The real meaning behind that viral Department of Homeland Security painting

‘American Progress’ by John Gast has been used in textbooks for decades to explain American settlers’ assumption of a God-given right to land in the West.

In recent months, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has used its social media platforms to promote its vision of an ideal country. In between posts celebrating mass deportations and defending Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the department has taken on the role of curator, posting a series of artworks that appear to communicate an idealized, Eurocentric concept of the American dream.