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The American Dream

Decent Essays

Brie Alford HNRS 195H (01) Fall 2015 Short Essay #1 We, as humans, are meant for “something more than mere survival” (FDR Economic Bill of Rights). We are meant for complex ideas, groundbreaking inventions and technological advances, a sense of community, and a place where freedom and opportunity run rampant throughout the streets. We are meant for the American Dream. I fear, however, that as time has passed, America has lost sight of the true ideals entrenched in the idea of the American Dream. Americans seem to believe that because of their mere presence in America they should be clothed in the finest silk and own a house the size of Texas. We seem to believe that our freedom of speech inherently grants us the right to degrade others. We seem to believe that because we live in America, everything should be handed to us on a silver platter. We, as a nation, seem to have forgotten the men who “[pledged their] Lives, [their] Fortunes, and [their] Sacred Honor” in exchange for this dream, and the responsibility we have, as Americans, to respect and appreciate the opportunities that have been given to us; namely the right to freedom, opportunity, and the pursuit of happiness (Declaration of Independence). The American Dream grants the right to freedom. I perceive freedom as the right to be, act, and do as I please, so long as my actions do not infringe upon another’s rights. As Lyndon Johnson explained, The American Dream does not guarantee “the right to holler fire in a

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