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In other info graphics I saw lots of people come to the conclusion that The American Dream has gone downhill due to the culture of today's world. Many info graphics talked about how The American Dream takes time to achieve and it also requires lots of sacrifice but if you work hard enough it is achievable. There are lots of obstacles all the time for each person but it is attainable for anyone if you put your mind to it. In other padlets I saw lots of paintings and personal experiences that further prove if you are determined, you can achieve anything. Each person had different dreams, so if you are able to achieve you own dream, you attained The American Dream. Overall The American Dream is possible.

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this article gives us statistics on the amount of money Americans spend. This will give me statistical information on the habits and provide reasons why people have a hard time achieving the dream.

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Average American Debt Statistics | Bankrate

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From mortgages and HELOC loans to credit card and medical debt, Americans are in more debt than ever. Bankrate has the latest on what we’re paying.

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In the movie, Forest Gump was a man in Alabama who symbolized that working hard can get you places in life. He wanted to be with his best friend and his true love and his determination shows that if you put forth the effort you can change your position in life and achieve your goals. Overall he symbolizes that you need to appreciate life in the moment because you don't know if something good will be taken away from you.

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"the lights are so bright, but they never blind me, me, welcome to New York, its been waiting for you, welcome to New York"

This line connects to the 20's because during this time it was an ongoing party. The lights were always shining and nothing ever stopped because everyone was high on life. New York was the place to be in the 20's because that is where everyone was investing money so they could get more money or achieve the American Dream. New York was the heart of the country at the time.

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The Roaring 20s Dance Marathon by k Madison Moore

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The Roaring 20s Dance Marathon by k Madison Moore

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This painting represents how the in the 20's it was all about having fun and going to parties with a bunch of other people. Everything was extravagant when it came to parties. This picture helps people grasp that there was always things going on and alcohol was flowing at these prates making them crazier as nights went on.

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This article tells me that the top things to do to achieve the american dream is to get cost effective training which means you might not need to go to the best college but to use your money the best way for what you want to achieve weather that be skilled trades or community college. Another thing it tells us is to work hard. By this it means that you might need to make sacrifices and you may make a mistake in the process but to just keep working hard and not give up on you dream life. You may need to take a risk and believe you are capable of achieving your ideal life.

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/ MoneyWatch

Opinion
Six out of 10 Americans believe the American dream is dead according to a recent poll. And lots of people are talking about how terrible that is. But, what I haven't seen addressed is that 4 out of 10 Americans believe the American dream is not dead -- that it is, in fact, still alive and kicking. And furthermore, although the poll doesn't tell me one way or the other, I suspect that a good deal of those 4 out of 10 not only believe it's possible to succeed and be better off than one's parents, but have done precisely that.

Personally, I like to be on the side of positivity. After all, if you figure the game is impossible to win, you won't try as hard to do so.

So, I'm here to tell you that yes, good jobs are hard to come by. Yes, losing your job and having to move back in with your parents is an awful thing. And yes, I don't envy the new grads who are out there looking for the jobs they thought the'd be able to get with a degree, and find themselves working the same job they worked over summers in high school.

But, I also firmly believe it doesn't have to be that way. If you want to achieve the American dream, and end up better off than your parents were, here are some things you can do:

Get cost effective training. For years the advice was to go to the best college you could get into. Perhaps that should be changed to "go to the school that will give you the most bang for your buck." And that may not be college. It may be skilled trades training. It may be a community college. Did you know the median salary for a dental hygienist (2 years of community college) is $68,000?

Forget about dream jobs and think about dream lives. We tell people to chase their dreams and that sounds fine and good until they can't pay their bills. What's your dream life? Your realistic dream life, mind you. You want to have a nice family, be out of debt, and be happy. Right? Sure, your own private jet would be great, but that's not necessary for happiness.

So, don't go chasing happiness through that perfect job. Take a lousy job and work your way up. And come to the reality that while you may love to discuss political philosophy, people really don't want to pay you to do that. So, save that for the weekends and train for a job that actually pays.

Look for warning signs at your job and act first. I receive so many emails from people that literally detail years of their boss being unhappy with them, yet they wait to look for a new job until they are fired. Don't do that. It's easier to find a job when you have one, so when you see the writing on the wall, start job hunting immediately. This also applies when you see the company's finances start to circle the drain. Obviously, you can't perfectly predict what a boss or company will do, but if you pay attention, you'll increase your odds.

