Manifest Destiny – critique du rêve américain

You think you know the masterpiece « American Progress » and its history ? I don’t think so ! We are going to explain you something.

First, this masterpiece’s name « American Progress », is an oil on canvas by Jonh Gast painted in 1872. It is exhibited in Autry National Center, Los Angeles, California. This masterpiece depicts the concept of Manifest Destiny coined in 1845 by Jonh O’Sullivan in 1845 in the US Magazine « Democratic Review » called Annexation. But this concept has existed for a long time. Indeed, in 1803 when the Americans purchased Louisana from France.

The phrase means the Americans have a goal : they want the expansion of the civisation into the West of America. Manifest Destiny is the bellief that it was America’s right to expand westward.

Now, let us describe this masterpiece. In this masterpiece we can see a woman who looks like an angel, she carries the light of civilisation into the West with the Americans, wiring the telegraph in her wake. The woman who looks like an angel, also has in her hands a book to teach the Americans. I’m not sure but, I guess she accompanies the Americans into their conquest of America.

Natives and wild animals are pushed back into the darknesss of the West. On this masterpiece we can see a woman holding objects symbolising the American civilisation. On the woman’s head there is one of the 13 stars of the Star Spangled banner.

In the foreground there are farmers who work the land with animals. On the left of the farmers there are other people, I suppose they are hunters because in their hands they have riffles.

In the background I can see what makes civilisation (trains, wires, boats) and light, while the other side is dark and we can see it’s the wilderness (montains, animals, savages).

On the masterpiece, all the characters are going West to conquer the lands while the animals and the Natives flee civilisation. I have the impression people who conquer the West are families of varying wealth. I suppose the families are looking for a new land to settle.

In the background, I can see animal carcases being devoured by stray dogs. I think that means Americans actually exterminate everything in their path.

To conclude, the artist painted a biased perpective of Westward expansion : American settlers would bring light to the so called dark-spaces of the world, thanks to new comunication and modern developement. The reality was much more complicated. Indeed, if some Americans benefitted from Westward Expansion establishing homestead and croat a new life, others were not so lucky. Many American India Nation were pushed from their homelands and mistreated by the settlers. On top of that, slavery expanded into the West.

The concept of « Manifest Destiny » is still very important for the Americans, including Donald Trump. Donald Trump wants to take away their citizenship to the Natives even if the land actually belongs to them. Donald Trump wants to buy others lands – such as Canada – to expand his country, as the settlers did before him.

We think this is archaic. Donald Trump follows the settlers’ principles in 2025. This is not in 1803 !

You think you know the story of the United States ?

Well, today we are going to talk about this document which is actually an oil on canvas painted by John Gast in 1872. It has been entitled « American Progress ». Today, this oil on canvas is kept at Autry National Center in Los Angeles in California.

Moving on to the American Progress. Actually, we can see a woman dressed with a white dress. This woman is an allegory of Manifest Destiny. Actually, Manifest Destiny is the belief that it was America’s right to expand westward. She has both blond and curly hair on which there is a yellow star which may represent one of the thirteen stars of the Star Spangled banner. She holds a book used to educate the Natives Americans and a wire that brings the electricity to the West coast. While, actually, the Native Americans didn’t need the help of the settlers, in fact, they had a good life without them.

Basically, the settlers thought they got a message from God to expand and settle into new territories in the West. In fact, in this oil on canvas, we can see railroads, farms, cattles, state coaches and covered wagons migrating to the « New territories », the West, towards the black mountains bathed in darkness and ominous clouds. Reality was much more complicated. Indeed, if some Americans benefitted from Westward Expansion establishing homestand and created a new life, others were not so lucky. Many American Indian Nations were pushed from their homelands and mistreated by the settlers. On top of that, slavery expanded into the West.

This concept goes back to 1803 with the purchase of Louisiana from France, after the annexation of Florida from Spain in 1819 and the Independence of Texas from Mexico. Moving on to the year 1845 ; the term Manifest Destiny was used for the first time to describe Western Expansion in the US Magazine & Democratic Review called Annexation.

Now, in 2025, the American president: Donald Trump who has a great admiration for K.Polk, the eleventh American president, given that, they have got the same ideas about rich people’s who are entitled to have more liberties and privileges. Donald Trump also wants more territories, he wants to purchase Canada! This is excessive. Donald Trump wants too much power and he will probably wage war.

In our opinion, if the world has evolved, it’s not so that we can restore these ancient practices, that’s absurd. We have a fear of what will happen in the future.

« Manifest Destiny » : you must be wondering what it means.

Let us explain…
«Manifest Destiny» was used for the first time in an article written by John O’ Sullivan to talk about «Westward Expansion» in a newspaper called US Magazine Democratic rewiew. The article was named Annexation.

