Maps provide a wealth of visual information about a particular place in both space and time. The Virgin Islands archival record is exceptionally rich in maps depicting the various islands from the seventeenth century to the present. This map of St. Croix, originally drawn in 1794 by Peter Lotharius Oxholm, a trained Danish military engineer and skilled cartographer, reveals the extent and organization of the Crucian plantation system at its peak. Oxholm accurately locates the boundaries, sugar mills, great houses, and settlement sites of some 200 sugar and cotton plantations, which, along with the port towns of Christiansted and Frederiksted, occupied the entire island at the time. The extensive road network linking these population centers is also depicted, along with shoreline features, mountain ranges and the remaining patches of natural vegetation. In the upper left-hand corner Oxholm provides reliable population and production statistics. There is no better representation of the fact that the plantation system, based on enslaved labor and benefitting only a small number of free owners, totally dominated St. Croix at the time. Oxholm also produced an equally detailed, colored map of the Island of St. John in 1780.
In this activity, students will use questions from an Analyze a Map worksheet to investigate a map of St. Croix from 1794. They will practice map reading skills and understand how we can learn from historic maps. They will examine St. Croix’s population and the amount of land that was divided into plantation estates using the information included on the map.
About
Primary Sources in this Activity
Suggested Teaching Instructions
Before using this map, lead a class in a discussion about maps. Discuss the basic features of a map and why those features are important. As a group, review and identify the cardinal directions.
This is a large and detailed map, students will need access to the zoom features so a smart board or computer is needed to view the map.
Independently, with a partner, in small groups or as a class, have the students load the Map of St. Croix on the smart board or on computers, and answer the questions on the Analyze a Map worksheet.
