The American Dream Flashcards
When was the American dream first coined ?
By James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America in 1931:
“The American Dream is the dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement”
A Modern Definition :
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
- Homeownership and education are often seen as paths to achieving the American dream.
- 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 likely always will be
Consequences
The concept of the United States as a land with unlimited opportunities has attracted millions of both illegal and legal immigrants
Def social mobility
a person’s ability to move to a different social class, usually from a lower to a higher social class
Some Americans call America
New Canaan (bible)
Manifest destiny (belief that America is the one nation ordered by god to expand macros the North American continent
When and by whom was the Declaration of Independence written ?
Thomas Jefferson
Date of declaration 4th July 1776
The main critic of the American dream
- no universal health insurance
- the education system is linked to extreme expenses
- social segregation
- people with a lower income encounter higher housing transportation and food expenses in relation to richer individuals
- harder to get a credit due to the fact that the financial institutions require good credit or a high income
