United States History Student Edition

E

Complete Your Inquiry EVALUATE SOURCES AND USE EVIDENCE Refer back to the Compelling Question and the Supporting Questions you developed at the beginning of the lesson. 1. Drawing Conclusions What do these sources reveal about the American culture of the time? Do they present an optimistic view of the new country? Explain. 2. Contrasting Which sources express American ideals? Which sources tell American stories? Explain. 3. Gathering Sources Which sources helped you answer the Supporting Questions and the Compelling Question? Which sources, if any, challenged what you thought you knew when you first created your Supporting Questions? What information do you still need in order to answer your questions? What other viewpoints would you like to investigate? Where would you find that information? 4. Evaluating Sources Identify the sources that helped answer your Supporting Questions. How reliable is each source? How would you verify the reliability of each source? COMMUNICATE CONCLUSIONS 5. Collaborating Work with a partner to discuss how the arts reflected the growing American identity. What ideas contributed to the American identity? Does each work of art address a separate aspect of the American identity? Do any address more than one? Use the graphic organizer that you created at the beginning of the lesson to help you. Share your conclusions with the class. TAKE INFORMED ACTION Creating a Website of Local Artists Research local artists in your community and create a website in which you display their work and argue for its increased visibility. As part of your website, write a short essay explaining how the artists’ work contributes to the artistic identity of your community. Be sure to include the work of diverse artists. Share your website with the class and explain your conclusions.

Portrait of Yarrow Mamout Charles Willson Peale was one of the greatest portrait painters in the early United States. His portraits of the Founders—Thomas Jefferson, in particular—are the images many Americans think of when they picture those leaders. His Portrait of Yarrow Mamout (1819) was a unique achievement. Mamout was an African American Muslim from the country of Guinea. Peale’s sympathetic portrait of a man reflecting racial and religious diversity was unusual for that era.

PRIMARY SOURCE: PAINTING

EXAMINE THE SOURCE 1. Interpreting How would you describe Mamout’s expression in the portrait? 2. Making Generalizations Based on what you know of his work, why do you think Peale might have chosen Mamout as the subject for a portrait?

GL Archive/Alamy Stock Photo

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