When he was young, Jacob Lawrence often walked more than sixty blocks from his home in the Harlem section of New York City to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Jacob wanted to be an artist, and he believed that studying the famous painting hanging in that museum would help him. The year was 1930. The depression (经济萧条) had brought hard times. As he walked through Harlem, Jacob noticed the people on the sidewalks. He looked hard at the churches, the funeral parlors and barbershops. Jacob stored those images in his mind, along with the images of paintings he saw in the museum. Jacob came from a poor family. His mother believed there was little chance that her son could grow up to be a successful painter. She wanted him to aim for something more practical. But Jacob’s teacher in an after-school art program saw that the youngster was talented. Alston showed him how to use poster paints and crayons (蜡笔) to make masks and stage sets. As time passed, Alston let Jacob rent work space in his own studio. That was an exciting place for a young black man struggling to become an artist. Many creative people gathered there to talk about art and literature and history. From these conversations, Jacob learned that history books often ignored the accomplishments of African Americans. He decided to paint a series of pictures dramatizing the story of a black hero. He chose Toussaint, a slave from the Caribbean island of Haiti, who had helped free his people from French ruling. Many people admired Jacob’s pictures, but he needed more than admiration. To help his family, he often had to work at jobs that took him away from painting. Then something encouraging happened. The government set up the Federal Art Project to help struggling artists survive the depression, and a sculptor (雕刻家) named Augusta got Jacob a job with the project. For eighteen months, Jacob was paid a salary to paint pictures. For the first time, he felt like a professional artist.Walking a long distance, Jacob______.