Has The American Dream Changed Over Time

The American Dream is something everyone pursues. However, over time, the ideas of the American Dream has changed. Some say it is for the better, but others say it is for the worse. I agree with what Bernie Sanders said, "For many, the American Dream has become a nightmare." The American Dream has been degraded throughout time. I believe the American Dream has changed for the worse due to difficulty finding jobs, unfair job opportunities, and people settling for mediocrity.

People all over the world coming into America wanted to be rich and surely believed it to be true, however, nowadays it’s a lot less common and isn’t widely perceived as the way it used to be during this time period. Instead the American dream today is more focused on living a happy life A quote that shows this is when the narrator says “On week-ends his Rolls Royce became an omnibus, bearing parties to and from the city between 9 in the morning and long past midnight, while his station wagon scampered like a brisk yellow bug to meet all trains.” This quote showed the power and influence of the American dream during this time period and how people who came to these parties really believed in it. The reality of the American dream today is shown in the article “U.S.A, Land of Limitations” by Nicholas Kristof, “They grow up not in a ‘land of opportunity’, but in the kind of socially rigid hierarchies that our ancestors fled, the kind of society in which your outcome is largely determined by your beginning.” Kristof is saying that America is really no longer “the land of opportunity” but instead the land of your predecessor’s

Although modern society may be heavily motivated by avarice now, it hasn’t always been this way. The term “American Dream” came into existence in the 1920s when ideas were similar to the ones we have now. As shown several times in the novel, The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the American Dream was the want for materialistic things. The greed during this time period led to the stock market crash and

The American dream is the national philosophy of decomancy, rights, liberty, opportunity and freedom with the opportunity for prosperity and success. Also the social mobility for the family achievement through hard work within the society and dew barriers. Regardless of social classes or circumstance from birth. Life should be better, richer, and fuller for everyone with opportunities for each according to ability or achievement stated James Truslow Adams in 1937. The American dream meaning has been changed, I believe that it has been shatter and the dream needs a new vision. According to the Forbes Magazine: Why most people will never achieve the American dream it states, “We must balance our knowledge in our heads with the wisdom in our heart. It

America still to this day holds on to the idea of the “American Dream”. This is rather surprising in today’s society and the ups and downs that the nation is facing. The dream in the past was more about freedom and equality. Moving through the decades, this dream has morphed into something quite different. Instead of what America means for all of its inhabitants, the nation has become more individualized. Society has moved to interpret the dream of what America can do for the one. Instead of the unified nation, America has been known for in the past, a shift has started creating an inconsistency in who can realize the dream. The myth of the “American Dream” has been hugely affected by increased materialism, the gap in economic status, and the fantasy of “rags to riches” idea.

In 1931 James Truslow Adams published a book named ‘Epic of America’ in which he popularized the concept of The American Dream. In this book he stated “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…” and once that phrase was written, The American Dream became what we truly know it as nowadays. It is the right of freedom, prosperity, equality and pursuit of happiness through hard work. However, The American Dream is an ironic concept seeing as it never seems fully attainable. Although it is supposed to represent independence, liberty and the ability to make something of one’s self, most people nowadays find

Previously, in the 1920’s “The American Dream” used to be conclusive among the majority of the people of which it effected. However, as time progressed new religions began to show up, new laws passed and different forms of people began to join together, which was the beginning of change. Back then everyone envisioned the same dream. Which was possibly to be rich, successful, live in fame, and to be known. In today’s society we still want to be rich and successful but things have been a bit altered.

The American Dream is a fantasy that has not come true for the millions that are toiling in the system hoping to get a piece of the wealth which America so liberally shares with its rich upper class. Mansions, expensive cars, a happy family and of course lots of money. These images adorn the minds of the less privileged of this nation.

For example, someone born into a wealthy family does not dream of being rich. Rather, they may simply dream of being happy. Also, for someone born into poverty, the dream may not be to be rich, but rather just to earn enough to live another day. This all adds up to the american dream being something different for

The American Dream is defined as all of it’s citizens having equal opportunity to have success and beneficial growth through hard work and dedication through hard work. Sadly, this is not the case for many citizens living in the United States of America and it is not attainable for anyone. In America, all of its wealth is owned by a small circle of individuals that have the power to rule this country from the inside. These wealthy believe that power and wealth come to those that work very hard and turn nothing into gold, however in many cases with very wealthy families the money is most likely an inheritance. The American dream is not attained for all of it’s citizens because of the large wealth gap between classes, the media’s coverage on class, and distribution of wealth.

Many years ago today, the United States of America was the prime example of prosperity and opportunity. It established America with the idea that its citizens would be guaranteed life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Today, it is true that people have liberties and are free to pursue happiness. However, in recent years, in the worst recession since the Great Depression. Unemployment, growing economy inequality, and medical care have skyrocketed. Despite the odds, the American Dream is still a goal that many people strive for and hope to reach. In fact, an essay written by Brandon King, The American Dream: Dead, Alive or on Hold? He says, “the American dream is a dream in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with the opportunity for each according to his/her ability and achievement…” (King 610-611). Therefore, the problem with the American Dream lies not within the dream itself, but within the means people pursue to attain this dream.

Another interesting trajectory that the concept of “The American Dream” can give a key, is the concept of social classes. Social classes that we have today are upper, middle, lower and the working class. “The American Dream” is rewarding those who are hard workers, who have qualities and skills, those people can always reach the top goals. But now days we have people who are working hard, who have skills but they barely make the ends. This shows that material success is very difficult to reach; we have 1% of rich people who have the financial resources to control the rest of people (Schaefer 216).

The American Dream is the result of possibilities and success. The term “American Dream” was been invented by James Truslow Adams in 1931: “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.” Another reference to the American Dream appears in the Declaration of Independence (1776). The author wrote that people are “endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The question of the debate was: “Is the American Dream Still Alive and Well?”

The American Dream as it is defined cannot simply hold true without preservation of it’s ideals. An ideal is maintained by the people. Enjoying the benefits the American Dream promises requires each person to uphold its ideals among his fellows. If this were the case, the original definition might have been preserved. The problem is that other factors kicked in which prioritized wealth and status among people which interfered with the ability of others to pursue the dream. From there, the American Dream gradually changed from hard work to status.

The idea of the American Dream has been around since America was founded, but until 1933, it was not put into words. In the article American Faces 1933’s Realities, by James Truslow Adams, he defines the American Dream as “ ...a vision of a better, deeper, richer life for every individual, regardless of the position in society which he or she may occupy by the accident of birth” (1). The American Dream does not have to be described as having copious amounts of wealth. To some, it is only a vision of a better life for themselves and their families.