Definition: The American Dream - perfect option when the government must protect each individual's ability to pursue their own idea of happiness. The Declaration of Independence defends this American dream. It uses a familiar quote: “We take these truths for granted, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among them is Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Definition: The American Dream is an ideal scenario where the government should protect each individual's ability to pursue their own idea of happiness.
The Declaration of Independence defends this American dream. It uses a familiar quote: “We take these truths for granted, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among them is Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
The Declaration continued: "In order to secure these rights, governments are established among the people, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
The founding fathers of the law of the revolutionary idea that every person's desire to achieve happiness was not just self-indulgence. It was part of what drives ambition and creativity. By legally protecting these values, the Founding Fathers created a society that was very attractive to those who aspired to a better life. (Source: American Dream: A Biography, Vremya Magazine, June 21, 2012)
To the drafters of the Declaration, the American Dream could flourish only when it was not hindered by "taxation without representation." Kings, military rulers or tyrants should not decide taxes and other laws. The people should have the right to elect officials to represent them. These leaders must abide by the laws themselves, not create new legislation willy-nilly.
Legal disputes should be decided by a jury, not the whim of a leader. The Declaration also specifically states that the country should be allowed free trade. (Source: Declaration of Independence, US National Archives.)
American Dream legally protects the right of every American to reach their potential.
This allows them to contribute to society ... I am convinced that the best way to ensure national progress is to protect the right of citizens to improve their lives. (Source: Creating the American Dream, American Radio Works.)
In 1931, historian James Truslow Adams first publicly defined the "American Dream". He used this phrase in his book
Epic of America . An oft-repeated quote from Adams: "The American Dream is the dream of a land in which life is to be better, richer, and fuller for all, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement."
Adams further said that this is not "...a dream of cars and high wages, but a dream of a social order in which every man and every woman can achieve the fullest stature for which they are innately capable and be recognized by others for being that they are, regardless of the accidental circumstances of birth or position.
The American Dream is "the beauty of expected success". So said the French historian Alexis de Tocqueville in his book
Democracy in America . He studied American society in the 19th century.
This allure has drawn millions of immigrants to the shores of the United States. It was also a compelling vision for other peoples.
Sociologist Emily Rosenberg identified five components of the American Dream that have emerged in countries around the world.
Belief that other countries should emulate America's development.
- Faith in a free market economy.
- Support for free trade agreements and foreign direct investment.
- Encouraging the free flow of information and culture.
- Acceptance of state protection of private enterprise. (Source: Emily S. Rosenberg,
- Spreading the American Dream: American Economic and Cultural Expansion 1890-1945 .)
The American Dream is made possible by an environment conducive to prosperity, peace and opportunity. There are three main geographic, economic and political factors.
First, the United States has a large land mass under one government, thanks to the results of the civil war.
Second, America has benign neighbors. Part of it has to do with geography. The climate in Canada is too cold, and in Mexico it is too hot to create powerful economic threats.
Thirdly, the rich Natural resources fuel US trade. These include oil, rainfall, and many rivers. Long coastlines and flat relief is easy to transport. See How natural resources boost the economy for more details.
These conditions favored a population united by language, political system and values. This allowed a diverse population to become a competitive advantage. US companies use it to become more innovative. They have a large, easily accessible test market for new products. At the same time, diverse demographics allow them to test niche products. This American melting pot generates more innovative ideas than a small, homogeneous population. See Benefits of Cultural Diversity for more details.
History of the American Dream
In the beginning, the Declaration only extended the Dream to white owners. However, the idea of inalienable rights was so strong that laws were added to extend these rights to slaves, women, and non-property owners. Thus, the American dream changed the course of America itself.
