American Progress Perspectives

1. Provide for each student a copy of American Progress worksheet. Instruct students to read the introduction silently.
2. Next have students analyze and study the painting. Students should jot down what they notice about the the painting--(who, what, when, where, how, and why).  Discuss with their learning club their findings and wonderings (3-5 minutes). 
3. As a whole group, discuss with students the painting and their wonderings. Guide and answer the questions at the bottom of the page. 
4. Pose the following: What if you were a Native American? What would your version of American Progress look like? Turn and talk with your neighbor. Share out groups perspectives. Continue in like manner with all subgroups. Record students' responses on chart paper. 
5. Tell students that they will now think about how they would create a painting that shows American progress during the time of manifest destiny. What would be in the background, middle ground, and foreground? What symbol would they use in their painting and why? What does the woman in John Gast's painting represent? What does your symbol represent and why? 
6. Give each student American Progress Draft and Rubric. Tell students that they will paint their own portrait of "American Progress" from their chosen subgroup's perspective. They will use the draft to pencil sketch ideas and the rubric is to guide their painting to include items from the rubric. 
7. Allow students at least two class periods to develop the concept and paint. Once completed, students are to write a descriptive paragraph about their painting. The paragraph is to include an explanation for the symbol chosen and elements in background, middle ground, and foreground of the painting.  

The term Manifest Destiny refers to the idea that Americans not only had the right to expand across the continent to the Pacific coast, but that they had a responsibility to do so, since it was considered to be “God’s will.”  This passionate desire to expand had an enormous impact on the relations between the government of the United States and the native people of North America, as well as its relations with Mexico and the other countries of the Americas. John Gast painted what he called “American Progress”.  

Before executing the lesson, it is ideal to collaborate with the visual arts teacher to familiarize yourself with Elements and Principles of Art, since the final product is a painting. Likewise, the visual arts teacher should too become familar with the time period and subgroups affected by expanding west. 

American Progress Rubric
Painting