Grace Bennett- American ideals and questioning American ideals

‘Lunch atop a skyscraper’ was first seen in the New York Herald Tribune in 1932, depicting 11 daring individuals working on the construction of the Rockefeller building. The developing skyline in the background manifests the American ideals of prosperity and opportunity, whilst the unity of the men can mirror America’s idealistic values of equality and freedom.

This focus on the unidentified men, rather than the Rockefeller building itself, also reminds us of the importance and magnitude migrant workers had on building America, whilst echoing the American dream that many aspired to. It is important to note that behind the visual wonder of the image, there is the wider economic and social context, where John D. Rockefeller constructed this building despite the financial struggles of the Great Depression, where his ‘city within a city’ created more than 40,000 jobs.

The image leaves us with a sense of beginning, where America would eventually grow into the capitalist superpower we know it to be today, despite the socio-economic challenges it has faced.

This iconic photograph taken from the March on Washington for jobs and freedom in 1963, reflects so strongly on not only the Civil Rights Movement, but also race relations overall in America. From the abolition of slavery in 1865, to the post reconstruction era and then Civil Rights Movement, the struggle for equality and challenging segregationist laws is a monumental aspect of America’s history.

The fact that America being the ‘land of the free’ did not lawfully grant African-Americans the right to vote under the 15^th Amendment until 1965, or that segregation in education was not outlawed until Brown v. Board of Education, presents the contradictions within America’s own ideals and indeed its founding constitution.

To this present day, this image represents hope for the future, that all Americans will be equal regardless of race or ethnicity. It is an iconic image of utopia where idealistically, the ongoing racial tensions in America, such as those presented in the ‘black lives matter’ movement will discontinue.