American Dream Research Papers

The American Dream doesn’t run on magic and fairy dust, it is fueled by hard-earned American dollars, persistence, and hope. Most modern, working class families can’t expect to receive a reasonable income to cover things such as medical expenses and emergencies. With that said, the stay-at-home parent trying to reach the goal of a perfect oasis is even more taboo. It’s hard to achieve this “dream”, when you’re the only breadwinner in your household. Parents can no longer live comfortably, and in some cases even survive, on one person’s income. The costs of homes, transportation, and education combined with incredibly low wages often leaves families in a crippling financial situation, making it virtually impossible to, “keep up with the Jones’s.”

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 perspective of the person being asked makes all the difference because the american dream isn’t always the same for every person. A study showed that 62% believed their parents achieved the american dream while 57% of parents believe they achieved it. This all depends on the perspective of the person asked. If you ask a minimum wage worker at mcdonalds they may have a different input on what the American dream is compared to a big city businessman. I believe the divide in the different thoughts of what the American dream is makes it a false hope. The belief that anyone can succeed makes the idea to far fetched to be realistic. I believe the American dream is a false hope due to the lack of drive and financial ability of the average american.

Anyone coming or currently living in the United States has a dream, or better yet known as the American Dream. What is the American Dream? Well, Brandon King, author of “The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?” quoted James Truslow Adams, who wrote that the American Dream “is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability and achievement, regardless of coral class or circumstances of birth”(610). Everyone’s American Dreams are all different, but a majority of them all have a few things in common, that is becoming financially fit, acquiring a good education, and pursuing the opportunities that were not available. Brandon King expresses that the ideals and values of the American Dream are very much alive. However, Paul Krugman author of “Confronting Inequalities” bring up several excellent points as well, regarding that not all Americans can pursue the American Dream because of all the inequalities Americans currently possesses. Achieving the American Dream is not impossible, but it is harder to attain now than how it used to be with social, income, and racial inequalities being the primary cause. As of now individuals has to overcome many of bias barriers to reach the American Dream which used to be a lot easier to gain back in the 1940s-50s.

Every person is entitled to their own opinions. Some people say they are happy and living the American Dream and others say the complete opposite. According to Everett Rosenfeld, “The poll conducted by DDB as part of its 2014 Life Style Study, found that only 40% of American adults over the age of eighteen believed they were living the American Dream” (The American Dream is Alive but Unrecognized). 129,240,000 people consider themselves living the American Dream. As long as one person says they are living the American Dream, it is still alive. Yet, with all those statistics one must ask themselves what does it mean to be living the American Dream? To determine if a person is living the American Dream, they must come up with their own definition. The Center for a New American Dream conducted a poll to establish what American’s consider a significant factor of the American Dream. In the poll, it was determined that 78% feel freedom is a crucial factor. 75% say basic needs are a major key. 71% say achieving one’s potential. 67% says it depends on how much free time a person has. 54% say harmony within nature. 23% say achieving affluence. (The American Dream is Alive and Well). Those listed are just some important factors, but anything that a person considers significant can define the definition. A person will never be able to accomplish the American Dream unless they get their priorities straight and determine what the American Dream means to them. After doing all that, a person will go through ups and downs, but a person must not quit.

The “American Dream” is a complicated topic to discuss. It has many different meanings depending on who you’re talking to. To me it means to have a healthy and happy family with a nice house and to do what I love to do. For many people their dream or even my dream is not attainable. I do not think that the “American Dream” is attainable for everyone. Some people do not have the perseverance or are not born into a situation where they can get an education. Some people may have that drive or the education or talent needed to accomplish what they want.

The American Dream is one of those terms that people refer to when talking about immigration, financial status, and so much more. But what does the term really refer to? People used to think of the American Dream as financial prosperity, religious and financial freedom, and all around success. Now, the term may mean something similar, but people are much less focused on it. If anything, the American Dream today is focused on gaining material goods and proving your bank account is larger than your neighbors. With today’s economy, laws and regulations, immigration customs, and overall attitude towards work, people are seldom focused on achieving the American Dream.

The American dream, for most people, is exactly that – A dream. It’s make believe, fiction. It’s what we think American should be like, not what it actually is. The American dream will always be out of reach for common people. The majority of people I interviewed said something along the lines of, “the American dream is to be given a chance to do something or be something you want to be.” This opinion seems to be too optimistic. Everyone wants more than what they have. It’s not enough to be given the chance, you have to succeed. What it takes to succeed is an entirely different aspect of the American dream.

Even though the financial crisis had a crucial impact on our economy, more people were answering positively on a question “Have you already reached ‘The American Dream’?” About 44% of people answered yes in 2009 in compare with 32% in 2005 (TheNewYorkTimes). In difficult financial times, people started to appreciate what

Why people are not achieving the american dream is because.America thinks that we are amazing people at what we do we think we are “natural born mechanics and know enough about a car and how to work on a car.Americans think that they are to good to have jobs because we think we are the smartest people in the world and we are not the smartest people in the world.Some americans are smart and others don't have a clue about anything.”We believe implicitly that we are the heirs of the pioneers:that we have inherited self-sufficiency and the ability to take care of ourselves,particularly in a relation to nature’’.

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Nowadays, a large number of people migrate to the United States to work and achieve the American Dream. According to the Article “What is the American Dream?” by Kimberly Amadeo, “The American Dream was first publicly defined in 1931 by James Truslow Adams in Epic of America. Adam’s often-repeated quote is, ‘The American Dream is that dream of land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.’” There are many people that can have different perspectives when it comes to the topic of the American dream. Even though many people assume the American Dream is dead, it is a very controversial topic. The American Dream may have many different points of views, but it really does exist, after all, it takes an ambitious person to strive for success through hard work, dedication and determination.

The reality of the American Dream is that people are capable of succeeding. Success, though, requires one to work hard and be dedicated to

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