The American Dream In America's Wealth Gap

America’s wealth gap between middle class and upper class income is at its highest level in decades. According to Pew Research Center’s article “America’s Wealth Gap,” they report in 2010, the median wealth of upper-income families was 6.2 times the median wealth of middle-income families and by 2013, that wealth ratio grew to 6.6. This makes the American Dream a very difficult thing to accomplish, especially for the lower class. The American Dream means that all people have the equal opportunity to achieve success of rising in their social ladder through hard work, determination, and initiative. Some argue that the American Dreams is available and achievable by all. However, while the American Dream is available to all, it is not achievable by all because there are issues due to health, ethnicity, location, and opportunities. The American Dream can be hindered by the health of the individual. Notably, in Scratch Beginnings, Adam Shepard became ill for about a week. He believed it to be his “biggest setback of [his] journey,” (pg 187?). While he was lucky to be sick for such a short time, Shepard still couldn’t afford to miss work. Worse circumstances are a reality to others fighting for this prosperity. There are so many devoted dreamers falling into despair as they admit the impossibility of leaping

They report that whites with a criminal record are more likely to get a call back than blacks with no record. The expression “Pick yourself up by your bootstraps” has never had a more hopeless meaning. Consequently, as much as we would like to believe that race is no longer the defining issue, it still very much is. Minorities still face persistent discrimination in the job market, and it is not tied to socioeconomic status or a lack of a degree. So much for those bootstraps. It is incredibly disheartening for one to hear that they should improve their own situation, when it is completely out of their