America Votes exhibition: This is the first map of the new United States issued after the ratification of the Treaty of Paris, formally ending the war with England in 1783. The ship depicted in the cartouche symbolizes the course set by this new independent nation. The distinct delineation of individual state boundaries, however, was an important reminder that the union was composed of individual states, then operating under the Articles of Confederation, and unwilling to cede power to a strong central authority. The map was published in France, America’s primary ally during the Revolution. We Are One exhibition: This 1784 map was the first issued after the ratification of the 1783 Treaty of Paris. Jean Lattré based it on John Mitchell’s 1755 map of North America. He dedicated it to Benjamin Franklin, head of the American delegation to the treaty negotiations. The map lists the major military events of the war and emphasizes state borders, a reminder that the Articles of Confederation only loosely united the states. Published in France, America’s wartime ally, the map commemorates the bond between the two countries. The ship in the cartouche symbolizes French naval assistance and the independent course set by the new United States.