Remapping a Historical Geography

In the past several years, History instructors have increasingly experimented with assignment or project design that moves beyond confines of traditional research essay. The resulting assignments are often referred to as “un-essays”— projects purposefully designed empower students take an active role in shaping their own topics and enable them present ways other than more conventional paper format. Requiring conduct rigorous research, marshal evidence support larger claims, make intentional decisions about organization audience, un-essays meet most same criteria expected a paper, but help address different learning styles. This article centers on particular student I assigned brought together growing interest parallel call for geospatial instruction classroom. fall 2019, my seminar “All Over Map: Cartography Historical Narrative” took various re-map familiar geography United States history (the Antebellum North), along histories we associate it. They answer shared question: was North truly place solely promoted freedom? Yet, instead submitting reflecting findings, worked region by creating digital, interactive map plotted they elected narrate regions North. map, which titled “The Free North?,” influenced pedagogical impulse behind un-essay design, has become tool its own.