“The American Dream” The definition of the American Dream is as follows: the foundation idea that the individual can come from nothing and become anything. It’s the idea that the american system of Capitalism allows anyone to fulfill their dreams. However, most people believe in their own American Dream, their own “perfect life.” It can be full of happiness, money, love, food, cars, whatever anyone desires, everyone has a different opinion. In “Scratch Beginnings”, Adam Shepard gives the listing of three people who lives in the society, “1. Those that go to school and educate themselves and go on to live professional lives; 2.
The term American Dream has many different meanings. People have believed it means social equality, no racial discrimination, the economy being financially stable, and more. Over time, as presidents come and go and more technology is being manufactured, that dream has slowly shifted into something else for future generations. The rapid growth of new technology over the years has produced a world wide spread of media, the new means of communication between anybody using magazines, the internet, and television. Even though some means of media may not be completely truthful with television series and advertising, recent generations of children and teens assume that having the American Dream means owning a lamborghini, big mansion, happy family,
The American Dream is the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. The American Dream was first publicly defined in 1931. James Truslow Adams used the quote in his book. He said, "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 or achievement." The American Dream is in the Declaration of Independence.
The American Dream was created for all to be equal with the right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. A dream is a series of thoughts on possibilities one can attain, hence, only one can choose to believe in the American Dream and if it’s achievable. In particular, Steve Tobak’s article called The American Dream is Alive and Well focuses on the opportunity Americans have unlike others and that the dream is attainable by all who work for it. A book by John Winthrop called City Upon a Hill implies that all men are capable of anything if they put God first. The American dream should make life fuller for all, provide happiness, and lead every American to believe they can do anything.
The authors of “Chasing the American Dream” start the book by defining the American Dream, and detailing how this set of ideals (personal freedom, liberty, opportunity) is embedded into our culture. The authors write about how these idealsare central to American art and culture. They give the examples of jazz and rock and roll, two music genres in which the concept of freedom played a fundamental role in their development. The also go on to write about how words “freedom” and “liberty” resonate with the American public, and are thus found through the marketing and advertising world” (16). The authors assert that the concept of the American dream also has a large impact on control, believing that “America’s love affair with the automobile is also about personal freedom” (16).
The American Dream doesn’t have one concrete destination because everyone is different. One sees it as “...bigger cars, fancier homes, [etc],” (American Dream). On the other hand, someone pictures, “‘... of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable,”’ (American Dream). It depends on the person and what they believe in. The Dream isn’t black or white, it’s all the colors, and how they blend together.
“The American Dream”, a phrase that portrays life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for American citizens. In 1931, the American Dream was first publicly defined. “Historian James Truslow Adams used the phrase in his book Epic of America. Adams' often-repeated quote is, "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 per ability or achievement." (https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-the-american-dream-quotes-and-history-3306009).
He never lacks what is necessary, only what he wants. Increases in wealth and greed, such as those seen in the 1920s, often corrupt the American Dream and prevent its permanent attainability. The American Dream is essentially that one has the ability to rise up on their own and gain wealth, power, and social status. Hawkes writes, “It is the American Dream—the story of self-creation and fulfilment” (21). The American Dream came from a time when America offered up a new land of hope and desire.
The American Dream has always been referenced through popular media, culture, and literature. But what does the dream mean, or how it is used in today’s society? In the past, the American Dream was a dream that everyone wanted to achieve, but now the dream is unknown by most people in America. The Dream is different in many ways, but those who seek it will find all they need to live happily in America. The American Dream is the ideal that every U.S. citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.
The American Character is the fusion of many different qualities. In the year of 1776, America gained its freedom from Britain, guided towards the concept of freedom, rights, and equality that together create today’s American. One of the qualities that make an American character is that of hoping to live the American Dream. Hoping to live the American Dream means that a person living or coming into the US, has the hopes of living the dream of having wealth and freedom that is included in living the American Dream. This idea of the American Dream is what unites our “United States” of America; we are united in the dream and hope of achieving our individual versions of the American Dream.