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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 …