History:P51. Entry # 181 in book "Portraits in Tennessee Before 1866." In December 1848, the U.S. General Land Office produced a map of the United States by its principal draftsman, Ephraim Gilman. It displayed all of the existing states, territories, proposed territories, and the area of the Mexican Cession in the southwest acquired by the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the war with Mexico. The Gilman map was specifically ordered by President James K. Polk to accompany his last annual message to Congress that month. Polk wanted the map to illustrate the territorial gains from the Mexican War, advance his ideas on the development of the newly acquired territories, and address the growing debate in Congress and the nation over the extension of slavery in the territories. The information above is assumed from the following web entry, CLICK HERE to read Polk family connection with the Gilmans.. http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2009/winter/gilman-map.html