In the 1920s the American dream started morphing to the right to create a better life for the desire to acquire material things. This change was described in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel,
The Great Gatsby . In it, Daisy Buchanan's character cries when she sees Jay Gatsby's shirts because she has "never seen such, such beautiful shirts before. " This version of the dream bestowed by greed was never truly achievable. Someone else had more. Dream
The Great Gatsby was "an orgiastic future that recedes before us year after year. It eluded us then, but that doesn't matter - tomorrow we'll run faster, stretch our arms further..." This greed led to the 1929 stock market crash and the Great Depression. The country's leaders verbalized evolution american dream. President Lincoln granted equal opportunity to Son for slaves. President Wilson supported women's voting rights. He led to the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1918. President Johnson advanced Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This ended school segregation and protected workers from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy) or national origin. In 1967, he extended these rights to those over 40 years of age. President Obama supported the legal prenuptial agreement, regardless of sexual orientation.
After the 1920s, many presidents backed Gatsby Son, guaranteeing material gains. President Roosevelt extended the equivalent homeownership opportunity by creating Fannie Mae to secure mortgages. His Economic Bill of Rights protected "...the right to decent housing, to a job sufficient to support one's family and oneself, opportunities for education for all, and universal health care."
President Truman built this idea after World War II. His "post-war social contract" included the GI bill. He provided government college degrees for returning veterans. Urban policy expert Matt Lassiter summed up Truman's "contract" this way: "... if you worked hard and played by the rules, you deserved certain things. You deserved security and decent housing and didn't have to constantly worry about losing your home to bankruptcy." (
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
… the American dream of a country where everyone's life is better, richer and fuller, where everyone has the opportunity to get what he deserves.
James Adams wanted to encourage his compatriots, to remind them of America's purpose and achievements. This phrase stuck and then became the title of a play by Edward Albee (1961) and a novel by Norman Mailer (1965), but in these works it was rethought ironically.
The meaning of the term "American dream" is very vague. Thus, the historian F. Carpenter wrote: “The American dream has never been precisely defined and, obviously, will never be defined. It is both too varied and too vague: different people give different meanings to this concept. However, almost all US presidents, when taking office and making responsible decisions, have to promise their constituents that their policies will advance the realization of this dream.
"certain inalienable rights" including "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
The concept of the "American Dream" is often associated with immigrants who came to the United States in search of a better life. The fact that they left countries where, unlike the United States, there was a fairly rigid class system that limited social mobility determined their commitment to the philosophy of individual freedom and free enterprise. The concept of the American Dream is closely related to the concept of "self-made person", that is, a person who independently achieved success in life through hard work.
The components of the "American dream" are also the ideal of equality of all before the law, regardless of ethnic origin and social status, as well as the veneration of symbols, models and heroes common to all Americans.
Ownership of a private home is often seen as physical proof of the American Dream.
The theme of the search for the "American dream" was touched upon in his works by Hunter Thompson.
Criticism
What happened to the American Dream? No more sounds of a single powerful voice expressing our common hope and will are heard. What we hear now is a cacophony of horror, reconciliation and compromise, empty chatter, high-sounding words "freedom, democracy, patriotism", from which we have emasculated any content.
American writer,
»; spiritual power of the nation. If a American system is the skeleton of American politics, the American dream is its soul.
The origin of the phrase "American dream" is considered to be a historical treatise written during the Great Depression. James Adams, entitled "The Epic of America" (eng. The Epic of America, 1931) :
… the American dream of a country where everyone's life is better, richer and fuller, where everyone has the opportunity to get what he deserves.
James Adams wanted to encourage his compatriots, to remind them of America's purpose and achievements. This phrase stuck and then became the title of a play by Edward Albee (1961) and a novel by Norman Mailer (1965), but in these works it was rethought ironically.
The meaning of the term "American dream" is very vague. Thus, the historian F. Carpenter wrote: “The American dream has never been precisely defined and, obviously, will never be defined. It is both too diverse and too vague: different people put different meanings into this concept. However, almost all US presidents, when taking office and making responsible decisions, have to promise their constituents that their policies will advance the realization of this dream.
"certain inalienable rights" including "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
The concept of the "American Dream" is often associated with immigrants who came to the United States in search of a better life. The fact that they left countries where, unlike the United States, there was a fairly rigid class system that limited social mobility determined their commitment to the philosophy of individual freedom and free enterprise. The concept of the American Dream is closely related to the concept of "self-made person", that is, a person who independently achieved success in life through hard work.
