By the time of the Revolutionary War, the practice of awarding bounty land as an inducement for enlisting in the military had been a long-standing practice in colonial North America. Besides imperial bounty land grants, both colonial and municipal governments routinely compensated participants in and victims of military conflicts with land. Land was a commodity in generous supply, and governments seized upon its availability for accomplishing their goals.

Following this tradition, the Revolutionary governments used bounty land grants in their struggle for independence from Great Britain. They generally offered free lands in exchange for military service, provided they were victorious in their struggle. Thus, bounty lands were an effective technique for enrolling support for the war and encouraging re-enlistments. Generally the bounty lands were located on the western frontier, which provided another benefit to the government. Populating the frontier with citizens skilled in defense offered the best prospect in enticing other settlers to join them, thus eventually increasing the tax rolls.

A scarce map of Kentucky with the Tennesee Government / South Western Territory named below and the North Western Territory above. There are several Bounty Land Grants named on the map, including a large portion of northwest Tennessee noted as 'Reserved for the North Carolina Troops'. General Clark's Grant is named on the border with present-day Ohio, and the New Jersey Company is in possession of a large piece of land in what would become Illinois. This map was derived from the 1794 map by John Russell. Engraved by John Scoles.

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Condition: A

Nice strong impression with only a few tiny stains, else fine. Issued folded now flat.