The American Dream: Immigrants

The idea of the American dream revolves around attaining happiness, success and equality. For higher wealth classes obtaining these components aren't a concern; but for many, the American Dream has become a nightmare. For the poor being able to obtain simple necessities such as food, clothing and shelter is a daily struggle. The price of being poor is a lot costlier then those in the realm of the wealthy. Based on the current economic and social systems in America it does not provide everyone with a fair chance to achieve the “American Dream”. In todays society many Americans believe money is the only way to happiness. True or not true, money certainly isn't a hindrance to obtaining the necessary components for survival. But if the American Dream is no longer about happiness and freedom it becomes solely about wealth and possession. "Money cannot buy happiness." (Anonymous, Spring Board pg.81) represents the concept that money doesn't necessarily play apart in your emotional well-being. Today, materialism is more important than character. Money isn't everything; you don't need it to be happy and certainly not to achieve "The American Dream". In addition to that, although money can jump-start your future it can also drive you into the ground. Dana Gioia, the author of "Money", says "...Money holds heads above water..." Implying money plays a crucial part in keeping your dreams alive while America demands so much. Although finances are a building block to ones version of the

The United States of America is a country founded on the dreams of foreigners (pilgrims) and a symbol of freedom and a new life. According to the Department of Homeland Security, in 2012, there were 484,072 new, legal entries into the United States… (Batalova, Terrazas). The Times Tribune states, “There perhaps are no greater dreamers than immigrants, who often leave behind everything to build new lives in the United States” (Lockwood).

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” That statement holds strong for immigrants in America. Equal access to opportunities allows immigrants to achieve the American dream. Their success correlates with America’s success because of the contributions immigrants provide to America. Unfortunately, the current immigration policy in America denies many immigrants the American dream. It is crucial to understand the historical context of immigration in America. Initially, most immigrants were from Europe and were not restricted by any immigration laws. Now, most immigrants come from Latin America but are restricted to severe immigration laws. The Latino/a community is one of the most

“Women sewing NBA jerseys make 24 cents per garment – an item that will eventually sell for $140 or more”(Brandon Gaille). Our most popular American sports uniforms are mainly produced by Nike, who possess a market cap of $ 90 billion. The question, therefore, becomes, why do immigrant workers from developing countries migrate to the United States to work for brand-name companies, when they don’t receive equitable wages and perform in inhumane working conditions? In,”Who Makes the Clothes We Wear”, Jesse Jackson discusses these conditions and unjust treatment of immigrants. Jackson highlights the extreme manual labor hours, inequitable pay, and rash mistreatment of immigrant workers inside name brand sweatshops. He also provides nationwide examples of unjust labor environments in order to think about the disturbing ethics behind name brand clothing production. When examining why workers endure such horrific environments, it is clear that most originate from developing countries. Due to immigrants attempt to obtain a better quality of life, receive any type of wage that they can acquire in the United States, and their constant struggle with the language barrier which affects job opportunities and daily interactions; immigrant workers endure the mistreatment of name brand companies because they seek the American Dream.

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.

Allowing immigrants to enjoy the American Dream has been a controversial topic for quite some time. Many people argue that immigrants should not be able to enjoy the American Dream simply because they are not American. Others argue that anyone should be allowed to enjoy the American Dream because everyone deserves a chance at success. Immigrants should be allowed to enjoy the American Dream because American is a free country, immigrants can’t help what situation they were born into, and immigrants positively contribute to the American business community.

“Our workforce and our entire economy are strongest when we embrace diversity to its fullest, and that means opening doors of opportunity to everyone and recognizing that the American Dream excludes no one” (Perez 2). “Only in America can someone start with nothing and achieve the American Dream. That's the greatness of this country” (Cruz 3). In the United States, we as a society have the experience and understatement of freedom. We have freedom of rights, freedom of religion, and freedom to work and given to earn money in the United States. This is the kind American Dream in this society. There is another different kind of American Dream. Citizen who have been born and raised in the Untied States is given this dream and they have the opportunity

Immigrants into the the states were given the same promise of the American Dream as the citizens already there. This dream was meant to release them from a previous suppression and give them the opportunity to better their life. They had the right to work towards this better life with fairness and without discrimination. Once a group had taken full advantage of the dream and substantially improved their own quality of life, they were able to destroy this opportunity for others. The dream that was once “held to be available to every American” became difficult to achieve. The problem was that individuals were looking out for only themselves and forgetting to take into account the welfare of their nation and fellow citizens.

