Inspired by Harlem Renaissance artists Augusta Savage and Charles Alston, Jacob 
 Lawrence illustrated African-American history through colorful and diligently researched narrative paintings. His subjects included a series on prominent figures in the struggle for Black liberation, such as Harriet Tubman, while his “The Great Migration” chronicled the Depression-era flight of African Americans from the impoverished rural south to northern cities. Comprising 60 works executed simultaneously and with unifying color schemes and visual motifs, his “Builder” series featured paintings, drawings, and prints that communicate the artist’s belief in the possibility of creating a better world through skill, ingenuity, hard work, and collaboration.

When WWII ended, the United States was in better economic condition than any other country in the world. Even the 300,000 American combat deaths paled in comparison to any other major national belligerent. Capitalizing on this fiscal boom allowed America to become more affluent in the postwar years than most Americans could have possibly imagined before or during the conflict. Public policies, such as the Serviceman’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (G.I. Bill), which provided money for veterans to attend college, purchase homes, and buy farms, allowed an unprecedented explosion of middle- class growth and opportunities. Their impact on American today is incalculable.