Get married and stay married. "On average, people who get married and stay married enjoy almost twice as much wealth as those who never marry." I'm not advising you to run out and grab the closest single person on the street and drag them to the county court house. But, maybe there is something to that old concept of "settling down."

Remember that your parents didn't have it all at once. Accept the idea that success is gradual, not immediate. You may not be able to go out and buy what your parents had, but they probably couldn't buy what they have now when they were your age.

The problem with wanting what they have now is that you get into debt. And when you get into debt, your ability to achieve the American dream is super limited. You can't quit your job and start your own business, because you have credit card bills hanging over your head, for instance.

Work hard. Would you believe that working doesn't just come naturally to some people? There's no concept of when you finish one task, you start in on the next one. Some people pat themselves on the back when they do as little work as possible. While this provides temporary fun, it won't help towards real success.

Whether you're working in an office, as a waitress, or living with your parents while looking for a job, kick your work level up a notch. For the office worker, take on a new project. For the waitress, use down time to clean, stock, and prep. For the unemployed person, clean out the basement, trim the lawn to perfection, and mow your elderly neighbor's lawn as well. Work is good for you.

What do you think? What can you do to keep the American dream alive for yourself?

Trending News

Suzanne Lucas

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MoneyWatch Opinion Six out of 10 Americans believe the American dream is dead according to a recent poll. And lots of people are talking about how terrible that is. But, what I haven't seen addressed is that 4 out of 10 Americans believe the American dream is not dead -- that it is, in fact, still alive and kicking.

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In the last chapter of this novel, Nick goes to see Meyer Wolfsheim so he could invite him to Gatsby's funeral. During their conversation Woldshiem exclaims that "I raised him up out of nothing, right out of the gutter" (171). This tells us that you are able to achieve the american dream like Gatsby but you will need help along the way because it is hard to get there by yourself.

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why the american dream can hurt and not help

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why the american dream can hurt and not help

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This article tells us that while attempting to achieve the american dream, you can be hurt and create false hopes for yourself. This tells me that the rags to riches is a highly unattainable dream to have because doing that is something very few can accomplish. Instead it tells us to start at a point and create a sustainable and reliable life that is realistic for you.

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The Problems of the American Dream: False Hopes and Hurtful Judgments

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the appeal and the advantages and disadvantages

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the appeal and the advantages and disadvantages

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This source tells many different things like how the american dream can provide people with political and economic freedom but it also gives people reason to be disappointed when they don't achieve what they want. The appeal is that anything can be possible in America and that everyone has free and equal opportunity.

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What Is the American Dream?

The American dream is the belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success in a society in which upward mobility is possible for everyone.

The American dream is believed to be achieved through sacrifice, risk-taking, and hard work, rather than by chance.

Key Takeaways

Understanding the American Dream

The term was coined by writer and historian James Truslow Adams in his best-selling 1931 book Epic of America. He described it as "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."

Adams went on to explain, "It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motorcars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position."

The idea of the American dream has much deeper roots. Its tenets can be found in the Declaration of Independence, which states: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, 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."

In a society based on these principles, an individual can live life to its fullest as they define it. America also grew mostly as a nation of immigrants who created a nation where becoming an American-and passing that citizenship to your children-didn't require being the child of an American.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the American Dream

Advantages

Achieving the American dream requires political and economic freedom, as well as rules of law and private property rights. Without them, individuals cannot make the choices that will permit them to attain success, nor can they have confidence that their achievements will not be taken away from them through arbitrary force.

The American dream promises freedom and equality. It offers the freedom to make both the large and small decisions that affect one's life, the freedom to aspire to bigger and better things and the possibility of achieving them, the freedom to accumulate wealth, the opportunity to lead a dignified life, and the freedom to live in accordance with one's values-even if those values are not widely held or accepted.

The books of post-Civil War writer Horatio Alger, in which impoverished but hardworking teenage boys rise to success through pluck, determination, and good fortune, came to personify realizing the Dream.

Disadvantages

Terming it a "dream" also carries with it the notion that these ideals aren't necessarily what has played out in the lives of many actual Americans and those who hope to become Americans. The criticism that reality falls short of the American dream is at least as old as the idea itself. The spread of settlers into Native American lands, slavery, the limitation of the vote (originally) to white male landowners, and a long list of other injustices and challenges have undermined the realization of the dream for many who live in the United States.

