The Importance Of The American Dream

America, known as the nation of chance and flexibility, where any man or lady can come and have a reasonable shot at accomplishing the coveted objective usually alluded to as "The American Dream." To many, effectively getting the American dream implies having a steady 2 parent family, with money related success, and rich in political and social opportunities. This "fantasy" be that as it may, is all the more effectively accomplished by specific individuals over others, and in spite of the fact that America prides itself on being the place where there is the "opportunity" and "correspondence", those words serve all the more unequivocally as a wellspring of false reverence and incongruity. One's race, economic

We have all heard of this intense rollercoaster ride that we are on called the American Dream. The term was coined by James Truslow Adams in 1931 defining it as “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.” Since it’s arrival, the Dream has evolved from a pursuit towards “freedom, mutual respect, and equal opportunity” (Shiller) to later one of greed described by Shiller as being “excessively lustful about homeownership and wealth” beginning in the 1960s. Traditionally, the American Dream included features of a nuclear family, that is one with a breadwinning father, a housewife, and two kids, owning a white picket fence home, thriving without financial worries, and a happy family. There has been a shift in focus for the Dream caused by the Millennial generation and in turn they have included features that place an emphasis on equality in all aspects of their lives from family life to the workplace placing their own twist on the Dream. The American Dream has evolved over time to include equal opportunities, college education, and happy family.

In society, many people will say that everyone has equal opportunities. However, it is not the case for minorities. Due to the history of slavery, people will never see blacks and whites as equal. Mantsios asserts that Americans in the United States do not identify each other based on our class, instead of by our race, ethnic group, or geographic location. As a result, the indigenous have fewer opportunities and advantages. Mantsios states, “Racial and gender domination are other forces that hold people down” (Pg 10) ,revealing how our race and gender limits us from being successful because of the tradition of discriminating people by race and gender. An example of this issue would be that if a black and a white male were both working the same job and position, most often, the white male would get promoted and have higher paying paycheck because of the discrimination placed in our society. This disadvantage targets minorities, and is a reason why middle-class individuals will never attain the “American

Initially upon reading Rana Foroohar’s essay on upward mobility and the American Dream, I was surprised by the content. Foroohar’s ideas were statements I had never heard before. As I continued to read further into the essay, the more I thought. Though the ideas presented to me were unheard of prior to reading, I began to notice how true they are. Foroohar presents facts that cannot be disputed. It made me realize just how truly fooled the average American citizen is. Throughout my primary education the idea and concept of the American Dream has been repeatedly drilled into my curriculum and brain. I never once thought to question that this dream of upward mobility is attainable. We are all taught from early on that if you can dream it, you can do it. Foroohar presents the facts that although that may have been the case years ago, it is no longer in existence now.

For years upon years, we have heard the concept of an “American Dream” repeatedly. In school, at home, and there’s probably several who have mused about it on their own during their time by themselves. It seems that, also, several have concluded that the Dream is dead: gone, disappeared, poof into thin air. Some argue that it’s nothing but a pack of lies our predecessors were fed to believe that perhaps America had a better future lingering just around the corner, or that it’s changed much from what it was ‘back in the day’. The American Dream has remained unchanged since the Great Depression, but the nation we are today may slowly be killing it. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the Dream is to have that equal opportunity for success, the same as in Bobby Jindal’s and Ellen Powell’s articles, but it seems that inequality may be killing the American Dream.

What is your dream for america? The american dream is comprised of many things. It is made up of things that make america better. Not only that, it is made up of things that makes us americans. The main points of the american dream is hope for a better nation, Freedom, and diverse opportunities for all that come to america.

“The United States is a nation where people are supposed to be able to rise above their origins. Those who want to succeed, it is believed, can do so through hard work and solid effort.” (Andersen, pg 1) If this was only true we would live in a world in which we would all prosper based on how hard we work. The truth of the matter is that income inequality and institutional classism were simply built into the sheer fabric of this nation. Income inequality has affected many in the United States. For many the American Dream is simply that a dream.

