United States History Student Edition

C American Progress

Reproductions of American Progress, painted by John Gast in 1872, hung in many American homes in the late 1800s. The focus of the picture is Lady Columbia, a symbol of the United States. She is holding a schoolbook and a telegraph wire.

PRIMARY SOURCE: PAINTING

EXAMINE THE SOURCE 1. Identifying What details does the artist include that show signs of American progress? 2. Analyzing Points of View From whose point of view is the picture painted? Whose point of view is missing? Explain your answer.

Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division

Political and Geographic Changes 337