Photojournalist Documents National Anxiety Across Illinois
E. Jason Wambsgans captured portraits across Illinois to illustrate a national mood of distrust and uncertainty ahead of the United States' 250th anniversary.
Tribune photojournalist E. Jason Wambsgans conducted a visual survey across Illinois in 2026 to gauge the national mood leading up to the country's 250th anniversary and upcoming midterm elections. The project documents a nation at a crossroads, mirroring polling from the Pew Research Center and AP-NORC that indicates widespread distrust and a belief that the American Dream is no longer achievable.
Wambsgans used portraits of diverse residents to illustrate a paradox of grim anxiety and persistent pride. Subjects included a coal miner in southern Illinois struggling with inflation, anti-AI protesters in Wheaton from the group Humans First, and state representative Delonte West reading the Declaration of Independence. The work also highlights historical trauma, such as the legacy of slavery in Equality, Illinois, and the feeling that the country is a "United States in name only."
In Chicago, the survey captured naturalization ceremonies at the Dirksen federal courthouse administered by U.S. District Court Judge LaShondra A. Hunt. The resulting collection juxtaposes systemic struggle and modern political unrest with individual resilience, reflecting a collective sense of exhaustion and uncertainty regarding the future of American democracy.
