Argumentative Essay: The American Dream And Race

The greatest explanation of the American dream is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech” I Have a Dream.” In 1963, King and other leaders of the civil rights movement organized a huge march for equal rights in Washington, DC. With a massive crowd of over 200,000 followers, the march was protesting racial discrimination in employment, racial separatism in schools, and they demanded minimum wage for all workers. (Biography.yourdictionary) Dr. King’s speech is more like a testimony of truth rather than a speech. At the time of his speech, African Americans were not free while the Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal. Dr. King’s movement established the way for the idea that there is an American dream, the idea that somebody can be anything they would like to be. This idea is still relevant now in America. Americans pursue their dream everyday by having the opportunity to attend college, and work. Although America is the land of opportunities, Americans take these opportunities for granted, while other parts of the world make it their lives’ time goal to get here. In certain times of history the American dream has not been available to some races. For example it be the Japanese during World War 1 and the African Americans during the Civil rights era. “The land of opportunity has discriminated people from completing their dreams” (Nobelprize.org.). Our country has gone through great trials of racism. The great Martin Luther King Jr. worked his whole life to change these things. Dr. King made history when he gave his speech “I Have a Dream” at the Nation’s Capital in 1963. “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal (King, Martin L., Jr.). The famous speech is a testimony to the struggle of African American people and the deep desire of Dr. martin Luther King Jr. who lived, fought and died to win equality for the African American community. Another important aspects of Dr. King's struggle was his vision for the memphis sanitation workers strike.

In history, there are many recurring themes, one of the biggest is the “American Dream”. Many people resonate the words dream, freedom, equality, and the opportunity to achieve their utmost desired and achievable dreams. This definition of a perfect land that helps you achieve your dream has been termed the “American Dream.” The “American Dream”, which is supposedly available for all Americans, has unfortunately become untrue for those who are minorities or immigrants. The “American Dream” is dictated by the American society that is controlled by a racial hierarchy that does not give access to the American dream for those who are not part of the preferred race and who don’t fit into its structured box of singularity. Overall, The American

Race is a big factor that prevents people from achieving the American Dream. If the person is a race other than caucasian, they will have a harder time to achieve their dream. They don’t have as many opportunities because of where they come from. The source “African Americans and the American Dream” states, “African Americans were still considered “property” in Southern states.” Even though laws were passed in the US, inequality still continued for those that were a different color. Others consider African Americans, and other races, aren’t worth much because of who they are. A caucasian person will have a better chance to get hired for a job or get a raise just because of the shade of their skin. People believe that African Americans and immigrants doesn’t receive the same education that the caucasians receive. Mostly, the lower class individuals will attend a public school that doesn’t have enough resources to provide the same education that the higher class pay for. (Johnson)

While many people view the achievement of the American Dream as the highest form of success, it is really a false reality built on an ongoing history of white supremacy and superiority. “The Dream” is one that is held by the willfully ignorant, those believing themselves to be white, and people who do not wish to reflect on the issues of race and discrimination transpiring in modern day society. As a result, “The Dream” is consequentially detrimental to the African American race.

America historically owns the reputation of being the land of opportunity, and for generations immigrants have fled to the United States to experience the freedom and equality our government lays claim to. At the root of this reputation is the American Dream, the belief that with hard work anyone can succeed based solely on his or her merits. While definitions of success vary, the American Dream defines it as the ability to become a "self-made man," thereby rising to a more-than-comfortable state of living. The American Dream is believed to be blind to race, sex, or socio-economic status and at a first glance, seems to be almost Utopian. Conversely, repeated examples and statistics of the lower-classes, those continually facing the harsh

The American dream for years has been see known to be something that anybody can achieve with hard work through all obstacles. For most of Americans, especially minorities, this does not occur. The notion that working hard will get you somewhere with your merits does not face up to the statistics. But despite all these statistics, facts, and evidence, people, usually minority, aspose these talking points non-stop. Matter of fact, the average person has a little chance of mobility or stay in the same socioeconomic class. In my own personal life, I have yet to achieve the American dream. My own parents have are janitors and grew up in poverty. You can say that they themselves are clear example of the difficulty of achieving success solely on meritocracy. Now you might ask what is your definition of the American dream? For me, the American dream is about owning a home, having enough money to not struggle to buy food, clothing, and decent water for not only me but my wonderful family as

The “American Dream” has always been this country’s greatest and most successful form of propaganda. The notion of the “American Dream” has bred entitlement since the term was coined by James Truslow Adams during the 1930s. Many Americans have, and still feel, entitled to achieving the “American Dream” even though this phrase has never been attainable for all members of American society. Despite Adams hoping the “American Dream” would transcend “birth or position” allowing anyone to attain the Dream, obviously this has not been possible for everyone living in the U.S. The wage gap between men and women easily makes attaining the Dream difficult, since the social order still does not pay women for the same jobs as men. Additionally, the racism which systematically pervades all of our institutions makes the Dream merely a dream for black people, as institutions are systematized to hinder the growth of Black Americans. White Americans face only the challenge of individual wealth. Owning a home is often impossible as these institutions have implemented ways to hinder the growth of non-white Americans.

