Jacob Lawrence: The American Struggle presents the artist’s reinterpretation and reimagining of key moments in the American Revolution and early decades of the republic. This compelling and rarely seen body of work incorporates quotations from primary and secondary historical sources, selected by the artist, that emphasize America's early fight for independence and expansionism as well as the oft-overlooked contributions and experiences of women and people of color. Lawrence painted Struggle at the height of the Cold War and Joseph McCarthy’s Red Scare, when the civil rights movement was also nascent, and the events of this transformative period deeply informed the artist’s approach to the historical subjects. Lawrence’s more inclusive representation of the nation's past is no less relevant today and, amid ongoing struggles for social justice and issues of national identity, resonates profoundly.
