Contemporary Fun Report of the Contemporary Unit

When World War I ended on November 11, 1918, President Warren G. Harding proposed “a return to normalcy”. This promised a return of the United States prewar mentality, without the thought of war contaminating the minds of the American people. With this in mind, the 1920s began- but Americans in the 1930s witnessed dramatic changes in their lives from the 1920s. The 1920s was a period of prosperity and economic success, while the 1930s was a time of economic downfall. The economy fluctuated between times of great prosperity and times of undoubtable depression. Following these economic downturns was a period of rigorous attempts to recover from severe economic loss. It did not take long for this economic hardship to lead to some more

America still to this day holds on to the idea of the “American Dream”. This is rather surprising in today’s society and the ups and downs that the nation is facing. The dream in the past was more about freedom and equality. Moving through the decades, this dream has morphed into something quite different. Instead of what America means for all of its inhabitants, the nation has become more individualized. Society has moved to interpret the dream of what America can do for the one. Instead of the unified nation, America has been known for in the past, a shift has started creating an inconsistency in who can realize the dream. The myth of the “American Dream” has been hugely affected by increased materialism, the gap in economic status, and the fantasy of “rags to riches” idea.

After World War II, America had to take a step back and take a look at their country. The American Dream had been restored upon the atrocities of the war. In the 1930’s the American Dream was primarily focused on working hard, men providing for their families, and trying to rise from the depression. In the 1940’s, post World War II things changed and consumerism and feminism began to play a key role along with many other factors. There are many ways to describe the American dream and what aspects were influential to it, such as World War II, modernism, new technology and entertainment.

During the 1920’s, America was a prosperous nation going through the “Big Boom” and loving every second of it. However, this fortune didn’t last long, because with the 1930’s came a period of serious economic recession, a period called the Great Depression. By 1933, a quarter of the nation’s workers (about 40 million) were without jobs. The weekly income rate dropped from $24.76 per week in 1929 to $16.65 per week in 1933 (McElvaine, 8). After President Hoover failed to rectify the recession situation, Franklin D. Roosevelt began his term with the hopeful New Deal. In two installments, Roosevelt hoped to relieve short term suffering with the first, and redistribution of money amongst the poor with the second. Throughout these years of the

Over time, The American Dream has changed in an innumerable amount of ways. Past civilizations have laid the foundation for what we view it to be today. In the 1970s, people looked at a variety of aspects such as culture, political affairs (government), one’s appearance, and entertainment to fit their definition of “The American Dream”. The 1970’s helped shape and influence what people regard as the current American Dream.

During the 1920’s, America was a prosperous nation going through the “Big Boom” and loving every second of it. However, this fortune didn’t last long, because with the 1930’s came a period of serious economic recession, a period called the Great Depression. By 1933, a quarter of the nation’s workers (about 40 million) were without jobs. The weekly income rate dropped from $24.76 per week in 1929 to $16.65 per week in 1933 (McElvaine, 8). After President Hoover failed to rectify the recession situation, Franklin D. Roosevelt began his term with the hopeful New Deal. In two installments, Roosevelt hoped to relieve short term suffering with the first, and redistribution of money amongst the poor with the second. Throughout these years of the

By definition, the American Dream is “the traditional social ideals of the US, such as equality, democracy, and material prosperity.” Many events from past decades, surrounding the idea of Civil Rights, have changed America’s idea of the definition of the American Dream. Out of many time period, I am going to compare the American Revolutionary War, the Reconstruction Era, and the Progressive Era on how each period affected the change of the idea of Civil Rights in the American Dream.

America during the 1920’s is often described as a time of prosperity and change that allowed the United States to peak. However, what is commonly overlooked is that this era was conflict filled in which society was blinded by luxurious lifestyles and the entertainment industry; preventing any solutions from being formed that could deal with the various issues. It was the people’s ignorance and the problem filled cities that slowly pushed America into the great depression within a decade. After World War I finally came to an end on June 28, 1999 through the Treaty of Versailles, the United States became the most powerful nation in the world since it was the least affected by the war compared to Europe. In fact, American industry and economy

After the wartime, the ‘American Dream’ had become a reality for most people due to a

The discovery of North America was the start of the American Dream. Citizens of England were fed up with King George III and how he ruled the country so they left to America where they could start a new life. This relates to the American Dream today when we see how people are leaving their home countries to come to America to make a new life for themselves that was not offered where they were. On August 18 of 1920, women got the right to vote in America. They were the 7th country in the world to allow this so the American Dream grew more to include this. In the 1950’s, America started to become more materialistic. “Car ownership, television ownership,...and the intent to send one’s kids to college,” This grew to most of the population in the 1970s having a credit card and . Overtime, the

Jobs were lost, prices were raised, and even after many government attempts, things were not getting better. However, during the war, jobs and wages increased to help wartime needs and the gap between the classes grew smaller. This brought the growth of a middle class. More and more Americans now “...were flush with funds for buying houses and otherwise establishing families” (Brands 69). Being able to buy homes, for many Americans, is a symbol for prosperity. During this time of economic stability for the majority middle class, families grew and these children, called Baby Boomers, grew up in this environment of hope. These children didn't have to face the hardship their parents did and were able to live better lives based on the current strength of the American economy. The rise in consumers meant the rise in demand, “Much of the economic activity revolved around the physical needs and wants of the Baby Boomers and their families” (Brands 71). With the hope of their parents and the will to strengthen the economy and social equality, this continued dream of success was carried on. The ideas of success greatly vary between the aforementioned modern take and the ideas of the

The American Dream has always been a driving force in the lives of Americans. It has become a foundation of ideals and hopes for any American or immigrant. Specifically, one of the ideals that always exist is the dream of America free of class distinction. Every American hopes for a society where every person has the opportunity to be whomever he or she desire. Another ideal in the American dream is the drive to improve the quality of life. As one’s idea of the American Dream gets closer and closer, often times political and social ideals of America cause their American Dream to take a turn for the worst.

The American Dream throughout Time Money, power, family, and luxury are what everyone is searching for in life one way or another, it is always consistent. Throughout different time periods and generations the American Dream has been altered and changed because of how the environment has changed around the people living in America. “Families are always rising and falling in America.” Nathaniel Hawthorne said this in his book the scarlet letter. Based on what families rise and fall this effects the American Dream because the people who have control and power in America are the rich families that rose.

In fact, the United States had enjoyed an extended period of economic expansion during the war, and following the war the U.S. economy continued with great strength for more than a decade. Life in America, consequently, was arguably better than it had ever been. The middle class had swelled, unemployment rates were some of the lowest in history, and the “American Dream” was for many families a reality.

Following the end of World War II, the American economy found its way out of depression. Wartime production aided the economy and spiked the country’s spending power. From the late 1940s, people have been accustomed to spending the money they have on everything they want and need. People then started to figure out and believe that this type of spending, consumerism, improved the economy. The items that were being bought were also different than they were before. “At war's end, the items people most desired included televisions, cars, washing machines, refrigerators, toasters, and vacuum cleaners: the machines that would help