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The American Dream In The Pre-Colonial Era

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The American Dream manifested in the Pre-Colonial Era Just as , Pre-colonial literature authors incorporated the astounding ideas of the American Dream into their literature of the Pre-Colonial Era in order to express the dream’s universal beauty and emphasize how America is truly a melting pot. As a prominent group from the Pre-Colonial Era, the Native Americans saw the American Dream as a paradise, comparable to the Garden of Eden, offering an abundance of opportunities for all through their poems, songs, creation myths, and government documents. In addition to the Native Americans, the African Americans view the land of opportunity as a unique place where individuality is accepted and eminent as being the core of American culture and one …show more content…

The three uniquely different outlooks of America from the Pre-Colonial works construct the elements to the changing idea of the American Dream. The Native Americans portrayed America as being a Promised Land possessing related qualities to the Garden of Eden, being one of the earliest descriptions of paradise, representing the beginning of human time and experience and therefore can conjure powerful images of a pure time and place because of the prosperous land. As the original indigenous group of people from America, the Native Americans believe that every animal has a purpose either physically or spiritually and should be treated with as much respect as an individual. The devotion to animals is expressed in The Iroquois Constitution, written by the Iroquois tribe, where the Native Americans place an eagle at the top of the Tree of the Great Peace. The eagle is being honored by the Native Americans as being superior to themselves and is still worshiped in America today, which connects to the origin of animals in …show more content…

In order to make the dream of coming to America superior, the Europeans were convinced that coming to the New World would allow them to break away from England and begin a new and enriched life. In the letter, A Description of New England, John Smith writes that liberty is free in America, but in England it costs more. The brighter idea of liberty being free to them in America, rather than in Europe makes the Europeans believe that they will be able to start their own government and self-rule which interests them. To further convince the Europeans to come to America, they are told that the land in America is stunning and resourceful. Christopher Columbus writes in his “Letter to Luis de Santangel Regarding the First Voyage” that there are many harbors on the coast of the sea beyond comparison with others, and that there are thousands of different shapes and sizes of trees. In addition to beginning a new life in the New World, the Europeans believe that the land of America will make them rich and they will live a worthy life on that land. John Smith tells the Europeans in the letter, A Description of New England, that no one will be poor in America because there is an endless amount of land to farm turnips, carrots, cabbage, and more. These products will benefit the Europeans because they will allow them to have an abundance of

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Before anything Puritans came to the New World looking for freedom from the British Crown. While in their empire they had to obey the New England church, in which they absolutely hated. So it was promised that in the Americas they would not only have religious freedom the the chance to own their own land and properties, and lots of it. At first Salutary Neglect came to the colonize where Britain tried to impose laws or “acts” to the colonized but they were never truly enforced.

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Another man named John Smith had the same thing in mind, but to make money. These two leaders, both came from England and established two very different colonies. Many men and John Smith traveled from England to America so they could establish the colony of Jamestown. They left England to make money. John Smith is the leader of the men who moved to America was never really

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People of this time just wanted to come somewhere where there was a lot of open country and plenty of food and opportunities to do great things. From the letter you can see that when people came to the British Colonies freedom to choose and not be taxed were what they were looking for but also what they

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Most men were just simply involved in many activities that would be benefitted if they were to make the voyage over to the Americas. In the Americas, everyone did their part and worked hard in the colonies because all colonists had a similar goal. The goal of all of the colonists was to live and thrive in the environment and nature in the new colonial region, in which they inhabited. This illustrates the main reasons for the British men and women to make the voyage across the Atlantic and come over to the Americas, which in turn built up their empire with the population growth in the colonies. The British people possessed many ambitious motives for their long journey to inhabit the new world, such as trade.

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During the time of the 1650’s the Americas were not a part of what is now the United States and other countries in Central America and as well as the Caribbean. During those years European countries who were dominate in exploring the world and conquering new lands were the British, Spanish, French and the Dutch. The world economy was greatly impacted by the production of goods the Americas could provide Europe and even parts of Asia. The America’s were rich in materials that could not be made vastly, like the production of cotton, crops, tobacco and as well as natural gems like gold and silver that would increase wealth of the country who was exploring the region at the time. The British crown at the time was a powerful nation and if not the most powerful in wealth and military with great number of troops and

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In the 1400s Columbus miscalculated Asia and instead claims he found the “New World” (America) and used Natives as slaves. He promised the founder of the voyage, Queen Isabella, gold and glory. In the 1500’s on his second voyage, the land became more valuable than the Europeans original desires. In this time, Europe was in trouble and America had solutions due to its unclaimed land.

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During westward expansion, land has played a key role in the existence of humans. It has been the individual thirst for power and expansion that causes humans to feel the need to gain land. Even in medieval times, one could not be considered nobel unless one had acquired land. In addition to seeing land as a powerful entity and a symbol of strength, it is also seen as necessary for the preservation of human existence. Infact, Andrew jackson in his address to congress on the Indian Removal Act, John.

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Introduction The Declaration of Independence of 1776 asserted that all men are created equal and are endowed with certain unalienable rights among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. However, the exhaustion of farm land by poor agricultural planning and the introduction of the assembly line reversed the flow in the 1920s. They helped to turn the migration of the people back to the city. Many farmers returned to the cities to work for such leaders of industry as Ford and Rockefeller. The American Dream indicated not about a better life but about wealth.

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The eagle happens to be a symbol of America, and it could represent the fact that Native Americans were forced out of their land and brutally slaughtered, perhaps Jackson’s cruelest feat of all. Native Americans lived peacefully until Jackson’s presidency. Then, he forced them to leave. Some protested and tried to stick their ground, but Jackson herded the Cherokee out of their homes in Georgia and led the, across what was named the Trail of Tears. Four thousand innocent Native Americans died, and as the eagle is their symbol, the eagle could represent Native Americans being

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The development of agriculture and the rise of industrialization generated new cultures and innovations in the new world. Native people in early America developed cultural distinct , men were in charge of the fishing, hunting, jobs that were more exposed to violence, and the women stayed closed to the village, farming, and child bearing. The way of life possessed by natives Americans did not compel them to conquer and transform new land. As opposed to European colonizers, Native Americans subscribed to a more “animistic” understanding of nature. In which they believed that plants and animals are not commodities, they are something to be respected rather than used.

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This influenced them to look more from the New World for individual gain and did not hold as much allegiance to England as the southern colonist did. Southern pilgrims went to the New World regularly by companies promising land. For instance, if Virginia guaranteed fifty acres of land to each individual paying to go to the New World this implied that they still positively liked the English and were not leaving England to escape persecution. While their property and financial frameworks may have been awful in England they saw their voyage as a way the English government was helping them turn out more stable.

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When America was built, its character and identity was established by The Declaration of Independence, providing its citizens equality, liberty, and equal opportunity. The premise of the composition of USA became known as the American Dream, with the aspiration that one’s achievement is not constrained by his/her social class or fortune but is determined by endeavor. This delusion of harmony was greatly contradicted by two novels: The Crucible and The Grapes of Wrath. In The Crucible, under constant hallucination of evil and corruptness, people for their own greediness began making false accusations on each other.

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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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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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1391 Words | 6 Pages

James Truslow Adams defines the American Dream as the “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” (The American Dream). An idea sought after by millions of people is the American Dream; they believe there is a reward for hard work and that that reward is happiness and prosperity. The Great Gatsby, Of Mice and Men, and The Crucible are all works, which portray the pursuit and destruction of the American Dream. Jay Gatsby’s American dream was to marry the woman he loved. This is evident throughout the novel; Gatsby is determined to transform his life from dirt to diamonds all to be a suitable man for Daisy.

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