essay

You will work to analyze a painting.  Attached are directions from the Library of Congress on how to analyze primary sources.  

It may be useful to ask the same questions a newspaper reporter would use: who, what, when, where, why, and how.  Some specific questions can include: 

· Who created this primary source?

· When was it created?

· Where does your eye go first?

· What do you see that you didn’t expect?

· What powerful words and ideas are expressed?

· What feelings and thoughts does the primary source trigger in you?

· What questions does it raise?

· What was happening during this time period?

· What was the creator’s purpose in making this primary source?

· What does the creator do to get his or her point across?

· What was this primary source’s audience?

· What biases or stereotypes do you see?

· Does it challenge your assumptions about the past?

· What primary or secondary sources support or contradict your conclusions?

Using the questions in the previous section as a guide. you will work to analyze the painting American Progress by John Gast.  Your assignment is to list all the things you see about the painting, and how those things fit into American history.  The finished product should be at least 750 words long.