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Comparing The American Dream: Life, Liberty, And The Pursuit Of Happiness

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239 years ago, our fore fathers described the American dream in one phrase: “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” The American dream was not about how much money they had, it was about living a free, happy life. Since then, the so-called American Dream has changed substantially. People have said the American Dream is achievable by anyone with a little hard work, and determination. Yes, maybe 100 years ago that was true because our nation was expanding at such an exponential rate that someone could achieve the dream through many career pathways. In this day, and age being free and happy is not enough for us. We have made ourselves believe that the American dream is about filthy riches, and yes, money does matter, but it is not the most …show more content…

People with more money usually have a larger opportunity to succeed this freedom. Many families who live in poverty must deal without the American dream. Especially these days, money is everything. 7 Facts That Show the American Dream is Dead states “The key elements of the American Dream-a living wage, retirement security, the opportunity for one’s children to get ahead in life-are now unreachable for all but the wealthiest among us” (Eskow). Everything revolves around money these days and if you don’t have enough you fall behind. CNNMoney says “the U.S. has one of the highest levels of income inequality among its peers and is among the worst in offering equal opportunities for advancement” (Luhbi). Not everyone has the same opportunity to make enough money to acquire the American dream. Americans may have a chance for success but for some it is more likely and more reasonable. “Whether an American gets ahead is also more dependent on the income and education of their parents” (Luhbi) states CNNMoney. The occupation of most Americans and their income reflect their lifestyle and the decisions that they make. Money is power nowadays and without it you are just another weak citizen in

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1079 Words | 5 Pages

“Money can’t buy happiness.” “Money isn’t everything, its just paper.” Anyone who has ever grown up without money and lamented about it has heard these kinds of phrases many times. In looking around our culture and society today it would be hard to say those statements are true. While everyone has problems, rich and poor alike, having money gives you access to more solutions to those problems.

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1015 Words | 5 Pages

The American dream is not as easy as people say it is. The American Dream is being able to afford the necessities you need, without having to struggle and suffer just to put food on a table for their families. People think it’s easy to live the American Dream, but little do they know that there are people out there struggling to support their family. The American Dream is difficult to achieve but very possible if people could find the opportunity and available to them.

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137 Words | 1 Pages

However, as our country has evolved, so has the perception of the American dream. Our country’s unification is being torn apart by confining people to a specified class. The idea that paychecks can inhibit one from being successful, . Inequality is steadily increasing in our great country. Gaps are widening, and opportunity is being threatened.

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941 Words | 4 Pages

Money is important because it allows individuals to have items needed to live the American Dream. In Dana Gioia’s poem “Money” he wrote about the meaning behind why money is important and how money is important in achieving the worry free aspect of the American Dream. “It greases the palm, feathers a nest, holds heads above water, makes both ends meet” (lines 10-12). When Gioia talked about greasing palms and feathering a nest, she was referring to how money drives Americans to continue working and how money provides a roof to live under. When Gioia talks about holding heads above water, she was referring to how money keeps from living a life of poverty. When relating this back to the American Dream, money keeps this dream alive and awake.

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908 Words | 4 Pages

The American dream at one point was what drew people to American; the right to life, liberty, and the happiness. The American dream is the hope to acquire currency, large homes, raise a middle-class family, and pursue what brings people joy in life. But in the year 2016, the American dream becomes hard to believe in. The American dream may still exist, but it is not equally accessible to all Americans. This is true because the American dream is not affordable for everyone, it is not available to everyone from different degrees of education, and race and ethnicity creates large social barriers.

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1123 Words | 5 Pages

To most achieving the American Dream is obtaining success and economic stability. To some obtaining the American Dream is making more money than their parents. According to David Leonhardts’ article “The American Dream, Quantified at Last”, New York Times (8 Dec. 2016) provides statistics that show 50 to 60 years ago an individual was able to drastically exceed the amount of money their parents earned. Thanks to rapid, widely shared

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1243 Words | 5 Pages

The American Dream is so essential to our country as it is an honor to reach your goals and make it a reality. The American Dream is the national ethos that people’s lives would be better and more abundant with many opportunities. The American Dream was more accessible to attain back in the days, however, changed over the years. Although the “American Dream” is still possible, many people, minorities are affected by the lack of improvement in social mobility in our society. The American Dream is still alive by being able to live a middle-class lifestyle and by obtaining it through perseverance and hard-work.

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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

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The growing gaps in wealth (inequality), the lack of social mobility and opportunity, and the disappearing middle class all contribute to this phenomenon, the vanishing American Dream. Fortunately, I managed to earn above the household median income, 56,516, hold a steady job with good benefits, and live in affordable, comfortable home (my salary $66,020). The luxuries afforded to me do not hold true for all Americans, and unfortunately, the inequality of opportunity remains a troubling social ill for the American people. As an adult, one is part of a bigger system, the marketplace, and makes economic decisions which influence their own lives and society as a whole.

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The American Dream is still alive and available to everyone today, although it is different for everyone. The American Dream is what each individual believes it to be and does not have a set definition, it is whatever the person believes it to be and it still possible for everyone. America still provides access to opportunity for everyone from the people who are born in poverty to the people that are born into wealth. While lately there has been much debate over whether the American Dream is still alive and well and many people believe that it is dead, there are considerable proof and evidence that the American Dream is developing and thriving. First of all, in the American Constitution, it states “that 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.

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886 Words | 4 Pages

That still varies, people have different ways of viewing the American dream and what it means to them. Some think that they can just come over here and get rich quick and be the billionaire, but it’s so much more than what is portrayed. There are three basic elements to the American dream freedom, economic security

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579 Words | 3 Pages

Many people in America question if the American dream is still a possibility in today’s world. As the country seems to grow in more and more distress, is it still possible to achieve the American dream. What even is the American Dream? The formal definition is “the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American.” Everyday people are claiming the American dream is dead and that the financial situation you are born in makes you who you are.

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1074 Words | 5 Pages

In the article called, How to Restore the American Dream by Fareed Zakaria, one realizes that this dream isn't as magical as it seems. “Americans get gloomy and then recover with the economy”(Zakaria). He demonstrated that we tend to live through money and not through our personal beliefs. Zakaria also mentions, “Americans had a sunny attitude towards life that was utterly refreshing.” Thereupon, Americans look appreciative, yet we take our dreams and freedom for granted.

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1007 Words | 5 Pages

Do Americans really think that if they do supplied with with money falling at their feet they will never be successful? However, that is not true, any one can be successful if they put they actually try. There are many citizens today in America who still think that if they do not come from a strong, rich, wealthy family then they will not have access to the American dream. No matter what a person’s cultural background is, or what language they speak, or what city they come from, there’s a single ideal that anyone living in America can understand: the concept of the American Dream if they actually want to succeed. People today do not understand working hard is the way in today’s world to succeed the American dream.

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2097 Words | 9 Pages

False Illusions "For many the American Dream has become a nightmare. " These words of Bernie Sanders are accurate to an extent. The American Dream is the idea that anyone, with enough resolve and determination, can climb the economic ladder, regardless of where they start in life. It is called the American Dream because the United States is depicted as the greatest nation in the world, that offers the most opportunity and freedom to achieve upward mobility in society. However, many people attach themselves too much to the hope of achieving this dream that they fail to realize the inequalities that take place in front of their own faces, which are the factors that are hampering them from this illusion.

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