Series: The Moral Injury of Late Capitalism

Federalism Was Born 200 Years Ago Today

We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings.

-Ursula K. Le Guin

For a full description of the rare map above please click here

The lands west of the Mississippi River purchased from Napoleon in 1803 were, for the young American republic, a wild place. Maps were few and unreliable but, if the rumors were to believed, those million acres of the Louisiana Purchase were rich in gold, silver, forests, with endless lands for grazing and farming.

Traveling the virgin rivers was slow, difficult, and dangerous. Explorers could only travel with the current; debris and capsizing were constant hazards.