Argumentative Essay On The American Dream

Two words that inspire much conversation, thought, and even tension are the words American Dream. What is it? How do we achieve it? Is it even possible? Back when our country was first founded, the idea of the American Dream was people looking for a “new life” would come America to gain more opportunity. A very important document to our nation is the Declaration of Independence. This document highlights the concept of the American Dream when it declares, “All men are created equal” and also when it states the inalienable rights of each man are, “ life liberty and the pursuit of happiness” Equality, life liberty and happiness are significant points in the dream every American seeks to achieve.

The American Dream is pivotal to America's upbringing and culture. It has existed before America has. Its is the belief that a person could achieve success in America through hard work. The American Dream is somethings everyone wished to accomplish, and for good reason. However, the dream is increasingly getting harder to achieve than ever before. Be it for prejudice, persecution, social constructs, or even sexism. For some people, the American Dream is still a reality, but for others it will always be a dream.

Jon Meacham Once said “The American Dream may be slipping away. We have overcome such challenges before. To recover the Dream requires knowing where it came from, how it lasted so long and why it matters so much.” America was founded on the sweat of our ancestors trying to create a nation of freedom, that freedom wasn’t achieved without their sacrifice and goal to achieve the greatest nation on earth, they achieved that goal. Ever since America was founded the idea that we have the best nation on earth and the only place on earth that's “truly” free has been shoved down our throats so hard that we start to believe it even if it’s not true. Every American has responsibilities to their country, those responsibilities responsibilities are simple and include respect for one another in the form of representing our Natives culture,

Bernie Sanders once said, “For many, the American dream has become a nightmare”. The American Dream is a cultural belief that anyone can achieve prosperity through hard work and determination. Millennials, however, are having a hard time achieving the dream as quickly as prior generations were able to. Home ownership rates for Americans under 35 years old are at a record low. The Millennial generation, those born between 1981 and 1997, is the largest in the United States’ history. According to a 2017 Harvard study, only 31% of Millennials own homes. This could be attributed to numerous factors such as student loans, later marriage, and the housing crisis of 2008. While putting off owning a home has its benefits, there are also several cons that come along with it. Are Millennials unable to attain the “American Dream”, or is the generation simply re-defining it? Certainly, homeownership is a complicated aspect in the lives of American Millennials.

We, more than any other age, want stability. No one wants to see that in us because it’s a tough fight to get it, but we want to self-manage and have financial certainty. Houses mean something entirely different to us than to others. We don’t see houses as necessities or obligations. We don’t take mortgages lightly or settle into some place we’re not happy with. The real estate market has some new customers who are taking their choices seriously. To us, that house has to be earned, and it’s also an investment. We don’t feel an obligation to settle into that house; we want it because of what it offers us. That house can grant both stability and financial security. Making an investment like that is something that overjoys a generation still shaken from the uncertainty of the market crash. When we make investments, we become adults. There is nothing scarier or more exhilarating than stepping away from an age where we can’t control the world around us into being at the wheel. The housing market may not have the same customers as it once did, but these customers are ones who aren’t taking any decisions lightly. Stepping from dorm to apartment to renting and, finally, to owning a home is a terrifying journey. Nobody should take it lightly, but we should take it. We’re ready to take on mortgages and handle the economy in a new

Homeownership is a double-edged sword. It is the “American Dream” to one day own a house. Compared to their predecessors, Millennials are seeing the advantages and disadvantages of homeownership at an earlier age.  These early generations believed owning a house was the cherry-on-top to being an all-around American and achieving the “American Dream”. As a cynical generation who grew up with information at our fingertips and the world falling around us, millennials see homeownership differently. “The cautious and conservative approach to home buying displayed by millennials is driven by the fact their outlook on life was shaped by a number of bad things when they were young—the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 2001, the 2008 financial crisis, the housing bust with mass foreclosures and a weak recovery that has so far provided incomes below that of prior generations” (Stowe England, 36). We learned that the world was not fair and that it is time to redefine the “American Dream” to reflect our current economic society.

