My American Dream

There is an ancient African adage that states “If you wish to move mountains tomorrow, you must start by lifting stones today”. As a first generation immigrant to the United States and reminiscent of countless other immigrants who have come before me, moving to a new country literally means starting your life all over again from scratch, but symbolically it signifies a rebirth of oneself and a chance to metamorphose into whatever new creature you aspire to be. Some of the challenges I faced included culture shock, language barriers, financial barriers, but the utmost significant one was the education barrier. I quickly realized that if I could bridge the education gap I would be able to overcome all the other barriers. For myself, having an education epitomized my assimilation into my new life by enabling me to chase my dreams and realize my unique 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 was discussed in 1975 in a poem named “Ellis Island”. It talks about the dreams of most people expect, but in the end it results with many disappointments. For example, in the poem, it claims, “Waited the long days of quarantine, a Circle Line ship slips easily on its way to the island.” It represents to reality by giving the dreams of many Americans and immigrants were given and expected to have when they arrive in America. It also claims “Lands invaded when the earth became owned. Lands of those who followed the changing Moon, knowledge of the seasons in their veins.” This points out the disappointments in the American Dream because of how it changed the expectations that everyone is hoping for. So in my opinion, the American Dream is to become one whole justified country that shows defending, qualification and challenging our fellow American citizens for the liberty of all people to find pursuit of happiness.

Personally, the American Dream to me is about freedom. Freedom to grow, freedom to express opinions, and freedom to live as one pleases. To achieve this, those of us who reside in the United States have to fight for our rights, such as generations before us have had to. To continue to live without fear of prejudice, to form a pathway for generations to come, so that they too can have the privilege of living and speaking freely. We have been blessed with the opportunity to take part of any religion we please, to not be prosecuted for speaking

There is an old African adage that states “If you wish to move mountains tomorrow, you must start by lifting stones today”. I am a first generation immigrant to the United States and like many other immigrants who have come before me, moving to a new country literally means starting your life all over again from scratch but symbolically it signifies a rebirth of oneself and a chance to metamorphose into whatever new creature you aspire to be. Some of the challenges I faced included culture shock, language barriers, financial barriers but the most significant one was the education barrier. I quickly realized that if I could bridge the education gap I would be able to overcome all the other barriers. For me having an education epitomized my assimilation into my new life by enabling me to chase my dreams and realize my unique American dream.

The term “American Dream” is defined as an idea which believes that all people have the possibility of prosperity and success. The idea first came from James Adams, a noted American writer and historian. He claimed, “Life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability and achievement.” Therefore, the core concepts of the American Dream were closely linked to hard work and opportunity.

Even since the first thirteen colonies seceded from Great Britain in 1776, this land has been a beacon of light and hope for those looking for a fresh start. It did not matter whether they were trying to escape their homeland due to war or if they were just looking to start over, America was their chance to for the freedom to do what they wanted. This is where the “American Dream” arose from. According to Dictionary.com, the American Dream is defined as “The ideal that every U.S. citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.” While this definition may be true, I believe that there is much more to it. I believe that the American dream is different for each and every person. Literature is a great medium to see this idea in. The Luck of Roaring Camp by Bret Harte, Chicago by Carl Sandburg, and I Have a Rendezvous with Death by Alan Seeger are all example in literature of how the American dream can vary from person to person and does not have just one rigid definition.

If we ask most Americans what is American Dream? the common answers are to become successful, rich, owning house, cars and etc. In other countries, many people see America as a land of opportunities for a better life and that is the reason why they come here. Every individual who comes to America has their goals or dreams that they want to fulfill in life that they could not fulfill in their own country. In another word, their American dream is to have a better life for themselves and their children, better education, more rights, and freedoms. For instance, my parents came to America so we could have a better life and better education that we could not have in our country. That was their definition of American Dream, to have a better life for their children. Like most Americans and my parents' definition of the American dream, my meaning of American dream is to have a better education, having rights and freedoms as American citizens, and to become successful.

The American Dream is the idea that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity. It is attainable by all people to achieve their goals.The American Dream is accessible to American citizens because through open opportunities, hard work, and a high levels of education all dreams are able to come true.

The American Dream is one of equal opportunities and freedom to all in America. It is for even the poorest of people to have a chance to strike it rich and become prosperous. In his book James Truslow Adams states the American dream is “a dream of a 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,

The American Dream expresses the following ideas: self-invention, possibilities, freedom, opportunities to be a self-made person, and value of hard work. All people are equal and that is what holds the diverse population together. People must all have equal rights or everything would fall apart. To achieve The American Dream you must work hard in the society and try to achieve success and richness. The Declaration of Independence is what The American Dream rooted from, which proclaims that “all men are created equal” with the right to "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States, a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility for the family and children, achieved through hard work in a society with few obstructions. This dream is based on foundational ideas that there is social equality within the American society, while all people are afforded the same unalienable rights and freedoms. According to Isenberg (2017):

"All Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among there are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness". It is in this sentence from the Declaration of Independence, that the idea of the American dream has its roots. The phrase, “the American dream” can mean many different things, but among the most basic interpretation is that America is a land of opportunity and freedom for all who come to it. The idea of the American dream has influenced people to come to America in search of economic opportunities, political choice, and religious freedom.

Since I was a little girl in the Dominican Republic, my parents have taught me that “education is the most important thing and the only thing that I should have on my mind”. By the age of 10, I was in a private program that selected about 50-75 students in the country to give them an education and bring them to the United States to study a career. The school hours were from 8 AM to 2 PM and I would get home, eat and change into the other school uniform so that I could arrive at the US program by 3:30 PM. I had to walk about a mile and a half, “back and forth” every day, with my siblings depending on me to take care of them and bring them home safely. When I finally got home for the day, I would take a shower and do all of my homework from both schools, and the next day repeat the same routine over and over again.

We all want the best for our families, although getting it isn’t easy for everyone. Through facing hardships and sacrifice, the process is worth it in the end. The “American Dream” is the desired lifestyle of equal work and equal opportunity. My Dad is an immigrant, he was born in Jalisco, Mexico and lived there till the age of 6. Hearing him talk about how it has changed his life left a forevermore impact on my life. His story will be something I will share with my children in the future.