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Essay On American Progress

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The majority of countries around the world, specifically the United States of America, worked to pave a path for their futures during the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Enlightenment, industrialization, and imperialism were all prevalent during these centuries. These factors altered history and was influential in molding the United States and others into what they are today. Although these countries were trying to create a new future for themselves, a majority of them followed the same course that previous countries had already laid out for them. The painting, American Progress, painted by John Gast, serves as a model of the events that took place during these centuries that moved America to where it is today, by using the courses set by previous …show more content…

O'Sullivan, "The Great Nation of Futurity" states, “our national birth was the beginning of a new history, the formation and progress of an untried political system, which separates us from the past and connects us with the future only; and so far as regards the entire development of the natural rights of man, in moral, political, and national life, we may confidently assume that our country is destined to be the great nation of futurity.” O’Sullivan outlines that the Unites States stood out from other nations because of the disconnection with the past and a greater influence on the future, which is untrue. Although America did focus more on the future, they still followed Great Britain’s imperialist ideologies as a model for expanding westward. During this time, the idea about the homogenous nation-state becomes prevalent and feudalism died off. The new modern system would allow for exponential growth, which, in turn, allowed people to accumulate capital. Since capital was the key factor in during the 18th century, this new modern system quickly took off. The Americans, just like the British, believed they were above all other countries and started to bring order, civilization, and morality to the rest of the world to fit the ideal version of what they thought was the imperialist

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