The American Dream looks like integration over the years, women’s rights over the years, and equal job opportunity over the years. Martin Luther King Jr. stated “Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children. It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality--1963 is not an end but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. (Government Files;“I Have A Dream”)” Martin Luther King Jr. gave this speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C on August 28, 1963. Today, his dream for America has been achieved. Over the years African Americans have gained their rights and being offered equal opportunity. Along with white men, women and children, and all people of all religion. To be able to show such progress towards equality is part of being able to provide an opportunity for everyone to fully embrace their own American

The American Dream is defined as all of it’s citizens having equal opportunity to have success and beneficial growth through hard work and dedication through hard work. Sadly, this is not the case for many citizens living in the United States of America and it is not attainable for anyone. In America, all of its wealth is owned by a small circle of individuals that have the power to rule this country from the inside. These wealthy believe that power and wealth come to those that work very hard and turn nothing into gold, however in many cases with very wealthy families the money is most likely an inheritance. The American dream is not attained for all of it’s citizens because of the large wealth gap between classes, the media’s coverage on class, and distribution of wealth.

The American Dream is a theory that is controversial and has many different prospects for each individual. America is the land of the free. It comes with many struggles that are faced by the people who choose to settle here. From the very beginning, the settlers who came to escape from Great Britain and start a new life started the standard life in America. The treatment of African Americans was one example of how the American Dream can be taken away from a group of people, but it also shows how much the American Dream is wanted by that same group of people. “The Declaration of Independence” by Thomas Jefferson, and the “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr., speech are just small beginnings to something as great as what America is today.

The American dream is an elusive idea for many Americans; it allows access but does not provide equal opportunity to achieve it for every American citizen and varies wildly throughout different social classes in America. Inequality plagues society throughout these social classes, providing or denying certain opportunities throughout them.

Since the major success that America has gone through its life as a country, many people have dreamed of coming to the U.S. in hope of their dreams succeeding just as other’s have before. Through multiple documents and speeches, people can realize that unlike what other people say, America does want its people to accomplish their dream and proves this through its actions. In the poem, “Africa to America” by Phillis Wheatley, the document, Bill of Rights, the speech, Keynote Address to the 2004 Democratic National Convention by Barack Obama, and the document Declaration of Independence, they all demonstrate that America is willing to continue to make the American Dream possible to all people. The American Dream is still accessible to the people by promising equality and freedom, by offering new opportunities, and through the government’s willingness to help the American Dream.

The American Dream is a concept without a true definition, but is tossed around as a cornerstone of our society. Most see the dream as showing off the achievements of our people, but this idea of focusing only on our successes disregards the failure and struggle that everyone endures to even witness the light of success. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, they attempt to define the American Dream as "a happy way of living" achieved by "working hard and becoming successful." Contradicting the definition above, many people in this nation are not given equal treatment or equal access to opportunity. Success is not necessarily achieved in the states through the equal opportunity for people of differing races, ethnic backgrounds, socioeconomic situations, and people lacking the proper connections to be able to easily enter into different establishments without the proper credentials.

We live in an age where many of us don't realize that the American dream is falsely promoted. It Is painfully clear that it was destined to fail from the very start. The American Dream is a flawed system in which is unattainable for a majority Americans due to the lack of education, work ethic, and the amount of disabilities First of all, it is worth considering that education is essential to achieving the American dream. Without it there is a lower chance of getting a higher paying job; especially if you are born into a poor family. Education is a determining factor in the manor of achievement.

Depending on who you speak to, or what pockets of society are examined, the concept of the American Dream is a relative concept. The mantra is depicted as if one works hard and saves money, then one can own a house, a car or two, and have a family with two children. This 1950s invention has proven to be highly reductionist. It paints a picture of the Leave it to Beaver sitcom, where a husband who works from 9 to 5, returns home after a day’s work to be received by a beaming wife, a hot meal and doting children. America is far different than the distortions of television. In fact, differences have always existed between race and class. In this context, the question to be posed is, whose American Dream has been packaged and sold to society?