ipl-logo

How Has The American Dream Changed Over The Years

656 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The evolution of the american dream

According to an article from Gale Student Resources titled “How the American dream has changed overtime”, the start of the American Dream has been traced to the Founding Fathers. The Founding Fathers believed people inherently possessed the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Therefore, they created a country where people could break free from class restrictions and pursue a life that they chose despite where they came from. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the American dream as “A happy way of living that is thought of by many Americans as something that can be achieved by anyone in the U.S. especially by working hard and becoming successful”. However, I believe that it is much more than that. I describe the American dream as the ideal that everyone who lives or comes to America, is given the same opportunities for success and the option to create their life as they want it without anything holding them back. When interviewee, Joyce Williams was asked “How has the American Dream changed in your lifetime?” she responded with “I believe the American dream is still here as it was when I was young. I think it might have been harder for some of my friends years ago to accomplish their dream because, they did not have the opportunities to do to college and advance themselves toward their …show more content…

According to an article titled “sizing up the American dream”, The American dream is defined as being optimistic, owning a house, having a car, receiving an education, and obtaining money. I disagree with this definition because there are many other aspects that a person would want in the American dream that are not listed here. Even though these ideas a listed doesn’t mean people are achieving them. Although optimism is listed as one of the components of the American dream, it was recorded that 59% of American parents say that it will be harder overall for their children to reach their American

Show More
Related
607 Words | 3 Pages

What is the American Dream? The American Dream is defined by the ideal that life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement regardless of social class or circumstances of birth. In the article “ American Dream? Or Mirage?” by Michael W. Kraus, Shai Davidai, and A. David Nussbaum, the idea that the lower you are on the wealth/class scale the more you believe in the american dream, whilst on the other hand the higher you are, the more you think it is just luck rather than merit. Professor Kraus et al were wrong in saying that the American Dream is still alive when in truth the American Dream is dying if it is not already dead not only in the upper class but also in the lower class.

Read More
727 Words | 3 Pages

The Oxford English Dictionary defines the American dream as ¨ the ideal that every citizen of the United States should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.¨ The best example of the American dream is The Glass Castle written by Jeannette Walls. This is a book written about her traumatic experiences throughout her life and how she has made it through. She has had many struggles she has had to endure throughout her life: poverty, no security, bullies, rape, bad parenting, starvation, etc. Her two main struggles are her parents and poverty which is something that a lot has gone through. In Jeannettes life story, she shows everyone that the American dream is something that

Read More
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.

Read More
881 Words | 4 Pages

The American dream is a dream of land in which life should be better and richer for everyone. It’s a land where people succeed to accomplish their ambition of a better life. Most of the people have a different way of defining this American Dream. Unfortunately, for some, it could mean wealth,status,or power whereas for others it could mean companionship, good morals,love,and amity. According to our Declaration of Independence, it entitles every man and woman the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Read More
1159 Words | 5 Pages

Source A argues that the American Dream is still a powerful ideal that inspires and motivates Americans. The article cites statistics showing that most Americans still believe in the American Dream and see it as a crucial aspect of the national identity. The American Dream has always been an essential part of American culture. It continues to be a source of inspiration and motivation for many Americans, even though it has become increasingly challenging to achieve. Source B argues that the new American Dream is about finding purpose and fulfillment in one's life rather than accumulating wealth.

Read More
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.

Read More
611 Words | 3 Pages

The American dream is a term used in a lot of ways. Although research has shown that American dream can’t be attainable by most people, closer examination shows that it can be attainable by the following reasons. As Daniel J. Mitchell stated in New York Times im January 1st, 2015 “The United States is not a perfect country, but the American Dream is still a reality.” By that he meant that even with America’s Grow rate, poverty, unemployment rate in the past years and still going Americans can still chase their American dreams If we look at the history and the definition it shows that infact it is possible to attain it.

Read More
1326 Words | 6 Pages

The current event that I feel affects today 's American Dream is high priced homes on the Market. I think that this is affecting the American Dream because infiltration of the house prices skyrocketing. The price of homes is so high because of the law of supply and demand, and the economy in San Diego. Houses being this high in price is forcing people to downgrade and live in a different neighborhoods. I think we can all agree part of the American Dream is to own your own home.

Read More
762 Words | 4 Pages

The American Dream is Attainable Dreaming of success, a bright future, or even hope? An idea placed in the Declaration of Independence, The American Dream has been a beacon of hope to many; however, does The American Dream really exist? Some can and will argue that it’s dead, and that it isn’t achievable. I believe it’s alive, but it has to be realistic. By being realistic, anything could be possible, but only with the amount of effort put forth.

Read More
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.

Read More
1060 Words | 5 Pages

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

Read More
975 Words | 4 Pages

In the 1980`s it changed to extreme success of wealth. Although now the American Dream has changed to the concern of wealth, it started with a happy life for all citizens. The meaning of the American Dream started out as a wealthy but happy life for every citizen of any rank. In the early 1900`s the term “American Dream” was introduced in James Truslow Adams book The Epic of America (Kamp 2).

Read More
426 Words | 2 Pages

The “American Dream” is a quite ambiguous saying, according to Dictionary.com the American dream is “the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American.” However, although defined as so such saying slightly differs from person to person, especially those from the U.S and migrants from other countries. For example, whenever asking my now U.S citizen, but Mexican born mother what the “American Dream” means she described it as “opportunities like money, jobs, health care that aren’t seen in Mexico and are solemnly the reason why she migrated to the U.S twenty-seven years ago.” However, whenever I asked my fiancé and sister both American born, but different ethnicity they shared common viewpoints

Read More
1630 Words | 7 Pages

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.

Read More
1139 Words | 5 Pages

The American dream is a dream that can be dreamt into a dream which has the potential to become reality from what it was originally, just a dream. Many believe that the American Dream in which their life goals being reached is no longer a realistic state of being, since its death many years ago and is simply advertised as living by those more fortunate or well off than them. The belief that I currently hold about the American Dream is that those that are able to see themselves in a higher state of being can and will be able to rise toward their goals. Those people are actively reaching for the daydreams and fantasies they themselves have thought up to one day breath them into reality. The American Dream always has been alive, living well in

Read More

More about How Has The American Dream Changed Over The Years

Related Topics

Open Document