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The American Dream: Better Off Than Your Parent's Generation

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Some say the American Dream can be defined as being better off than your parent’s generation. Others may see it as the promise of riches and opportunity. But most agree that it is what immigrants come to America for. Personally, I believe it is meant to give everyone, no matter who they are, an equal opportunity to achieve success however they define it; to do so it embraces and upholds certain ideals and works to unite us a nation.
According to Franklin D. Roosevelt, the dream involves four freedoms: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. These freedoms are some of the ideals that the American Dream stands for. In addition, Americans should be able to “have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe; [...] participate in the political process without …show more content…

There should be no hierarchy where the poor have less of an opportunity than the rich, or where the amount of opportunity one gets is dependent on their race or religion. In a perfect system, anyone, no matter who they were at birth, would be able to achieve their goals, providing they worked hard enough at them.
Furthermore, part of what defines the American dream is the fact that it brings us together as Americans. “We argue and debate our differences vigorously and often. “But when all 's said and done, we still come together as one people and pledge our allegiance not just to a place on a map […]” (Obama). It’s even part of this great nation’s full name--the United States of America. America was built on the fundamental beliefs and actions included in my definition of the American Dream, and it is these actions that bring us

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