands on the map. This shows voyages that were taken during the times of the 1820s. Overall Yokota could use this map as an example of early American desire for transpacific trade.
Because the US was just discovering these new islands, they had a different opinion and perspective than the Islanders did. We can analyze this claim using Joshua Reid’s argument. The main theme can be analyzed through this quote, “I want the sea. That is my country” (Reid 126). The Makah, the tribe Reid focused his book on, base their culture, traditions, and practically whole tribe on the sea. However, Americans don’t understand that and just use this “new” land they acquired for trade and discovery. Reid also discusses how the colonial settlers' views of the Pacific Ocean and its marine animals differ from those of the native populations. Natives have respect for their animals and ocean, Americans just want to possess the new land. Although the map and Reid's chapter are based in different locations, the same knowledge can be applied to both. As mentioned before, the map has wide open gaps of ocean which shows just how little the US knows about the pacific. Because the US has just started to discover the Pacific rim, they do not have the same perspective of the waters as indigenous peoples do.
Although this map may seem unimportant and vague, this information it carries can be useful in understanding the American perspective of transpacific trade. Their desire for Chinese trade pushed them to discover new islands shown on the map. This desire can be analyzed through Yokota's argument. They wanted the respect from Europe and the good resources from China. This map also shows how little the US knew about the Pacific Rim. Reid furthers this assumption by giving us the perspective of the Makah and how they understood the waters better and had a more personal connection with the Pacific. Evidently, the map holds more information about the Pacific Ocean than one could imagine.
Work Cited
“Blunt, Edmund March (June 20, 1770 - 1862).” Geographicus Rare Antique Maps, www.geographicus.com/P/ctgy&Category_Code=blunt. Accessed 19 Feb. 2024.
Blunt, Edmund. “A New Chart of Part of the North Pacific Ocean Exhibiting the Various ...” Library of Congress, 1824, www.loc.gov/resource/g9230.mf000028/.
Reid, Joshua L. The Sea Is My Country: The Maritime World of the MAKAHS, an Indigenous Borderlands People. Yale University Press, 2018.
Yokota, Kariann Akemi. “TRANSATLANTIC AND TRANSPACIFIC CONNECTIONS IN EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY.” University of Hawai’i Press, 2017, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvvn1mj.6.
