Persuasive Essay On The American Dream

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.

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.

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.

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.

Through everybody’s eyes is their own version of the American Dream. Whether it’s the stereotypical dream with a good job, a family, and a house with a white picket fence, or it could be just getting by at the end of the month financially. The American Dream doesn’t have a specific image but rather a particular mindset. Lots of people have a goal in their life that they have to work hard to be successful towards that goal, but in most cases that goal may be unrealistic.

All around the world the United States of America is viewed as a place of freedom and equal opportunity for all people who settle in the country. Immigrants, especially from second or third world countries, view America as a chance for them to start over and a live the lavish lifestyles they are accustomed to hearing. However, this belief that everyone in the United States lives how they want to and has equal opportunity is false. Immigrants from countries all over the world face many different issues as they settle in the United States. Although these problems may vary, the message is the same; the American dream is a lot more difficult to achieve than previously thought. Although every immigrant is different in the problems

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 has many meanings but only one that matters, which is having a job that you enjoy and appreciate and for your freedom to be known. The Public Broadcast Service published videos that explored the daily realities of the New York working class. One video followed the experiences of Walid Abdelwahab. He is a well known cart vendor working on the streets of New York city he traveled all the way from Egypt to succeed and have a better lifestyle. Walid has been vending all of his life to help support his family; however, he has faced many rigor moments but he still continues to work with a smile on his face, no matter what happens. This supports the existence of the American dream because he moved from a different country leaving everything behind so that him and his family can live a happy life.

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.

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

Our country has gone through a lot in the past couple months, hasn’t it? There’s been riots, shootings, peaceful rallies, and a presidential election. It all appears to be questioning the idea of what America really is. Is there ACTUALLY an American dream? Is it dead? Is it still alive? Or was there ever once a set in stone ideal lifestyle of the everyday American? So many questions, so many perspectives. It can be inferred from watching a news channel on tv, that our nation is the most dived it has been in a VERY long time and it is quite concerning. Something makes me believe that we can grasp the idea of the American dream, and work our way slowly back to where society used to be. Using teamwork. Knowledge, and perseverance, society can

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.

The phrase “The American Dream” is relatively old and has a long history, and although its ideas has changed tremendously throughout the centuries, it still holds great meaning behind it. It not only symbolizes financial success, but having the freedom to live independently. For some, living the American Dream means having justice, material possession, or just pursuing everlasting happiness. The new American Dream requires you to earn opportunity, and is has been more difficult for others based on their social standing, ethnicity, and race to obtain; as opposed to the past American Dream which involved optimism and hope for a better life. Each source clearly demonstrates the need for determination and willpower to overcome barriers and obstacles of life.

What is the American Dream? And can we all really obtain it? The american dream is what each of the three passages above are trying to show in one way or another. The artist, speaker or singer in each of these pieces have created works of art that expresses the idea of the american dream in their work. This dream however is not shown as something that all can obtain easily. These particular works are all a way to show us that we still have a long ways to go. The american dream should be equally offered to all citizens of this nation. We sometimes forget that not everyone feels like they get a fair share of opportunities here.