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One point of view that I didn't look at before is that people will do whatever it takes if they want it bad enough. Meaning that some people will break the law, or hurt people for the idea of the American Dream. I also saw a lot of people focusing on the obstacles and why you shouldn't go for the American Dream if you want it and I disagree with that. If you want something you should worry about the things you cannot change, like the obstacles in your way.

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This is my infographic

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Why is the American Dream so appealing?

The reason the American Dream is so appealing is because, "Life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement." Its explaining that richer and living a better life is something everyone wants deep down.

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The "American Dream" is a sort of ethos or set of beliefs that drive many U.S. citizens as they work toward creating a life for themselves. These ideals

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What are the obstacles to achieving the American Dream?

F. Scott Fitzgerald wanted to marry a girl who happened to come from wealth and old money. In the bio he hears that, "Rich girls don't marry poor boys."

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What are the obstacles to achieving the American Dream?

This article talks about how it is harder to achieve the American Dream than ever before. Part of this reason is the education gap between quality and bad education. This gives the idea that wealthier higher educated people only marry people that are wealthy and highly educated people leaving out anyone else.

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Is the American Dream Losing its Appeal?

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Carol Graham examines how globalization impacts income inequality and social mobility and argues that technology-driven growth can play a role in increasing inequality.

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How does one attain the American Dream?

This piece of art explains what the American Dream is to the artist. He shows that his version of the Dream is based off of houses and cars and you can see the numbers in the background symbolizing lottery numbers. This piece of art is saying that it is a lottery to win the American Dream, based on luck.

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How does one attain the American Dream?

This article talks about the American Dream contrary to the common belief that, "The American dream is believed to be achieved through sacrifice, risk-taking, and hard work, rather than by chance." The common belief is that one can't attain the American Dream but this article disagrees.

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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, 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.

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What are the obstacles to achieving the American Dream?

On johnhancock.com, an article states that 46% of Americans feel debt is holding them back, 75% of Americans don't have enough savings for retirement, 46% of Americans say their stress levels limit achieving success, and 65% of Americans are dissatisfied with their Work-Life Balance. The only obstacle is you, if you want it bad enough you'll get it.

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Though life in the United States has changed dramatically since the 1950s, according to a survey John Hancock recently conducted, we still define the American Dream in much the same way as we did back then: a happyfamily, a beautiful home and a fulfilling career. Unfortunately, a whopping 64% of Americans believe they have a long way to go to achieve these dreams. ¹

When digging a little deeper, we identified the top four obstacles preventing people from attaining their American Dream.

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Don't Let Obstacles Stop Your American Dream | John Hancock

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Though life in the United States has changed dramatically since the 1950s, according to a survey John Hancock recently conducted, we still define the American Dream in much the same way as we did back then: a happyfamily, a beautiful home and a fulfilling career.

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Why is the American Dream appealing?

This article helps show a little bit on why the American Dream is appealing. "One’s relationship to the place where they live largely depends upon their privilege, stemming either from the environment they were born into or the circumstances affecting their life. Either way, the experience of any one place is different for every person inhabiting that place." It gives an angle that the American Dream seems so great because it doesn't matter where you are from or what race you are, etc.

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One's relationship to the place where they live largely depends upon their privilege, stemming either from the environment they were born into or the circumstances affecting their life. Either way, the experience of any one place is different for every person inhabiting that place. Rankings like those provided by US News incorporate metrics considering cost of living, median income, and travel time to work when determining the overarching quality of life a place provides to its residents on average. Major cities like New York run a massive gamut, hosting the ultra-wealthy, those below the poverty line, and everyone in between.

Miami is also a city of tremendous dichotomies. Famed for its nightlife, celebrities, and of course, the world-renowned Art Basel festival, its identity in the larger cultural lexicon centers around glamor. But like New York and every other city, the reality beyond that reputation is rather mundane: Miami is a city of 464,000 living their daily lives.

Spanish street artist Jofre Oliveras often contemplates how greater societal problems express themselves within the simple reality of daily life in his work. His latest mural, titled 'American Dream' and painted in Miami, addresses the litany of struggles faced by the city's residents who live outside our preconceived notions of Miami.

'American Dream' features Oliveras's signature style, at once painterly yet strikingly realistic. His treatment of the individuals he depicts contributes to their realism.

Of the mural, Oliveras writes, "This represents a real homeless from Miami painted on an abandoned asylum of the Liberty City neighborhood, one slum of Miami. The city is well known for her tourist night life, the sun and beaches, Wynwood murals and Art Basel. But there is a more realistic face of Miami that we can see through people living in the streets."

The individual lays comfortably. Oliveras's masterful hand depicts their form as one actually sleeps, rather than in the idyllic fairytale lounge often found in our mind's eye. Lazily reclining on one elbow, poignantly cuddling an American flag, their face portrays that this rest is much-needed. Life seems to have left the sleeper weary.

Jofre Oliveras: website | facebook | instagram

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One's relationship to the place where they live largely depends upon their privilege, stemming either from the environment they were born into or the circumstances affecting their life. Either way, the experience of any one place is different for every person inhabiting that place. Rankings like those provided by US News incorporate metrics considering cost ...

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Why is the American Dream appealing?

This is an article written by Ekua Hagan about the Psychology of the American Dream. Ekua writes that, "The American Dream is an optimistic, motivating force that propels people to achieve and accomplish things that we might otherwise not strive for. Its elusiveness makes it that much more compelling as, for many, one’s dream always seems to be out of reach, but still very much worth pursuing." I thought this was a very interesting way to look at the American Dream especially compared to the very pessimistic view of the American dream many people have.

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Why do we believe so fervently in the American Dream?