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"American Progress."

During the nineteenth century, the U.S. greatly expanded its territory by purchasing land from other countries, taking land from countries it defeated in war, and adding independent territories that wanted to become part of the United States. This illustration celebrated that territorial growth by using many popular symbols of American progress and westward expansion. It was produced as a chromolithograph in 1873, inspired by an 1872 painting by John Gast. Chromolithography was a method of mass producing images, making them inexpensive for people to buy and hang in their homes.

Source: John Gast, 1872, chromolithograph, published by George A. Crofutt—Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress.

Who Built America? An Open Educational Resource has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and funding from The Ford Foundation, Digital Scholar, and the City University of New York Central Office of Library Services. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this Open Educational Resource, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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