As income inequality has increased substantially since the 1970s, the American dream has begun to seem less attainable for those who aren't already affluent or born into affluence. According to U.S. Census family income data, real family income began to grow much more among the top income group than among other segments of American society.

These realities, however, do not diminish the luster of the American dream as an ideal and a beacon to all nations.

How to Measure the American Dream

Today, homeownership is frequently cited as an example of attaining the American dream. It is a symbol of financial success and independence, and it means the ability to control one's own dwelling place instead of being subject to the whims of a landlord. Owning a business and being one's own boss also represents the American dream fulfillment. In addition, access to education and healthcare have been cited as elements of the Dream.

Homeownership has steadily increased over time in the U.S., reflecting a key aspect of owning your own property as a sign of achieving the American Dream. For example, the homeownership rate at the end of 2020 was 65.8%, reflecting an increase of 0.7% higher than the previous year. Entrepreneurship has always been important to the U.S. economy too. In 2019, small businesses created 1.6 million net jobs alone.

Owning property, one's own business, and carving a life of one's own making is all part of the American dream, and the U.S. as a first-world country also offers the benefits of pursuing these passions, without having to worry about basics such as accessing good education and healthcare.

Special Considerations

In her book Spreading the American Dream: American Economic and Cultural Expansion, 1890-1945, sociologist Emily S. Rosenberg identifies five components of the American dream that have shown up in countries around the world. These include the following:

The belief that other nations should replicate America's development

Faith in a free market economy

Support for free trade agreements and foreign direct investment

Promotion of a free flow of information and culture

Acceptance of government protection of private enterprise

The American dream was aided by a number of factors that gave the United States a competitive advantage over other countries. For starters, it is relatively isolated geographically, compared to many other countries, and enjoys a temperate climate. It has a culturally diverse population that businesses use to foster innovation in a global landscape. Abundant natural resources-including oil, arable land, and long coastlines-generate food and income for the country and its residents.

What Is the Original American Dream?

The phrase "American dream" was often used by Progressive-era reformers of the 1900s. Rather than exalting the pursuit of wealth, they sought to tame monopoly capitalism and protect workers and communities from robber barons. This concept was popularized by writer and historian James Truslow Adams in his best-selling 1931 book Epic of America. He described it as "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."

What Are Examples of the American Dream?

Examples of the American Dream include owning your own house, starting a family, and having a stable job or owning your own business.

Is the American Dream Still Achievable?

It's widely debated if the American Dream is still achievable, and what that achievement even entails. Indeed, today, many people wonder if they can keep up with rising housing costs and interest payments on loans needed to purchase things like homes and cars. Moreover, American's need to save for their own retirement and pay large out-of-pocket costs for healthcare and higher education, which can leave families saddled with high-interest debt that is hard to crawl back from.

What Is the American Dream in Dr. Martin Luther King's Speech?

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous speech referenced the concept of the American dream by stating: "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal.'" Since the early 1960s, Dr. King had pondered and preached about how African Americans didn't get a chance to access the reality of the American dream because they were not truly equal to white men and women. Ultimately, Dr. King's "American dream" was equality.

How Has the American Dream Changed?

Over time, the American dream has shifted from an ethos of equality and solidarity to one of individualistic competition to succeed materialistically, fueled by consumption. In the 1990s and early 2000s, mortgage company Fannie Mae began promulgating the notion that buying a home was a cornerstone of the American Dream, and use the term prominently in ads selling home loans. This ideology led to the housing boom and ultimate bubble that popped ultimately, leading to the 2008-09 financial crisis.

The Bottom Line

The concept of the American dream is still one of the most uniquely "American" ideals-the ultimate idea that any individual should be able to pursue their dreams and build the life they want if they put in the hard work. This motivating drive influences the economy with entrepreneurship and individual ambition, infusing a romantic notion to anyone trying to be successful in the United States. Though the definition of the American Dream has changed to mean different things to different generations, it's undoubtedly part of the American ethos, and always will be.

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What Is the American Dream? Examples and How to Measure It

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The American Dream is the belief that anyone can attain their own version of success in a society where upward mobility is possible for everyone.

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This painting shows people of many different races congregating under the American Flag and looking up at it. This symbolizes that many different people are looking to America to be the place filled with opportunity so they can succeed in life and achieve their own version of the American Dream.