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American Progress is a painting created by John Gast in 1872. In the 19th century in the United States, a lot of people believed that there was some God-given plan for them to settle in those lands. They thought that they were meant to destroy the indigenous territories and the native way of life there, and instead to establish their own – the new and enlightened one. There was even a name for this belief, Manifest Destiny. American Progress is the representative of that time’s mindset.
The painting portrays America’s westward expansion – with the figure of a woman in a white dress in the middle, symbolizing Progress. The movement in the picture is going from its right to the left, with the newborn Americans going after the Native Americans.
One of the first things to notice is that the right, or ‘eastern’, side of the painting is lighter than the left, or ‘western’, one. It symbolizes the belief that Europe is more civilized and enlightened, and that the indigenous people still live in the dark. The telegraph cable that the woman is stretching across the continent, the book in her hand, the trains and the ships, and the bridge on the right – everything is empathizing the progress of the European Americans.
The side of the Native Americans is portrayed as the wild one. They are running away, along with the indigenous animals of the land, not being able to understand or appreciate the ‘blessing’ of the American expansion. They all are meant to be tamed – just like the animals, who are now serving humankind, had been tamed in the past. The painting also shows the dissonance between modernization and nature. European Americans, blinded by the progress and the thrill of conquering the land, are forgetting the roots which all of us have equally come from. There is no understanding, no respect for the innate life. They want the ‘wild and uncultured’ tribes to step out of the way and let in the ‘educated’ colonizers.
Another female figure that comes to mind when looking at American Progress is the Statue of Liberty. A woman dressed in a gown, bringing light and prosperity to the American nation. The Statue of Liberty is considered to be the symbol of American liberation, and in particular, the Afro-American one. The figure of Progress in the painting is a symbol of guidance for the European Americans back in the years of the expansion. She symbolizes the education, development, and flourish of the nation. On the other hand, it is not all bright – since it portrays the conquest and the destruction of the Native American land and indigenous people living in it. It sends the message that the American nation does not offer freedom to everyone – only those who fit in with its main course and who share its beliefs.
American Progress glorifies Westward expansion and presents it as the most righteous thing. Although nowadays this topic is not as light and joyous at all, for the time of John Gast, it was the most normal thing. In the modern world, the best thing one can do is learn the history of the land they live on and respect its roots, its culture, and where everything has come from – respect and protect indigenous people.
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