Final answer:
The protecting figure in the sky in John Gast's "American Progress" is an angel, symbolizing divine support for Manifest Destiny and the westward expansion of the U.S.
Therefore, the answer to the question would be b) Angel
Step-by-step explanation:
This figure symbolizes the American belief that Manifest Destiny was divinely ordained. The angel in the painting conveys the notion of Manifest Destiny by representing the American movement westward as a righteous and inevitable expansion, bringing enlightenment, technology, and civilization (as represented by the school book and telegraph wires in the angel's hands) to the western territories. The fleeing indigenous people and wildlife signify the displacement that accompanied this expansion.
The various facets of Manifest Destiny embraced ideas such as the expansion of the United States "from sea to shining sea," the cultural assimilation or Americanization of residents in expanded areas, and the association of expanding the nation's boundaries with the spreading of freedom.
Therefore, the answer to the question would be b) Angel