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.

This is a very early map of the young United States that details the states, new territories and the Indian lands east of the Mississippi River. Ohio is a small area divided into five regions labeled: Colonel Simmers, Seven Ranges, Army Land, Ohio Company, and Donation Lands from the Commonwealth of Virginia. Other interesting designations west of Ohio bear the labels Illinois Company, Wabash Company, and New Jersey Company. The area northeast of the Mississippi River is largely unorganized and denoted as "Divided into 10 States by a Resolve of Congress in 1784." A large section of Kentucky is Land Reserved for the Virginia Troops. The newly formed Tennessee Government is outlined with a large section Reserved for the N. Carolina Troops. Georgia extends to the Mississippi River. Various Indian tribes and forts are indicated throughout. The Twenty Leagues Line is drawn in the Atlantic.

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Condition: B

Issued folding, now pressed, with a hint of offsetting, minor toning, and a few tiny separations and holes at fold intersections that have been archivally repaired. Two small holes at top left have been professionally repaired, with a small amount of image in facsimile. Very narrow margins at top and right.