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The distance between us is a great demonstration of the dream. The reality becomes true coming from abuse and a struggle in life not knowing when or will you will be the morning you wake up and if you will be safe or have food on the table to eat. Reyna came from nothing and took it into something when she came to the United States having the same opportunity as everyone even though she grew up very differently and had her struggles. She shows beautifully how you can go from nothing to something in this land of opportunity.

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This article shows about the American dream and what type of identity or meaning it could have to many people and what they may think about it. It shows that the American Dream is still alive to many and still living alive and well. The identity just may change it times for others in higher classes but America will always be known as the land of opportunity to many who come from other places or those who want a good life. To many the dream means having a good life and being able to financially support the family with a nice car and a beautiful home with kids.

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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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I believe this song demonstrates perfectly what the American Dream is about. The song shows a love story between two characters Tommy and Gina who each have their own life and work in which they try to make a living and support themselves to live their American Dream. The video clip I chose also plays a part in this song through the life that David Goggins lived compared to Tommy when his wife felt low and wanted an easier way out. The story of the song makes the connection with God better and deeper making it seem like he was the only one they had left and together they got through the rough times.

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I strictly chose this video of David Goggins for the American Dream as he has been an inspiration of not only to me, but thousands of athletes and people facing hard times. For me, Mr. Goggins is a great representation of the American Dream and how hard one has to work to get to reach it. David shows the hunger you must have in order to reach the American dream, he came from nothing and turned into something. He had a downfall in the beginning of his life coming up from nothing and he was motivated to be a seal, even though he was 120 lbs overweight, he was often told by navy seals to quit due to his poor lifestyle. I believe he shows us greatly that through hard work anything is possible and he has grown in terms of strength, being able to prove everyone wrong and end up being successful in the end. David was later known to be a great Seal and broke records for running over 125 miles in under 24 hours and breaking the record for the most pull ups being over 7,000. He is a great demonstration of what it means through hard-work to keep pushing and persivere with God along his side, which is another reason I chose the song "Livin on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi.

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For my interview I decided to choose my dad, as he knows well about the dream and what it really means. The American dream in the words of my father is to be good financially and his meaning is very different as he grew up in Mexico. His meaning is to find a good stable job that takes care of you financially and to be able to support your family, to have the ability to bless them with food on the table everyday and to be able to help your kids grow up into the real world. There is only so much money that a man may need in life, the rest is for pleasure. The dream is described by him as having a nice home and an amazing family to look out for in a peaceful neighborhood, knowing that they will be safe at all times.

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The American Dream has a variety of meaning to everyone and they all interpret it in their own way because most of us are born into different classes. For the higher class the American Dream may have lost its meaning, but that doesn't mean that the dream is dead. The dream is still alive and well and will continue to grow and have its meaning differed throughout time. I believe we always strive for more which is good, but I'm not sure that the dream has the same meaning in aspects to someone who started from the beginning as opposed to someone who was born into a higher class with someone who has everything already set in their life. The dream is an opportunity for them to have the minute that they set foot on the land of America.

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For me, my life is good and I can say my family have accomplished what I think of as the American Dream. My family came from nothing making only 5 cents a week in Mexico and now through here life is much better and I feel we are blessed to start from nothing and have the same opportunity as everyone else to start something and make a good living. America is known as the Land of opportunity and I am glad because it is really what my family recognize America for. The dream is to have the same start or chance to become something and many times people do.