Territorial Growth
American Progress, John Gast
John Gast’s 1872 image was widely reproduced to encourage westward expansion. In this Warm-Up, you will analyze this image. As you are carefully studying the image, you will want to think about the following questions:
- Who is the central figure in white and what does she represent?
- What do you think is the message of the painting and why?
- What specific groups of people can you identify in the painting?
- What do you notice about the lighting in the painting?
- What do you notice about the transportation methods in the painting?
- What changes do you notice as you compare the left and right side of the painting?
Based on your analysis of the painting, compose a four to five sentence paragraph that answers each of the questions above in your journal. If you need assistance on writing a journal entry, please visit the Developmental Module for more information.
Once you have completed your journal entry, please save it with a file name of mod4_westward and submit it to the journal dropbox.