The American Dream: What Really Is The American Dream?

Many people have come to America for adventure, opportunity, freedom, and the chance to experience the particular qualities of the American landscape. The American Dream is the idea that every United States citizen, including immigrants and residents, should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. America somewhat provides access to the American dream, it is more so the citizen who provides access to the dream for themselves. Even though they encountered many trials and tribulations, with persistence, people such as Langston Hughes in “I Too Sing America and Anzia Yezierska in “America and I” they were able to achieve their individual American Dream.

The American Dream is the idea that every United States citizen has equal opportunity to achieve success through hard work and determination. However, ideas of the dream have evolved throughout time from the 18th century up to present day. The general population’s view and my view of the American Dream both have altered throughout time. My idea of the American Dream has developed from not only today’s views on The Dream, but also from the evolutionary process the meaning has been through.

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).

It’s hard to say at what age people start to daydream about life’s possibilities. It must start early being as a child, I’ve always envisioned my future life to be like the stereotypical American dream. I may have inherited that dream from my mother; she came to the United States from Mexico at only 15 years old. She came to pursue the same dream - - the opportunity to achieve wealth and success. Growing up in a traditional Hispanic household is something I will always cherish, but one characteristic of Hispanic culture is the mindset that women are meant to be housewives and mothers. This expectation worked with my perception of the American dream. I thought, perhaps I could be the mother that was always baking and cleaning. I wanted a two-story house with a white picket fence and an American Flag in the front yard, the ideal family of four, a golden retriever, and I could be the perfect housewife. I wanted the female version of the “American Dream”. As children, dreams are untainted by reality, but over time dreams change. I realized that life’s fulfillment needs so much more than just material objects. My childish American dream focused on material things: I never wished to be emotionally secure, but just to have things. My definition of “success” evolved. Now, my greatest aspiration in life is to be content; which to me means to be financially stable, to earn a master’s degree, and to have a career that allows me to give back to my community. The biggest difference

The American Dream is a fantasy that reels in millions of immigrants to the United States, the population in 2017 is around 330 million people. They all went with hopes of a better life, whether it was them or their ancestors. Some of America’s history isn’t too bright though, there was brutal slavery and racism, and we amplified in the deep southern states. A specific group of people who were affected directly by racism and prejudice were African American people, and other people of color. They were given little opportunity in society, until the civil rights era. This is where Thurgood Marshall came into play, Thurgood Marshall was the first African American supreme court justice. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland on July 2, 1908

If asked the question, “ What is the American Dream?”, many people would have a variety of answers. It may depend on many factors including, how one has been raised, their age, socioeconomic factors, and ethnicity. There have been so many changes in our country over the years from the 1900’s until now including wars, racial beliefs and family structures which led to an array of definitions of the American Dream. An American Dream can be different for each person. It can be about many factors as we will see throughout the paper.

The idea of the “American Dream” was first used in the book The Epic of America, written by James Truslow Adams, in 1931. Adams stated 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 or achievement…(31) “. The key elements of the American Dream include: access to a college education, owning a home, enjoying political freedom and being economically independent (Clinton American Dream Initiative 3). Every newly arrived immigrant believes that with hard work he or she will achieve all or most of the elements of the American Dream. The fundamental thesis of the

From top education from universities like Yale and Harvard, to minority rights and diversity, the United States has always been known as the “land of opportunities” for people around the globe. Many aspire to possess the American Dream, a chance to have equal rights and opportunities to achieve their goals along with a safe and comfortable lifestyle through grit and hard work. The concept of the American Dream developed long ago when people from the Old World began to conceive hopes and dreams for a better life. A large number of those dreamers wanted to own lands and secure a prosperous career; some wanted to create a better lifestyle for the later generations. Thus, they left their home countries and set sail for the New World. Although The Dream was popularized by the United States, it can also be available in other countries that have good education, are industrialized and economically developed. Poor cities in the United States and underdeveloped countries may have a lower chance of achieving the modern American Dream, but it is not entirely impossible considering that there have been people that left their home countries in the past and moved to better nations in order to produce a better life for themselves and/or their families.

