The New Republic's 15 Most Important Artworks in U.S. History

The New Republic published a list of the 15 most important artworks in U.S. history, spanning film, literature, music, painting, and architecture. The list includes D.W. Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation" (1915), Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" (1855), Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (1852), Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (1885), Herman Melville's "Moby-Dick" (1851), Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane" (1941), Toni Morrison's "Beloved" (1987), Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather Parts I & II" (1972/1974), F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" (1925), Abel Meeropol's "Strange Fruit" (1939), Julia Ward Howe's "Battle Hymn of the Republic" (1862), George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" (1924), Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks" (1942), Maya Lin's Vietnam Veterans Memorial (1982), and Michael Curtiz's "Casablanca" (1942). The list was curated by the magazine's editors and includes commentary from University of Texas law professor Sanford Levinson on Griffith's film. The selections reflect works that shaped American culture, politics, and identity, from slavery and racism to the American dream and war.