The American dream is something people in the United States and the world over, have strived for throughout the years. From the first immigrants of Western Europe to the new immigrants of Asia, Africa, and the Americas, many came to this country in pursuit of freedom a chance at upward mobility. This American Dream essay example will focus on the ways Americans have in the past and present, attempted to achieve a life of happiness and fulfilment in the United States.

Title Recommendations:

Pursuit of the American Dream

To be or not to be: The American Dream

A chance at Upward Mobility: The American Dream

Topic Recommendations:

The Modern Day American Dream

Why Do People Pursue the Elusive American Dream?

How to resurrect the American Dream

The Ideals Behind the American Dream

Outline:

I.  Introduction

II.  Body

A.  The History Behind the American Dream

B.  The Modern Day American Dream

C.  Is the American Dream Gone?

D.  The New Immigrants

III.  Conclusion

 

Lost or Still There, The Pursuit of the American Dream

 

Introduction

The American Dream began as a journey from oppressive Great Britain to a new land. Those seeking religious freedom came to North America and formed the thirteen colonies so they may pursue a life filled with happiness and upward mobility. However, not everyone got what they wanted and soon the American Dream became an American Nightmare for some. That didn’t stop however, new immigrants from coming and trying to chase their own version of this time old wish.

Essay Hook

Although the versions of the American Dream have changed throughout the centuries, people still maintain a strong desire to make it and come to the United States to see what life there can offer.

Thesis Statement

The past and the present remind Americans what the American Dream consisted and consist of; that is where this will essay will go to understand why such a notion has persisted since the first settlers came to shore.

Body

The History Behind the American Dream

The roots of the American Dream first began when the first British settlers came to North America to form what would be known as the thirteen colonies. They sought freedom from religious persecution in Great Britain (Caldwell, 2011). Some decided to head towards the east coast of North America to practice their beliefs and make money for themselves and their families. It was hard for many that came. They endured hardships and conflicts with the Natives that lived there. Still, a few colonists managed to make life in the colonies profitable and built their homes and businesses accordingly.

Some say the American dream has a strong foundation of individualism. “The American Dream was built on the rough foundation of American individualism, a revolutionary substance unlike anything the world had seen before” (Caldwell, 2011, p. 11). Those that came, did so because they wanted the liberty of being their own person. For the British colonists, they wanted not only a new start, but a new identity, away from the ones they left on the British shores. While the symbolism of the American Dream came from the settlers to what is now the United States, the actual phrase existed centuries later.

The true origin of the phrase was first mentioned in 1931, by a middlebrow historian James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America. In this book, the phrase appears for the first time in the Preface, when Adams refers to the ‘American dream of a better, richer, and happier life,’ adding that ‘that dream or hope has been present from the start’ (Kochan, 2007, p. 210).

To someone like James Truslow Adams, the American Dream meant a strong sense of hope and desire that fueled the long journey to a better life. Many people that have come to the United States had hope in their eyes when they entered through Ellis Island. That hope persisted even when things did not lead to a better, richer, happier life.  Many that crossed the border into America whether legally or illegally has experienced hardships that make them question if the move to this seemingly prosperous nation was a good idea. Even those that were born in the United States with immigrant parents feel as though the United States is not a home, rather a temporary base. Such a sentiment... The stagnant economy, the multiple recessions could be one reason. The lack of quality and affordable education and healthcare could be another. People coming to this country are experiencing regret because their picture of the American Dream has been shattered.  This leads to what the American Dream consists of today.

The Modern Day American Dream

People who have grown up looking towards America, thinking as adults about achieving the American Dream, have seen an evolution of such a notion throughout the years. Back then, the American Dream signified hope and a life of happiness, a fresh start. In the modern world and especially in the last few decades, the American Dream has taken on the form of materialism and financial security. “The American Dream is usually defined in terms of financial security, homeownership and higher education” (Currier, 2015). When people think of the American Dream, they think of owning a home.

This is because home buying has been part of the American reality for many people in the 1950’s. People could buy homes with relatively little money, and pay off their mortgages in 30 to 40 years. They could buy a car, own it, and have it to pass down to their children. It was comforting to people living in 1950’s America to know that they could afford independence and upward mobility.

While it was something that existed in the earlier part of the 20th century, the Great Depression and the World Wars brought tough times and a harsh, economic reality. People did not have a chance to enjoy life, much less try to better themselves for the future of their families and themselves. When the shift towards economic prosperity happened in the 1950’s that was when Americans could take the time to improve themselves and reach towards the goal of upward mobility. That was when several of these Americans began attending college to improve their career prospects.

The last part of the modern American Dream, higher education, originated from children of the 1950’s attending and graduating from college. Kids graduated and acquired gainful employment right after graduation, continuing the cycle of stability and upward mobility with their children. This ‘ladder’ shifted the mentality of Americans towards the American Dream, transforming it into a desire to own something and to learn.   People from everywhere saw the United States as part of a golden age where people could make something of themselves if they worked hard. They could gain the home and the education that they wanted. Looking at countries like England where classism was and is intrinsically connected to culture and society, America was the opposite. In many people’s eyes people did not have to come from wealth to be wealthy. Famous businessmen like John D. Rockefeller came from humble beginnings and quickly became one of the richest men of America thanks to hard work and good business acumen (Chernow, 2010).  However, another part of the modern American Dream emerged as well. That is the rags to riches story.

The rags to riches story is what many people in the United States who have little money, hope to achieve. Writers like J.K. Rowling, singers like Adele, they grew up impoverished and lived some of their adult life with little chance of upward mobility. But because they were talented and had some good luck, right timing, they managed to overcome their poverty and reach a milestone of success and economic freedom they only imagined. This is what many working-class people in the United States would like to achieve. However, most people from the lower-income bracket barely achieve upward mobility within a generation. With the increasingly unstable economic climate nationally and worldwide, the perceived prospects look grim. “Recent polling shows that Americans feel increasingly financially insecure, perhaps in part because of this lack of mobility out of the bottom rung of the economic ladder. It's no surprise, then, that for many the American Dream may feel out of reach” (Currier, 2015).

What does this all mean? It means people have lost hope. Some no longer believe in a fresh start or a chance at a better life because the new version of the American Dream seems unattainable. People have lost their hope for a better life. A lot of it has to do with the continued economic instability of the United States. The United States ‘Golden Era’, the 1950’s, catapulted the American Dream back onto centerstage. However, now that the Golden Era’s dust has settled and blown to the wayside, there is little left for this generation and the next to live from, much less use.

This leads to the idea of the American Dream disappearing. When things become difficult to manage and people have no hope left for improvement in their situations, what can…