There was lots of violence, but Gast did not put it into his painting because it would counter his patriotic and positive view of the westward expansion.Īmerican Progress justified the conquering of the west.
#Manifest destiny painting full
In reality, America’s westward expansion was full of bloody wars, fighting, killing, and massacres as the Native Americans resisted the attempt to take their land. All of that detail shows Gast’s view that the expansion was a peaceful movement that was meant to happen. Since there are no weapons in the painting it subconsciously gives a peaceful feel to westward expansion just as Lady Liberty glides over the landscape in a non-threatening way. In his painting there are hardly any weapons, only a hunter holding a gun, and a Native American, while raising his tomahawk, is running away. Unfortunately this did not happen, as the Americans used the idea to justify their conquering of the west.Ī final idea of John Gast's painting is that American expansion was a peaceful movement. That does not mean that the Americans were superior, and it should have meant that they should have respect for each other and their ways. This view is also incorrect, for the Native Americans were civilized people that had very different cultures. All of this led to the reasoning that is was okay for Americans to take their land, and force them to learn English.
Native Americans, because they are on the left side of the painting are shown as a wild uncivilized inferior group running away from the superior white people. The darkness of the west is saying that it is a wild and uncivilized place, needing modern advancements. What he is depicting is that the east is enlightened, a civilized place that has technology and is a very well educated. Is it hard to imagine the opposite Native American view after seeing the white people take their land, kill the bison, the natives’ main source of food, and then confine them on reservations? Manifest Destiny is a wrong and incorrect view of westward expansion, because it justified the conquering of the west and the destruction of a way of life.Ī second major idea of John Gast’s perspective is the contrast between the east as a light place and the west as dark. Manifest Destiny was a way to justify the settling of Native American land and the destruction of the natural habitat. John Gast is a very patriotic man, yet his views are incorrect. She is an unstoppable force just like America’s destiny to expand. Gast portrays Manifest Destiny using the symbol of ‘Lady Liberty’ as an angelic looking woman floating above the landscape and guiding the American people west. In actuality, the west belonged to the Native Americans who had lived there for thousands of years until the settlers came and took the land and put Native Americans on reservations. John Gast’s perspective on Manifest Destiny is that the west was given to the Americans to settle. In addition to this, the idea that westward expansion was peaceful is very incomplete and one-sided because, unlike the painting, the reality of America’s westward expansion was often violent as the United States believed that America was destined to expand.
John Gast justified Manifest Destiny by using symbolism and imagery to show the west as uncivilized, wild and unruly which America must naturally colonize and dominate. Manifest Destiny was the idea that Americans were destined to rule the continent but it is totally incorrect because it allowed the Americans to take and destroy the land, the animals and native people. Yet, was America’s expansion this destined, peaceful movement of the country spreading west? In the painting, Gast shows that it was the America’s destiny to expand, spread technology, and civilize the untamed west. American Progress (1872) is a patriotic painting by John Gast portraying the beauty of our country’s expansion.
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