The American Dream

A desired goal or purpose that you have wanted very much to do, to be, or to have for a long time defines the word dream. But what does the American Dream mean to you? Franklin D. Roosevelt, Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, and President Barack Obama are just a handful of people who have written pieces of literature of which either defend, challenge, or qualify the access of the American Dream given by the United States of America. Whether it is coming to this country for the first time, leaving your home in search of new opportunities, or coming together to pursue our greatest aspirations, for some people the American Dream is in far reach, but for others it is right in their grasp.

Following the Reconstruction Era, from 1877 to 1920, the United States of America was undergoing industrial, political and social change. The United States industrialized, with sweeping technological developments bringing the country into the “modern era”. During this time, the country faced many challenges due to its “Open Door Policy” that led to the largest influx of immigration the country had ever seen. Also, African-Americans struggled to attain the freedoms brought about by the passage of new laws and amendments and Native Americans faced relocation to reservations. Ultimately during this Gilded Age, the poor grew poorer and faced a life of hardship and drudgery while the rich grew richer and seemingly lived an easier life. As a result, the “American Dream” was unattainable for most. At the heart of the American Dream is the idea that all citizens are born with equal rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and that all citizens can feel secure in knowing the government, of the people, will work together to protect these rights and secure justice. None of these values were upheld for the citizens of the United States from 1877-1920. African-American citizens were deprived of their human and democratic rights. Furthermore, justice for African Americans was non existent as southern states devised loopholes to keep them serving a life of servitude. Native Americans were deprived of their human rights and security because the government prioritized

It is a well-known fact that the term “American Dream” first mentioned by James Trusslow Adams in 1931 (Wright 197) explains the model of an individual’s ideal existence, which is applied exclusively to the US – the country full of freedoms, possibilities, and opportunities. Nowadays the fame about the American dream reached all continents, and more and more people take the concept for granted dreaming about moving to America and spending the rest of their lives in a more favourable environment compared to their own. As many US citizens, they usually ignore the fact that hard work has always served as a background in the given concept (Warschauer) and look forward to gain all amenities of existence at once.

Do you ever wonder at what specific age or phase in an immigrants' life do they start to develop their American Dream compared to a natural born American? Do both dreamers have the same exact dream for themselves? Dreamers often must go through devastating and life-threatening situations to get through the small and big obstacles to achieve The Dream. Eventually, over some period, immigrants and U.S citizens are able to overcome these obstacles and achieve their American Dream. With so many immigrants emigrating to the United States it is safe to say that not everyone holds the same exact American Dream. When an immigrant starts to develop the American Dream, it is often way different than what a natural born citizen's dream may be,

People cannot achieve the American Dream as a result of obstacles relating to race, gender, and socioeconomic status; this can be rectified by instituting equal housing and service programs nationwide. The racial blockades on the path to reaching the American Dream are apparent throughout the stories of many. The lives of these people are wrought with racism and discrimination, for no reason other than the color of their skin. A plethora of women are also held back and prevented from attaining their goals, as a result of their gender. In each of their unique stories, they are unnecessarily defined by their gender, and averting those women from their objective of the American Dream. Accompanying race and gender, socioeconomic status serves

For decades, the idea of homeownership has become synonymous with that of the American Dream. In order to encourage Americans to pursue this dream, the United States federal government has created a bevy of programs that subsidize homeownership, including mortgage loan insurance provided through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), government sponsored enterprises such as the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) and the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) that increase the money available for lending, and the home mortgage interest deduction.

Discrimination against a person based on their race is one of the main causes in preventing one from having a fair opportunity to achieve the American Dream. Philip Deutsch writes “blacks are twice as likely to be poor compared to other races, and eight times as likely to be imprisoned. Only 75 percent of blacks have received post-high school education, compared to 85 percent of whites. Not surprisingly, blacks on average also make less money than whites” (“The American Dream is Still”). These facts, shocking but true, go to prove the point that a persons race affects what opportunities they may have and what things they will be able to achieve. Blacks are, genetically, equivalent to whites, however they are harshly discriminated against

The American dream may for the most part mean seeking after a genial esse with a feasible activity, a family, getting riches or accomplishment in life. This vision encompasses the flexibility of having a chance to thrive in life, which is quite consequential. In this manner, individuals have the chance to accomplish their objectives by whatever methods definitely independent of the country one comes, or so they mentally conceived. This fantasy is made conceivable because of equipollent open door for all, contrary to popular credence. For instance, an authentically great many people have been fruitful in America because of their instructive accomplishment, business accomplishment. Nonetheless, accomplishing the American dream isn''\'t a

Everyone has heard of the American Dream and some even live to get the chance to experience this dream. People don’t actually understand how the American Dream is changing. In the recent years the American Dream has been more out of reach than ever before; being neglected in ways and prolonged by multiple factors in the economy. In the beginning the American Dream was a goal, a display of pride even. As a nation we showed people that with a little hard work, living a great life wasn’t difficult. Families for generations could attend a variety of schools and learn to live happy lives. Sadly, as of recently that point of view has changed. People don’t want to have to work too hard and struggle to obtain financial goals. Thinking out of the box has become a foreign concept and a rare skill. “This dream is not about guaranteed outcomes, of course, but the pursuit of opportunities.” (Graham) Since people don’t aspire for the American Dream like in the past, does that still mean the American Dream is alive? Exactly how much has the American Dream changed since its creation?

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 development of urban communities, and their consequent rot because of a free enterprise request took after by endeavors to reestablish city life alongside a departure of those with means and/or fitting skin color helped by arrangement instruments. With the racial isolation got as a result (or perhaps item) of the chain of occasions would compress the appointed readings more or less.

Millennials,millenials,millenials is all I hear about my generation; all I hear about my generation is how clueless and crazy we are about how the world works and that we will never make it like our ancestors before us. I never hear anything good words spoken about millennials and that needs to change. Us millennials hear you and believe me, we are trying our best to change this stereotype. The American dream has always been what everyone desires- a little perfect family, house, and neighborhood.

The American Dream is what most Americans in today's world strive for. It is all about beauty, fame, and wealth. Beauty leads to fame and fame leads to wealth. That contradicts the transcendental values that are self-reliance, nonconformity, love for nature, intuition over reason, and simplified life. There are a lot of immigrants coming to America because they want to live the American Dream. According to: (“HOLLYWOOD DREAMS OF WEALTH, YOUTH, AND BEAUTY”), it says, “Hollywood has long been inspiring immigrants to come to the U.S. with images that filled them with overstated optimism about what they’d find here.” Hollywood wants to make the American Dream come true for everybody. The American Dream gives hope to

Ruzich & Grant develop a theory around predatory lending and the American Dream that states that “the use of the metaphor predatory lending has allowed the complex story of the subprime mortgage crisis to be reduced to a simple and dramatic

In America it is understood that education is the key to success. However, not all countries prioritize the accessibility of education and equal opportunity. With this in mind, it is no surprise that immigrants often lack the experience of going through a formal education system prior to entering America. Sadly those approaching their final years will never fill this educational void, and they are forced to struggle as low skilled workers for their families’ basic means of survival. Even today, immigrants from multiple backgrounds have to face obstacles due to previous deprivation of American schooling in home countries. Countless literary works such as Of Beetles and Angels by Selamawi Asgedom and Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok illustrate the struggle to obtain the American dream given the obstacle of exploitation in multiple aspects of society such as the justice system and labor force.