The pursuit of happiness is the American dream that every immigrant envisioned and sought. The dream has soured and devolved into a nightmare for most Americans. The United States’ debt is currently in the trillions of dollars. Average American households are also in serious and debilitating debt. The cost of living in American has sky rocketed in recent years, but the minimum wage did not follow suit. The American people were forced to take out loans and credit cards to charge basic living expenses like food and gas. It costs around $250,000 to raise a child from birth until their eighteenth birthday. It does not include the ever-growing college tuition. Unfortunately, a college education does not mean that a person will be successful in a

As someone who was born at the tail-end of the millennial period, 1997, I can definitely say that I am experiencing this new American Dream for myself. Owning a home is definitely a part of the American Dream that has remained intact for as long as the country has been standing. However, for a millennial there is a new and added depth to the Dream. Millennials have been accused of many things, killing the diamond industry, killing the department store industry, and for being unwilling to enter the housing market. While the dream of owning a home is indeed alive and well among millennials, it is something that feels far beyond reach for the majority of us.

What once was a small box of white crayons is now an olympic-sized swimming pool full of every color and shade imaginable. The United States of America houses almost every ethnic group on earth, and it is more diverse than it has ever been. The funny thing is, the American Dream has not changed since it was first coined in 1931 by writer James Truslow Adams. He brilliantly describes it as “a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position"(Columbia University). It is this dream itself that attracts and lures people from every corner. The American people do not change this dream, but the dream draws close the people that wish to attain it. Adams specifies that the dream is not achieving the height of fame or wealth, but rather that each person arrives at the destination they always hoped to arrive. The Millennial generation is neither abandoning Adam’s American dream nor changing it- they are bringing it back to it’s original meaning. Millennials are buying homes less than previous generations because they have seen the devastating effects of marital hardship, not the Great Recession.

The American dream hasn’t died and it’s still alive today with the young Americans generation know as “Millennials.” The traditional pathway in reaching the dream has been altered to include bigger and better expectations. Young Americans want to have ownership without the help of their parents, but there’s certain things that come in between. Back in the days it was fairly easy for the Baby Boomers and Gen-X while attending school. Typically, not all Millennials attend college therefore the majority of them have other envisions. Millennials don’t have the same ideas as back then they want to travel and explore before settling down, owning a house and be sure to have flexibility.

The great Australian dream of owning your own house could become farfetched, as prices continue to soar in the market. Some families opt to purchase a home outside the city. While prices are cheaper, the proximity and the convenience to most of life’s necessities are barely adequate. In addition, purchasing houses far from the city puts the family in isolation and away from friends and possible business connections. If you’re just starting to build your own career, this might not be a good move.

The definition of the “American Dream” is vastly different among age groups. In the past the “American Dream” was the dream to own a home, have a happy family, and live out your lives in content. For some it was the opportunity to move to a new country, have a stable job, and have the ability to provide for your family. As a millennial I have seasoned the “Great Recession”, inflation of the costs of living, and the social stigmas placed everyday against those my age. Those contributing factors lead me to believe that my generations definition of the “American Dream” is quite the opposite of the elder generations.

Millennials, people born between 1981 to 1997, have been slow to adopt homeownership, the traditional definition of the “American Dream”. Does this mean that the Millennial generation is re-defining the idea of the “American Dream”? This essay will present some pros and cons of homeownership, and discuss factors and traits of millennials which may increase or decrease homeownership among the generation.

As unfortunate as it sounds, it is common that a generation will have to face a collective trauma, be it wars, an economic crisis, or political shifts that completely change the entire country. Millennials are currently facing the aftermath of the generation before them, as well as struggling to stay afloat with modern-day crises. To understand why Millennials are straying away from home ownership, one must look at all the events that shaped the Millennial generation.

Self-doubt is the downfall of many nations and being uneducated will continue to keep it down. The American dream has always been to get married, own a home, and start a family. To the non-traditional millennials, the desire to own a home has been placed on the back burner to focus on careers. Is it doubt of being able to handle the responsibilities? Is income growth in the future? They think is my credit score and savings where they need to be? In the following essay I will discuss: the advantages and disadvantages of owning a home compared to renting property, factors that increase or decrease homeownership in millennials, and a 1950s American dream comparison to today’s millennials new American dream.