To achieve the American Dream, one must work hard and have the dedication to be successful. There are myths relating to this dream leaving lower class members to wonder if the dream exists for them. People in lower class are told if they want to be successful they must put in hard work and true effort. Once they do, they see that they are remaining in the same position they started in. In “Class of America-2012,” Gregory Mantsios states the ideas of class in the US and explains them. One myth addressed in this selection is, “Everyone has an equal chance to succeed. Success in the United States requires no more than hard work, sacrifice, and perseverance: ‘In America, anyone can become a billionaire; it’s just a matter of being in the right

Ah, the American Dream. The fundamental idea that anyone, no matter where you come from, can succeed. It is truly a remarkable principle. Today, the American Dream ceases to exist thanks to wealth inequality. Researchers who have studied relative mobility, which measures the chance of someone moving up the economic ladder, found that relative mobility hasn’t changed much over time (Casselman, 1). This means the odds of someone born in the bottom 30% rising up to the top 30% are not good. Too many people are not being given a fair chance to succeed: “Poor children are trapped in dismal schools” (Inequality and the American Dream). Education is very important, especially at the early stages in somebody’s life. Being stuck in a school without sufficient resources to learn effectively, can make or break a child’s future. Also, college is only available to those fortunate enough to afford it: “Only 3% of students at top American colleges come from the poorest quarter of the population”(Inequality and the American Dream). It is not fair that someone’s potential is solely dependent on where you happen to be born. People who disagree think that wealth inequality is good because it creates an incentive for people to work harder and make money. An OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) report says more inequality means less economic growth because the

Lonely and afraid. Looking towards the distance to be presented with nothing but despair. The government, the people, all against you in this fight to happiness. It is the American Dream. The dream was successfully followed by the financially struggling citizens for years, leading them to a “richer and fuller land” until recently. This dream has now become a nightmare. To the men and women living below the poverty line, the American Dream is rarely achievable, and as time progresses, the Dream is furthering away from the grasp of the poor. This difficulty in achieving -- “a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” -- is due to one of the growing challenges in America ; income inequality. This suppresses not only a full education, but the ability to climb up the social ladder in society.

When the United States of America comes to mind, one will typically associate it with the common phrase, “The American Dream.” Ah, yes, the land in which “we are the authors of our own fate” (Graff, Birkenstein, Durst 539). Throughout the readings, it has been argued that the American Dream is dwindling due to worldwide economic development and middle-class-erasing government policies. Conversely, claims have been made saying the American Dream is intact and more alive than ever. This dispute alone is creating a divided nation. There are also underlying reasons as to which America may not be as promising as it appears, considering it still seems as if certain groups are provided with more opportunity than others. Following the examination of various essays on American inequality, I have concluded that The American Dream is nothing but a dream. Those with a higher education will just about always gain the ideal opportunites over the uneducated.

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

The United States is known as “The land of opportunity”, but does the country still live up to its name as the land of opportunity, for all? The American dream is one the main reasons many choose to move to the United States in hopes of gaining a better life not only for themselves but for their children. But with so many people striving to achieve their dream, the playing field has become more and more competitive making the dream a complete nightmare to achieve. From getting into colleges for degrees to obtaining desired job positions, moving up the social ladder has become a more strenuous task than ever before. This American dream has become more of an impossible dream because of income inequality and opportunity shortages from

America is famous for the reputation of being the land of opportunity, and for generations immigrants have fled to the United States to experience the freedom and equality our government lays claim to. The fundamental of this reputation is the American Dream, the belief that life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each by hard working regardless of social class or circumstances of birth(by James Truslow Adams). The American Dream is different for everyone, though it is most commonly associated with success, freedom, and happiness. The concept of the American Dream seems to have dwindled from where it was in the past few generations. It has gone from success, freedom,

America historically owns the reputation of being the land of opportunity, and for generations immigrants have fled to the United States to experience the freedom and equality our government lays claim to. At the root of this reputation is the American Dream, the belief that with hard work anyone can succeed based solely on his or her merits. While definitions of success vary, the American Dream defines it as the ability to become a "self-made man," thereby rising to a more-than-comfortable state of living. The American Dream is believed to be blind to race, sex, or socio-economic status and at a first glance, seems to be almost Utopian. Conversely, repeated examples and statistics of the lower-classes, those continually facing the harsh