Would you like to learn more about «Manifest Destiny» ?
This term of « expansion » is real, Americans began to expand their territory when they began to buy new territories of today’s United States. They bought Louisiana in 1803 to France, Florida in 1819 to Spain and others… They pushed Natives to starvation because they decimated the bisons. But the real question is, why ? Power, free lands, money…

This painting of « Manifest Destiny » is a metaphor for this expansion. Let us describe the picture so you can understand better. First, the picture is an oil on canvas, and it is exhibited in Autry National Center, in Los Angeles, in California. The artist of this painting is John Gast.

First, in the middle of this painting is a woman who is flying. She’s wearing a white sheet, and has long curly golden hair, with a star on her forehead, like a godly being. She has a book in her arms. To me, it represents the benefits of teaching and educating the Natives. « Destiny » has in her hands, electric wires. We can see a city on the right of the painting, maybe it’s Plymouth, I don’t know.

These electric wires come from the woman, as she pulls the electric wires and the train’s rails into the wilderness to bring modernity and electricity in America. At the bottom, the people are farming the land, building houses because they consider the lands are free.

Other protagonists are moving to the west with trains, statecoaches, or covered wagons, depending on their wealth. We can also see Natives, bisons, and wild animals runnig away from modernity and « Destiny ». They appeared scared of her. The dark side of the painting represents the West. This land was not explored by new American people, so there are mountain chains in the middle of United States, and, behind this, the sea, the West coast.

Why is that ?
The price to pay was the lives of the Natives and wild species, slavery in the West. Westward expansion was born off a genocide. What is their excuse ?

« God tells us, all of this is our « Destiny », if strangers block us in our « Destiny », we must decimate them and continue our expansion.»

It begs the question though. What of today ? All of this goes on today: a golf was renamed the American Golf, the American president wants to expand his country, like who ?

Like James K. Polk who wanted to expand ? Nevada, California, Texas and Mexico.

Like Donald Trump who claims the term « Manifest Destiny.» Actually, the American president would like to buy Canada, Groenland, and Panama for resources and to have more territories and power.

This goes to show America’s destiny is to rule the World.

Who are the real Americans ?

The Natives who have been here since before Christ ? or the English/Americians who killed all the Natives ?

The artist we are about to study painted a biased perspective of Westward Expansion: American settlers would bring light to the so-called dark spaces of the world, thanks to new communication and modern development. The reality was much more complicated. Indeed, if some Americans benefitted from Westward expansion establishing homestead and created a new life, others were not so lucky. Many American Indian Nations were pushed from their Homelands and mistreated by the settlers. On top of that Slavery expanded into the West.

Then, let’s describe this painting. This is an oil on canvas called “American Progress”, painted by Jonn Gast in 1872. It is exhibited in « Atry National Center » of Los Angeles. In the middle of the foreground I can see a flying woman with blond hair, red lips and dark eyes. This goddess has long curly and blond hair that flows in the wind. In her hair she has a star. I’m not sure but I think it represents a colony as in the flag of the United States. She wears a long, silky white dress. In her hand I can see that she is holding a telegraphic thread, I guess it shows the fact that as the expansion to the west occurred, The Americans thought they would bring light to the dark and dark side of America by installing new communication through electricity. It is the allegory of the “Manifest Destiny”, where God allowed them to do whatever they wanted to expand westward. Anyway we’ll talk about this later.

Behind the woman on the right I can see a sunny landscape where there is a city, a red train, in the distance a big bridge. But in front I can also see people who cultivate a virgin field which shows that they may have been there not long ago. Next to the red train there is an electric line, the same one that is held by the flying woman. There is a coach in red too, it is pulled by six horses.Now let’s look to the left. First there is a wagon pulled by four oxen one person owns them. I suppose that the stage is reserved for the « rich » and the wagon for the « poor ». Below the woman is a group of four with a horse I may be wrong but I think they are explorers. In the background, on the left, there are mountains in the dark and snowy weather. Then on the far left there is a lot of native who seem to escape the illuminated side of the drawing. The bison seem to do the same.

So I can conclude they are fleeing people who discover the new world. In fact, I would say that these people are driving them out of their lands. Indeed that is right, it is the Americans who are said to have had the permission from God. They chased the Natives away in the process of westward expansion.

« Manifest Destiny » means « the idea that white settlers have a natural right to control North American territory, because they represent Western culture, Christianity, and know how to properly care for the land; unlike populations already present on the continent, such as Mexicans », summarizes Edward Mair, who calls this concept « racist ». In reality they have eradicated the natives and all the animals that will be on their passages. The 47th president of the United States (Donald Trump) expresses ad nuseam his desire to annex Canada, Greenland or Panama, he does as in this time of the « Amercican Progress » where one wanted to conquer everything.