For the United States, unlike France or Germany, history was synonymous with growth, and the present could be framed as the fulfillment of past struggles. The past was never the story of loss, only gain. Historical maps, timelines, graphs, and charts transformed the unpredictable and contingent past into the orderly stages of inevitable growth.

After the War of 1812, geographic education rapidly gained strength as a foundation for national identity, and this stimulated the demand for historical mapping. But these maps were also made possible by a growing interest in the graphic representation of knowledge, especially the emergence of timelines to measure change.