This book explores the evolution of British identity and participatory politics in the 1790s. Wil Verhoeven argues that in the course of the French Revolution debate in Britain, the idea of "America" came to represent for the British people the choice between two diametrically opposed models of social justice and political participation. Yet the American Revolution controversy in the 1790s was by no means an isolated phenomenon. The controversy began with the American crisis debate of the 1760s and 1770s, which overlapped with a wider Enlightenment debate about transatlantic utopianism. All of these debates were based in the material world on the availability of vast quantities of cheap American land. Verhoeven investigates the relation that existed throughout the eighteenth century between American soil and the discourse of transatlantic utopianism: between America as a physical, geographical space, and "America" as a utopian/dystopian idea-image.

The first major work to identify the original generation of American geographers—teachers, writers, surveyors, cartographers, engravers, and others—who made significant contributions to the field of geography during the early years of the republic. As such, it represents a powerful research tool for scholars interested in learning about this group and the products of their labors. A comprehensive and inclusive reference work, this book depicts the individuals who engaged in the establishment and description of the United States. It includes information on people who were involved in activities that led to a remarkable body of information, maps, and literature of a geographic nature about the country.