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A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words: Building American National Identity Through Art, Donna R. Hoffman, Alison D. Howard
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words: Building American National Identity Through Art, Donna R. Hoffman, Alison D. Howard
Alison Dana Howard
With the adoption of the Constitution, the government of the United States took on a new role. Unlike other governments of the time, the United States was primarily founded on ideas, and, as a result, there were many challenges at the beginning of the newly-created republic. One of the biggest challenges was establishing credibility and legitimacy. In addition, republics require the support of the people; thus, to support the new political system, people needed to believe in the principles and ideals of the nascent government. As one form of communication, art has the capacity to reflect social contexts, depict specific …
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words: Building National Identity Through Art, Donna R. Hoffman, Alison D. Howard
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words: Building National Identity Through Art, Donna R. Hoffman, Alison D. Howard
Alison Dana Howard
The abstract principles of a republican form of government would be tested with the ratification of the Constitution. It would be challenging to not only establish a government that was unlike any other in the world, but to also construct for the public a shared identity and national narrative that would encompass the values and ideals of the newly formed Republic. Art is one form of communication that has the capacity to reflect social contexts. Edelman (1995, 6) believed art to be an “essential and fundamental element” in political ideas and action. We examine how the portraits, historical paintings, and …