How Has The American Dream Changed Over Time Essay

Since the beginning of time in the United States, the idea of the American Dream has had a heavy influence on society. According to Document C, American Dream is defined as earning enough money to be happy, obtaining a worry-free lifestyle, and running in a high social circle. While working Americans still hold on to the hope of the American Dream, individuals from other countries often move to the United States with the hope that they too may have a piece of the pie. Despite the novelty and allure of the American Dream, it is nothing more than false hope. The American Dream is unachievable in the United States because no matter how hard one works or how hard one tries to save money, the American Dream is simply not accessible to those that begin with nothing.

What the American Dream means to me is happiness. Being happy and not having to worry about food, shelter, and/or health. To have a healthy life, family, and relationships whether it be friends or family. To me the American Dream is not having a big house, nice car, or expensive clothing because I believe no matter how much material you have it will never bring you true happiness. “The most important thing is to enjoy your life - to be happy - it’s all that matters.” (Audrey Hepburn)

The American dream is an illusion that is deeply implanted in the minds of the people, it sets a bar for life achievement and offers hope to work hard to achieve their dreams. As for Americans, they are raised in a society to where they are expected to make lots money and to have a healthy family. After all in our society success is largely based off positions of power and financial stability. For example, in The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there were multiple interpretations of the ideal American dream in the 1920s. In the 1920s, due to the growth of materialism, people advertised and fancied the power of money to fulfilling their dreams.

Originally the American Dream was simply the idea that hard work was all that is required to obtain a decent life. As simple as this sounds, this idea was revolutionary for its time. The roots of the American Dream can be traced all the way back to the Declaration of Independence: “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.” This gave the common man a chance to improve his status in the world. In the old world, there was no class mobility of any kind.

Many people fantasize about the American dream. In his book The Epic of America, James Truslow Adams (1931) describes the American Dream as a, “...dream of land in which life should be better and richer and full for everyone with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” The American Dream is the idea that if a person has a significant amount of money and friends that they will be happy. It is in our nature as humans to want to be the best and have nicer things than our peers. The majority of people try to achieve the American Dream so that they will feel more exceptional to others.

The term, “American dream,” was first used by historian James Truslow Adams. James stated that the American dream was, “That dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement.” Although the quote states a perfect definition of the American dream, this term can be interpreted in several ways. The American dream is achieving a goal that before was seen as impossible or unlikely, making a decision that could improve the life of future descendants, and having goals that you want to accomplish.

American Dream James Truslow Adams, in his book which was written in 1931 and called “ The Epic of America” wrote about American dream, that American dream is about being richer and living in better life. Also that American dream is more materialistic, that people work a lot of hours to gain things which they want to have. Such as luxury cars, big houses. They want to be wealthy, rich and have all expensive things and live in a world of money and wealth.

“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.

The American dream carries a different meaning for every person. The definition may also change according to the time period and situation. In many sources, the American dream is defined as the ideal that all United States citizens should have equal opportunity to obtain success and prosperity through dedication. Two famous speeches, “The Speech at the Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry and “The Speech in the Constitutional Convention” by Benjamin Franklin, define the term American dream during the time we were fighting for our independence. These speeches helped define the American dream by motivating the colonists to build the foundation foundation of the term, which is freedom and independence.

Over time, the American Dream has changed drastically. It used to be working harder to earn a better place in life. It was working hard order to earn a better place in life, as it should be. However, in today 's society for most Americans the Dream is earning that higher place in life while hardly working to truly achieve it. The American Dream seems to have different interpretations in the different types of people, for Americans, they believe in earning a lot while not working hard for it, for many immigrants, they still believe in working for what they desire.

The American Dream means having the chance to live your dreams and committing yourself to the country that grants you so many opportunities. The American Dream is a reality; no matter who you are or what you do the dream never leaves. Some citizens struggle to accept that the dream is still there because of modern society and how it contributes to things such as financial instability.

The definition of the American Dream has evolved over time; it has and always will involve being prosperous but with different

What is the American dream? America always had that impact in other countries, as the land of dreams, opportunity, freedom of speech, and the list goes on and on. The American dream is about working hard to get were you want to be, make ours children lives better then what we had as child. Fitzgeral explains in his book, in 1920’s

No matter who you are or where you have come from, you have undoubtedly heard of the American Dream. The idea that no matter who you are or where you have come from, you can do whatever it is you desire in America. What was once one the main driving forces for immigrants to flock to the new world, has slowly changed over the years, but still holds its value in the eyes of those who are looking for a promising new place to live. The American dream might not hold the same awe inspiring sound that it once did, but for many generations before ours it was a beacon of hope that helped build the foundation that the United States was built on. And, still, today the American dream might not be as achievable as it once was, but it is still an important

Everyone has a dream. Although these dreams aren’t the ones you have while sleeping, they are the ones that drive you, challenge you and keep you fighting for the reality that they will become true. They are the dreams that you will work hard for. Martin Luther King Jr. even died while fighting for his dream to become a reality. They are the ones you hope will one day become a reality. They are the dreams of a better education, better wages, better living conditions, equality, and they are the dreams of a better life. So then what exactly does the “American Dream” mean to people, how are these dreams achieved by those who are not native to our country, why do some people make it while others fail and who does the “The American Dream” really belong to?