Many years ago, the term "American Dream" can be defined as the hope that anyone no matter their religion, race, ethnicity can be successful, as long as there is hard work and dedication. Many people across the United States think that if they're rich than they're already successful in life even if they haven't worked a day in their lives. Does the American Dream still exist? Yes, the American Dream still exist, because everyone has an equal amount of opportunity and has an equal amount hard work to achieve it.
The American Dream from the past years isn’t the same but it still exists. For example, we the people of the United States is protected by the declaration of Independence; this document was created over 200 years ago. The document states “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,—That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their Safety and Happiness” (Jefferson, Paragraph 2). Meaning that everyone has the right to be happy and do what they
Everybody has a different perspective on what the American dream is. From my view, the American dream is the opportunity for anyone to accomplish their goals and obtain prosperity by working hard. I believe to some degree the American dream is still alive but it isn’t as uncomplicated as before. In Paul Krugman’s “Confronting Inequality”, it’s obvious that he believes the American dream is dead because of the ongoing inequality in society (pages 561-562). While in Brandon King’s “The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold”, considers the American dream to be very much alive (page 610). King believes most people do not strive for a rags-to-riches transition instead they prefer a healthy middle class positon.
People have always asked what really is the American Dream, and there is no right answer. The Dream changes along with our society and economy. The older version of the Dream varies greatly from that of now. It is no longer about maleristic things and trying to one up your neighbor. Many today see the Dream as a much simpler task than they used to. No longer must one sweat and break their back climbing up the ladder of success. The Dream is much easier to achieve and keep a hold of. Today, a simple middle class family is what is considered as the American Dream. After the Great Recession, which had a large impact on the American Dream, families started to save back all of their money instead of wasting it
“However you want to define the American dream, there is not much of it that’s left anymore”-Bob Herbert. The American Dream has existed for centuries; however, for some Americans, the dream is already dead. People hope for a better future, but it is difficult when they aren’t given a chance to strive. I believe the American Dream is not achievable to everyone and is slowly drifting away.
The American Dream started as a belief that anyone could come to the U.S. from any background, any economic profile, and find work. They could work hard, earn a living, and achieve happiness and financial security. In The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold by Brandon King, the author quotes a line from a New York Times survey that states “… Americans still believe that it is possible to start poor, work hard, and become rich in America” (Seelye, 2009). This quote perfectly embodies what the American Dream used to mean to people. The quote is from 2009 as well, so even seven years ago people had this opinion. It also states that when American’s were asked what the American Dream refers to, most of them said something like “financial security” or “being able to retire without struggling”. It
"I think the American Dream says that anything can happen if you work hard enough at it and are persistent, and have some ability. The sky is the limit to what you can build, and what can happen to you and your family" expressed Sanford I. Weill. The American Dream is still alive and obtainable. Many people have a definition of what the American Dream that is obtainable in their minds. People all have unique individual lives.
The American Dream is still very true. That's only if this country can make it happen. Our country needs be to all about motivation, and completing your job, and doing what you are supposed to do. You don't really need anything like money to have an American Dream. Just doing what you believe in can make your American Dream. The American Dream is about freedom, hard working, money. You have to work for your American Dream. In the document “The Declaration of Independance” , and the article “The Right to Fail” , and the poem “Who Burns for the Perfection of Paper”. I'm using these stories to back my argument.
American Dream Is the “American Dream” Dead, Alive or on Hold? In this article by Brandon King he talked about how people classify they’re American Dream and how to achieve that goal. The theory of the American Dream came from back in day during the Great Depression that came about from “James Truslow” and he wrote that the American Dream “is the dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability”. Brandon King always enjoyed writing and speaking on topics of economic inequality and political structures, and wrote this essay in 2011. “I would redefine the American Dream today as the potential to work for an honest, secure way of life and save for the future”.
