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The American Dream In The Epic Of America By Historian James Adams

2134 Words9 Pages

The American Dream is a phrase that has been present in our nation for almost 200 years. But Historian James Adams propelled it into the common vernacular of our country in his book "The Epic of America" published in 1931. In his book, Adams explains "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement,"(Kiger). Ironically, this phrase ,which has become an ideology and idiom representing Americana, was written and embraced in the midst of The Great Depression. Since it’s birth the idea of the American Dream has never paralleled reality. Despite this, our nation is still striving for the ever evasive dream many think we have lost, but never actually had. …show more content…

Donald Trump the only candidate representing the Republican party claims,"The fact is, the American Dream is dead – but if I win, I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before,"(Thomas). Hillary Clinton proclaimed,"I ran for president to renew the promise of America. To rebuild the middle class and sustain the American dream,"(Clinton) . Clinton argues that the American Dream is difficult to achieve for some. She describes the American Dream as,"at the heart of the American Dream: No matter who you are or where you come from, if you work hard and play by the rules, you should have the opportunity to build a good life for yourself and your

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“The original term ‘American Dream’ was coined during the Great Depression by James Truslow Adams, who wrote that the American dream ‘is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability and achievement, regardless of social class or circumstances of birth’ ” (573). He then addresses the views of liberal economists and activists, who think the American dream is dead, using facts from a survey done in 2009 by the New York Times. Essentially, the “survey found that 72 percent of Americans still believed it was possible to start poor, work hard, and become rich in America” (573).

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The American Dream is for everyone. Everyone has the equal chance to achieve it. It doesn’t matter who you are, what your name is, how old or young you are, how tall or short you are, whether you’re male or female, what your race is, or how much money you have in your bank account. You’re in America. Equality is key.

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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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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.

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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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America is known as “The Land of Opportunity” and it established the concept of the American Dream in the 1900’s. The fight for this dream was prevalent even before it was given a name in 1930. The founding fathers wrote this belief into the constitution with the words “All Americans are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. Among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” .Some Americans believe that the American Dream can still be obtained in the 21st Century with hard work and perservance ; however, a majority of the American population among race gender and class has a different point of view on what America still provides to their citizens because economic insta8bility and lack of equal opportunity.

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The American Dream is an opportunity in which a determined person can have exceptional success through dedication and hard work, achieving equality, freedom, and personal goals. As immigrants, my grandparents followed this beacon of hope, and had this one thing in mind: a better life. Coming from

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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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American Dream James Truslow Adams, in his book which was written in 1931 and called “ The Epic of America” wrote about American dream, that American dream is about being richer and living in better life. Also that American dream is more materialistic, that people work a lot of hours to gain things which they want to have. Such as luxury cars, big houses. They want to be wealthy, rich and have all expensive things and live in a world of money and wealth.

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Over the years, a dream that changed the way the world saw the U.S. was created and it is the American Dream. As the years passed and the U.S. was developing the American Dream as well developed or as many say changed. The American Dream is a term that was introduced in 1931 by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America (Kamp 2). The term “American Dream” started with a meaning that was reachable: “a better, richer and happier life for all citizens of every rank”(3). Throughout the years the term`s meaning changed dramatically.

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People sailing across the Atlantic, farmers cultivating their land, and immigrants coming to escape the harsh conditions in their homeland all have one thing in common: they all share one common goal, The American Dream. The American Dream gives people the right to be who they want to be and achieve dreams thought to be impossible anywhere but our great nation. The American Dream is still very much alive and available today for those who are willing to work for it. Our nation is a land of equal opportunity: where second chances are possible and if someone wants to achieve their American Dream, they must have motivation and perseverance.

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The American Dream was created for all to be equal with the right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. A dream is a series of thoughts on possibilities one can attain, hence, only one can choose to believe in the American Dream and if it’s achievable. In particular, Steve Tobak’s article called The American Dream is Alive and Well focuses on the opportunity Americans have unlike others and that the dream is attainable by all who work for it. A book by John Winthrop called City Upon a Hill implies that all men are capable of anything if they put God first. The American dream should make life fuller for all, provide happiness, and lead every American to believe they can do anything.

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Take for example Michelle Obama's 2012 speech where she proclaims, “If farmers and blacksmiths could win independence from an empire, if immigrants could leave everything they knew for a better life on our shores, surely we could give everyone in this country a fair chance at the American Dream”. Exemplified in this expert is the cornerstone of the American persona, the eagerness to dream. Americans will always hold onto this dream because it has been passed down for generations. Some have witnessed the dream and others are still waiting, but despite adversity, people will continue to hope. In this way, the American Dream is alive and well because people are always going to crave that promise of

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The term ‘The American Dream’ was first coined in 1931 by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America. He defines the American Dream as “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity according to ability or achievement. […] not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be

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