The idea of the American Dream can be first traced back to a book called The Epic of America by author James Truslow, where he states, “The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better, richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” This idea of better opportunity really summarizes the goal of many early American immigrants as they traveled from faraway lands in hopes of a better future. Many would say this idea of prosperity is the American Dream; a better place for everyone’s own success, however, success is largely dependent on individual skill and ability. As we look more in depth of the idea of the American Dream, we notice the flaws within itself both

Former President Barack Obama “Called for an America where no matter who you are, no matter what you look like, no matter where you come from, no matter what your last name is, no matter who you love, you can make it here if you try” (Kenworthy 1). Don’t we all wish it was that easy? As a matter of fact, the vision Barack Obama painted is exactly what's holding the majority of Americans from pursuing the American Dream for many generations. America the land of opportunity, where dreams ought to be reality is not so promising for many. With high hopes of concurring the American Dream, for most individuals and families is not possible because of circumstances they face. This has been an ongoing problematic dilemma for different ethnic and social groups in America for numerous years, even today. Brandon King, the author of “The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold”, claims that the American dream is “more alive and important than ever and that it is the key to climbing out of the great recession, overcoming inequality, and achieving true prosperity” (611). King proclaims that the American dream is a watered-down version of its old self and believes that people are no longer interested in going from rags-to-riches but instead, preferring a more stable, middle-class lifestyle, which allows them to save money for the future and have a secure employment (611). Indeed, King is right about the American dream being alive. In fact, research confirms that the American dream is alive, but it's limited to many due Discrimination, excessive barriers preventing the Dream from becoming reality and the lack of equality and opportunity for everyone.

The American Dream has a different meaning today as opposed to fifty-years ago. The American Dream once meant: marrying the love of your life, buying a home in the suburbs with a white picket fence, two to three children, and obtaining a job one could retire from in twenty years. That dream has vanished and disappeared with the advent, development, and advancement of technology, higher costs of living, and rising expenses of student loan debt. The heavy burden of paying off loans from attaining undergraduate, post-graduate, and professional degrees plays a large and looming factor in Millennials forgoing the American dream of buying a home. Quite simply, millennials simply cannot afford to sufficiently cover student loan debt and the

The American Dream is different for everybody. For some it’s to be known for something great, or to have an enormous amount of money, maybe even just to live a stable life and not have many problems. Or there’s always the dream of having a nice family, living in a nice looking house with the very cliché white picket fence, but it always depends of that person’s way of life and motives. The American Dream is also based off of the idea of freedom, prosperity, equality, and opportunity. But back in the past did most people think of those ideas for their American Dream or was that dream as diverse a it is

The concept of the ‘American Dream’ has changed dramatically over the past couple decades. Originally, the ideal American Dream consisted of marriage, children, a stable job with a high enough income to save and invest, and buying a house for the family. Subsequent of the Great Recession, buying a house is not as desirable or even feasible for the millennial generation. Millennials are interested in a different American Dream, focused on receiving an education and making enough money to pay the bills. There are multiple factors that drive Millennials away from homeownership, including difficulty obtaining a mortgage loan, establishing credit, permanency, and securing a down payment.

What is the American Dream? The American Dream was defined as the possibility for a better life for every individual, regardless of their heritage, position in society and economic status. The American Dream is written into the Declaration of Independence: "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Lennie and George's dream of owning a farm and living off ‘the fat of the land’ symbolizes this dream. The definition of this dream is that any individuals could improve on their circumstance, and that their children could do better than their parents; this motivation has not been maintained in the modern day. Of Mice and Men shows that for poor itinerant workers during the Depression, that their American Dream became an illusion and an impossible

While the meaning of the American Dream has evolved multiple times between 1865 and 1980, almost every person agreed on as to what the American Dream meant in their respective time periods. The definition of the American Dream in some form has always consisted of freedom, and the ability to advance economically. Also, in more recent times things such as owning a suburban home, moving into the middle-class, being able to spend on consumer goods, and having a perfect family became a part of the American Dream. However, throughout American history there has always been groups who have not had equal access to the American Dream. External factors such as legislation, racism, sexism, and the political environment, resulted in former slaves, blacks, poor Americans, women, and immigrants not having fair access to aspects of the American Dream such as complete freedom, equal opportunity, the ability to advance economically, and the ability to enjoy the luxuries of an affluent society. Between 1865 and 1900 former slaves did not have equal access to aspects of freedom such as, “Self-ownership, family stability, religious liberty, political participation, and economic autonomy.” Later on, between 1900 and 1939 lower-class Americans, women, and immigrants did not have equal opportunity to advance economically. Later on, the American economy shifted after the second World War, and Americans were moving into the middle-class, however blacks, and immigrants did not have equal access to the