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.
The American Dream is not accessible to all because not every free, American citizen is able to attain the same equal opportunities, and while our rhetoric tells of a nation with no racial or other social boundaries, our history and our actions show a different America. The Declaration of Independence states that "all men are created equal" and that they are deserving of, "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," but even the nation's founding fathers, such as George Washington, owned more than ten slaves - slaves being men that were denied their "unalienable" rights for another hundred years, and hundreds beforehand (Jefferson 69). The Bureau of Prisons tells of the struggles of blacks, even in more recent times, how they account for "37.9 percent" of the total inmate population while only consisting of "13 percent of the general population," according to an article by PolitiFact in early 2016 ("Blacks More Likely"): an insane set of statistics. Furthering the distance between equal treatment, NAACP.org tells how both blacks and whites use drugs "at similar rates" but African Americans are arrested for the same charges at nearly "6 times" the rate of whites. In, at the very least, the case of African Americans, it is obvious they are mistreated by the Judicial System, even after generations of prior abuse.
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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.
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 home of the brave and land of the free was the perfect sounding place to many immigrants from different places. They came to America because they wanted to escape their poverty, government, war or previous life to achieve the american dream they hear about. The American Dream has changed the last few decades whether it was for good or for worse. Alex Tizon, Gary Soto and Sherman Alexie tells us about the dream that everyone used to seek out but will also tell show how much has changed from the past to the present.
It seems that over the decades, the “American Dream” has changed along with the generations who follow it. After the “Great Recession”, the housing crisis which triggered a financial crisis, and millennials have changed their point of view about homeownership. This change created another definition for the “American Dream”, because more opt out to rent versus buy, and some don’t bother with houses at all and prefer to live in apartments. This is all due to rising student debt, risks associated with owning a home, and the fact that homes are often suited for families and it’s been proven that millennials are pushing back the age for conceiving children.
The American Dream is usually known as having faith that citizens can achieve success by working hard. How is this possible if the cost of living standards continuously raise, but the economies payroll remains the same. It is impossible to believe in the American Dream when being in the working class because it doesn’t give you the same opportunity as other classes. In order to to bring society back to believing in the American Dream, there must be a change in the way we invest in the education systems and gain equality for everyone.
The American Dream has long been considered the ideal that represents everything the United States stands for: hard work, determination, and reward. However, it can mean many different things to many different people. It is simultaneously the beacon that lures immigrants to this country and a forgotten myth to some native-born citizens (many who take it for granted each and every day). The story of Barack Obama’s family represents one of the most archetypical scenarios of the American Dream. His father moved to the United States in hope of a better life for himself and his children, a goal which he undoubtedly achieved (his son would go on to be the first United States president with African heritage) (Obama). This serves as evidence that the American Dream was attainable through hard work and resilience in the past. However, could Barack Obama Sr.’s inspiring story be a possibility in the modern world? Although it is true that the American Dream is significantly harder for many to accomplish due to rising competition in our modern society, its core philosophy is still very much in existence.
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.
The American Dream is a concept of living that has been based in America. This concept explains how everyone who lives in America strives to have enough money to have a very comfortable life. they get there with a mid-high income, living comfortably and have a loving family. What you are really doing is living the life you want and the life you are comfortable with a place that you know will protect you. Now in this environment that seems near nonexistent to most people in America. The reason for that is because of a lack of education, abuse in drugs, violence in impoverished neighborhoods, and more causes for how the poor are not able to reach the high life none the less the middle. There also seems to be a connection to tobacco companies in the more ghetto and impoverished communities the reason for that being is because it's an easier place to target and the people who live there will have a harder time kicking the drug habit and most likely never kick the habit. So that means an unhealthy lifestyle will get the companies that support it will gain more cash in their pockets. And with that, the people won't ever get out of the pit of poverty. But even though with the negativities many people have and nothing had to stop them from even trying and succeeding in their goal of escaping poverty and reaching for the American dream.
America; the land of the free and the home of the brave. A liberal place that invites all to partake in the prosperous fruits of freedom and equality. One controversial amenity that America is known for is the American Dream. With the tools America provides its citizens, any of us can achieve the American Dream, and as long as 1 person is still able to achieve that dream, it will live on.
What is the American Dream? For most, it can be summed up in three words: comfort, happiness, and future. It is the term used to describe the 'perfect' lifestyle that most American citizens and immigrants wish to achieve: a loving family, stable financial status, and the opportunity to save for their family's future. It is described as "the belief that hardworking Americans" can live comfortable lives and provide for their children's future "and still save enough to live comfortably after they retire" (Wallechinsky 64). Rising costs of living (including healthcare and insurance costs), an unstable job market, and skyrocketing prices of higher education are making the ideal lifestyle look a lot less achievable. The ideal American life is not still accessible because those who come from a privileged life or are able to get a high-wage job can achieve it, but because of the change in the economy and job market, it may not be accessible to all.
The American Dream is successful; however, this “dream” only applies to a select few. To be included in this dream is really challenging. In short, being colored is one disadvantage you can encounter. Also, being a minority does not help the situation. In most cases even being a woman has its problems. This includes white woman too. Being poor is also a huge problem. This condition alone excludes most of the population. The American Dream goes to those who are privileged . When a common pet is given a home and food it is basically guaranteed a good life. Success is promised; even though it 's a pet and can only attain a certain amount of success. It
Immigration in the United States has been going on ever since the New World was founded and colonies began to settle as early as the 1600’s. Immigrants that came to the new world, some came for a new life and to practice the religion they desire because they were unable to practice that religion in many countries across Europe. Others were brought by force, thousands of African Americans were brought to America for the pure fact of Slavery. America is a true nation of Immigration.
The forefathers of our great nation established America with the idea that its citizens would be guaranteed life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. What is it to makes oneself happy? The American Dream is represented in many ways and every person lives and chases a different version of the American Dream. In these three stories we will identify with the characters as well as the authors to visualize what the American Dream is to them and if it is bigger than ourselves. “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston, “Winter Dreams” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and “Babylon Revisited” also by F. Scott Fitzgerald will go in depth so that we can truly understand the purpose.
This essay is like cancer. You hate it, but you have to do something or else it’s going to ruin your whole life. In this essay i'm going to be as blunt as possible because I have given up on it. Question one says; what is an American? To me an American is someone who was born in America or lived in America for most of their life. Therefore I believe their identity is built on having freedom and that they are superior than other countries. Question two says; what is the American dream? The definition online for “american dream” is the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American. Meanwhile I believe that the “american dream” is dead because people now realize how unrealistic the idea is.
To some people, the American Dream is still provided by America, but to others the American Dream isn’t an opportunity given by America, so what’s the true answer? To start off, what is the American Dream? The American Dream is the accomplishment of getting a high education, stable well paying job, so that sooner or later you can be able to provide for yourself and children, without a problem, and provide for yourself after retirement. There are a lot of factors that go into what the American Dream is, but the main concern is if it is still provided by America. Although there are many other factors that can keep you away from achieving the American Dream, this opportunity is still given to those in America. There is so much commitment and dedication that goes into accomplishing this goal.