When most people think of the American Dream they often visualize the typical white fence, the two children, and an overall perfect family. When people think of the American Dream they think of the dream jobs which consist of being a doctor, lawyer, or a widely known talk show host. The people who have the voice determine what is ideal in society and what isn’t. They try to sell you this pitch that the American Dream is obtainable and what you put in to the system, you get out; This is also know as meritocracy. The thought of achieving the American Dream through success and social mobility is the misinformed interpretation what the upper middle class likes to say, however its easier to say that when climbing the class ladder is a lot more difficult when born into a low advantaged family. It is absolutely impossible to reach the American Dream unless you are among the wealthy. Circumstances that work against an individual only further hinders any opportunity that person may have to “obtain” the American Dream. Negative factors not working in your favor will most likely determine your undesirable future and having a role model, such as Oprah, who seemingly embodies the American Dream, will lead to the unrealistic dream that her status is actually attainable. Some of the key elements we consider essential to achieving success, are now impractical and misleading, proving the many flaws in our American Dream that make it impossible to obtain.

The American Dream, a dream that meanders through the minds of many immigrants upon arrival to the United States. My own family struggled to achieve this so called dream, I myself am a citizen of the U.S, but my father was not. Having a family member without any “papers” is difficult because no one really knows if that member of the family will come back home every night after work. Many consider having immigrants I the United States as a bad issue, but many don’t consider how these immigrants came to be. Many immigrants were brought to the U.S as minors when their parents first arrived in the country. The DREAM Act has helped many undocumented people get by in the U.S, but now it is in the process of getting abolished. If the Act that protects

For more than 200 years, people of Japanese Ancestry have made their home in America. They came to this country because of the poor political and economic conditions back home, as well as the possibility of finding employment as sugar planters in America. During the period of 1891 to 1900, approximately 26,000 Japanese immigrated to America (see Appendix I). During the period of 1901 to 1910, approximately 130,000 Japanese immigrated to America (see Appendix I). There was a fivefold increase in the number of Japanese immigrants in ten years. This proliferation of Japanese in America led to the birth of a movement known as the “Anti-Japanese Movement.” This movement was led by anti-Japanese organizations such as the Japanese Exclusion League, the Native Sons and Daughters of the Golden West, and the American Legion, as well as prominent political leaders. Influenced by these organizations, politicians passed a series of legislations limiting the rights of the Japanese and their possibility of immigration. In 1913, politicians passed the California’s Anti-Alien Land Act, which prevented Issei, first-generation Japanese Americans, from owning land. In 1907, the government passed the Gentlemen’s Agreement in which President Theodore Roosevelt severely restricted Japanese immigration to America. Immigration was cut off completely when Congress passed the National Origins Act of 1924, which prevented immigration by aliens who were deemed ineligible for citizenship. One Issei who wanted to become a U.S. citizen was Takao Ozawa. He arrived in the United States as a student in 1894, and attended schools in California, including the University of California, Berkeley. In 1914, he filed an application for U.S citizenship. His application for citizenship was denied because the court declared that Ozawa was “in every way eminently qualified under the

In these times of increasing tension and deliberate deception, this slogan has captured the imagination. It has also sparked racial backlash.

People from everywhere leave their country and families to immigrate to United States looking for the “America Dream.” The term America Dream has different interpretation for everyone. For some people America Dream means the pursuit of material prosperity, for others it means achieving their personal goals in life that they could not achieve in their homeland. Every citizen of the United State of America has the opportunity of achieving it, but it will depend on their perseverance and effort of them. If everyone has the same opportunities in America why do some people's dreams get realize, and others don not?

The topic of my essays is “American Dream and Immigrant”. It is an interesting topic because American dream is a broad concept that includes the dream of the American nation having better, richer and peaceful life for all type of individuals in regard to their capacity and accomplishments. It is a dream that include the accomplishment of social stability and equality throughout the country in which all type of men and women are equal and shall be identified on what actually they are instead of their birth places. It is true fact that America is considered as land of dreams for whole world. People from all regions of the world came to America for attaining the peaceful and good life because America is the land where if people have perseverance, they can achieve what they want from their life. Open doors and presence of lots of opportunities, millions of immigrants came to America with a desire of freedom, free social life, better education and good jobs. Itching to live American Dream, the

In the painting “The Immigrant's dream: The American Response” the stifling American flag has an immigrant restrained to a chair, under a American flag, wrapped in barbed wire along with an “undocumented” tag attached, and ready to be shipped as there is a stamped “send” print in the corner of the painting. The Star-Spangled Banner anthem which represents the belief that America embodies the statement “the land of the free and the home of the brave” contrast with the painting shown above. The immigrant’s dream derives from America’s claims of freedom which serves as a right given to all citizens of America. Whether or not undocumented immigrants should be able to become legalized citizens has sparked a national debate.