To me the American Dream is something in the past, and it no longer applies to the present American society. The American Dream fueled our nation from the beginning. The American dream was in the mind of immigrants coming to America in search of a new and better life, a new beginning where you can start fresh and reinvent yourself and become successful. But now the Dream no longer exist in our nation, but it still exists in the mind of immigrants. America was a place where immigrants came to seek a brighter future not only for themselves but also for their children. The dream is still believed to exist by immigrants but their expectations are not met once they arrive here in the United States. The land of opportunity for everyone is now the land with opportunity for the few. So I personally do not believe that the “American Dream” still exists in this country, it is just a memory now.
I believe that the millennial America dream is drastically different than many other generations. While previous generations believed that they must own a home in order to achieve the American dream, this dream has drastically changed in recent centuries. I believe this is partially due to how attitudes millennial hold have changed within recent years. I believe that previous generations still withheld the mindset that a marriage and family was the ideal image of the American dream. I believe that previous generations held the mindset that achieving the American dream was simply to be like every other average American family. While I know many American families who live in the same areas and work the same jobs do still indeed have a lot in common and can be identified as all achieving the same American dream; many millennials are choosing different occupations and individuality in their careers. I believe that the millennial age of Americas are very independent and head strong. Being considered almost a millennial myself I see these traits within myself and my peers. I hope to be an independent women and to be able to provide for myself and my family. Through a job in a higher paying career such as nursing I hope I am able to be a sole provider for my household if it is needed. While the help of a husband would be nice I do not want to ever be in the situation of needing a husband to be considered finical stable. I also find this headstrong attitude within millennial when
The American Dream is something I believe is still very much alive in the heart of millennials. The American Dream gives hope to individuals that come from all levels of society. It is the dream of striving for success no matter your color, background, or up-bringing, and knowing in your heart that anything is possible.
James Truslow Adams, the man who gave birth to the idea of The American Dream, states 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 social class or circumstances of birth” (King 610). Some people argue that The American Dream died as an effect of the Great Recession, and some believe that it is very much alive. In my opinion, The American Dream still exists, but has not been relevant in the past years. The American Dream can be brought back to its former glory with the right actions.
The "American Dream" is an idea that has always been different throughouttime. It changes in diverse forms and in the end involves success. The "American Dream" was a phrase used by the American people and peoplewanting to become American. It was always the idea that you can become a success. This is true in a partial way, but the true "American Dream" is that with somework and determination anyone can build themselves up in the economic classsystem.
Today, the status of the American Dream is mostly beneficial for citizens in the country that have certain connections and higher education. Overall, the American Dream is dying and it is much harder for a person now to achieve it if he or she does not have any direct connections or a higher education and a more well-off economic standpoint. The standards in the society has made is much more difficult for minorities to face their obstacles to pursue their dreams. Over 44% of the American population today are minorities because of the influx of immigrants and refugees coming into the States simply looking for a better life than what they have had before and to provide the best for their family. This dream is very much alive and true to
The idea that the American dream still exists is true. Now we see more immigrants coming to America more than ever. In today’s society one can see the growth of population in America. The past is just repeating itself because, all Americans are Immigrants. Today’s Americans have certainly followed their dreams. Today’s immigrants are working harder than ever before to leave their homeland due to hostile situations. People are using, all means necessary to get here human smugglers, homemade tunnels , and whatever they can think of to get here without getting caught. People risks their lives and lose them trying to pursue the American Dream. This should show
The American Dream can be defined as achieving the highest level of economic success for an individual and their family. Americans are brought up in a culture where they are told that if they start from the bottom and put in the maximum amount of hard work they too will achieve The American Dream. The dream itself is subjective to an individual's needs but most often includes homeownership, financial stability, job stability, and a better future for the next generation. The Washington Post article by Robert J. Samuelson discussed how the death rates of non Hispanic middle aged whites has gotten significantly worse throughout the years, and as a result men were dying even younger. The causes of death are most often suicide, overdose, or alcohol related. Researchers have attributed these deaths to be a direct result of income inequality and the social crisis. Therefore, I believe the American Dream is killing us. The American Dream is killing those who do not know how to appropriately seek help when faced with unemployment and mental health concerns. The American Dream is responsible for the death of the middle class, the social crisis, and the internal upset when the dream is not achieved.