What does Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way represent?
What does Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way represent? This painting represents the concept of Manifest Destiny, the belief, popular in the mid-nineteenth century, that Americans were destined by God to settle the continent westward to the Pacific Ocean. This painting was a study for a larger mural, com pleted in 1862, for the U.S. Capitol Building. Who are the people in Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way? The mural's title is a verse from the poem 'On the Prospect of Planting Arts and Learning in America' by Bishop George Berkeley (1685-1753). The mural's border features...