Virtual Gallery - Essay Example

Final Project: The American Dream Artwork In an article written by Beverly Daniel Tatum en d The Complexity of Identity, it is d that in America, people are mostly defined based on their race or ethnicity. For instance, if one is asked to describe his or her identity, the individual will answer that he or she is an American or Asian. This kind of response somehow reflects the history of the United States. It is a fact that racial discrimination was apparent in America before. During the seventeenth century, there was racial segregation in the American community.

The black people were segregated from the white people. At worst, the blacks were made slaves. Slavery was a form of business in the United States at that time. The slaves were not free. They were considered property by the American traders and plantation owners. They were not granted civil and political rights. Both the south and north of America had exemplified this historical event. Nevertheless, the time came when the Americans realized that the black people should be granted freedom and be treated like humans.

It was the Northern part of America which started granting liberty to the slaves. Nevertheless, the Southerners became persistent than ever to maintain slavery in their area. The opposing policies of the Northern and Southern part of America had resulted into a civil war. There were states that made their own confederacy and disintegrated from the American united states or the union. Significantly, the civil war was ended through the Emancipation Proclamation. The triumph of the Emancipation Proclamation could be reflected through A. A. Lamb’s painting, an American painter.

The painting entitled Emancipation Proclamation perfectly illustrates the declaration as an important period of American history. It can be observed that there are four main characters in the painting. These are the following: the black people, the soldiers of the Union, the Statue of Liberty and Abraham Lincoln. Other than the four characters, there are also objects shown such as the bird, the flag as well as the building of the United States Congress. In the picture, Lincoln is bringing with him the file containing the proclamation.

He was actually America's president when the civil war happened. He issued the proclamation to finally end the conflict. He was the reason why racism ended in the American society. On the other hand, the building of the US Congress in Washington, D.C. is included to symbolize the unity of the politicians in approving the Emancipation Proclamation. New York is actually located in the Northern side of America. In this sense, the painting is emphasizing the idea that the state of New York respected the proclamation.

Analytically, the Emancipation Proclamation painting symbolizes America’s dream of becoming a country wherein its people are accorded equal rights. It captures the country’s aim to stop any form of racial discrimination and to give all of its citizens the chance to become successful. Nonetheless, today, there are still traces of the historical event that the American community could not resist. References Lamb, A. A. Emancipation proclamation [Painting]. Retrieved from http://www.nga.gov/fcgi-bin/timage_f?

object=43441&image=0&c= Tatum, B. D. The complexity of identity: “Who am I?” [PDF document]. Retrieved from http://www.son.washington.edu/diversity/docs/SPCG-ComplexityIdentity.pdf