The components of the "American dream" are also the ideal of equality of all before the law, regardless of ethnic origin and social status, as well as the veneration of symbols, models and heroes common to all Americans.
Ownership of a private home is often seen as physical proof of the American Dream.
The theme of the search for the "American dream" was touched upon in his works by Hunter Thompson.
Criticism
What happened to the American Dream? No more sounds of a single powerful voice expressing our common hope and will are heard. What we hear now is a cacophony of horror, reconciliation and compromise, empty chatter, high-sounding words "freedom, democracy, patriotism", from which we have emasculated any content.
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- Mark Lapitsky
Notes
Excerpt from the American Dream
Smiling contentedly, Caraffa literally “dragged” me by the hand along a long corridor until we finally stopped at a heavy door decorated with patterned gilding. He turned the knob and... Oh, gods!!!.. I ended up in my favorite Venetian room, in our own family palazzo...Looking around in shock, not being able to recover from the “surprise” that had so unexpectedly collapsed, I calmed my jumping heart, being unable to breathe! wonderful years, then not yet ruined by anger cruel man... recreating for some reason here (!) today my dear, but long-lost, happy world ... In this miraculously "resurrected" room, there was every personal thing dear to me, every little thing I loved! .. Not able to take my eyes off all this sweet and so familiar environment for me, I was afraid to move, so as not to inadvertently frighten away the wondrous vision ...
– Do you like my surprise, Madonna? - Satisfied with the effect, asked Karaffa.
The most incredible thing was that this strange man sincerely did not understand what deep mental pain he caused me with his “surprise”!.. Seeing HERE (!!!) what was once a real “center” of my family happiness and peace, I wanted only one thing - to rush at this terrible "holy" Pope and strangle him in a deadly embrace until his terrifying black soul flies out of him forever ... But instead of realizing what I wanted so much, I just tried to get myself together so that Caraffa does not hear how my voice trembles, and as calmly as possible said:
“Excuse me, Your Holiness, can I stay here alone for a while?”
– Well, of course, Isidora! This is now your quarters! I hope you like them.
Did he really not understand what he was doing?! .. Or vice versa - he knew very well? .. And it was just his restless atrocity that “had fun” that still did not find peace, inventing some new tortures for me? !.. Suddenly, a burning thought slashed me - what, in this case, became of everything else?.. What happened to our wonderful home, which we all loved so much? What happened to the servants and servants, to all the people who lived there?!
“May I ask Your Holiness, what has become of our ancestral palace in Venice?” I whispered in a shaky voice. - What happened to those who lived there? .. You didn’t throw people out into the street, I hope? They have no other home, Holiness! ..
Caraffa grimaced in displeasure.
– Have mercy, Isidora! Should you take care of them now? .. Your house, as you, of course, understand, has now become the property of our holy church. And everything that was connected with him is no longer your concern!
- My house, like everything that is inside it, Your Holiness, after the death of my beloved husband, Girolamo, belongs to my daughter Anna, while she is alive! I exclaimed indignantly. – Or does the “holy” church no longer consider her a tenant in this world?!
Everything was boiling inside me, although I perfectly understood that, being angry, I only complicated my already hopeless situation. But the arrogance and arrogance of Caraffa, I'm sure, could not leave anyone calm. normal person! Even when it was only about desecrated memories dear to his heart...
- As long as Anna is alive, she will be here, Madonna, and serve our beloved holy church! Well, if she, unfortunately, changes her mind, she, one way or another, will no longer need your wonderful home! - Caraffa hissed furiously. – Do not overdo it in your zeal to find justice, Isidora! It can only harm you. My long-suffering also has limits... And I sincerely advise you not to cross them!..
Turning sharply, he disappeared behind the door, without even saying goodbye and not informing me how long I could stay alone in my so unexpectedly resurrected past ...
Time stopped... ruthlessly throwing me, with the help of Caraffa's sick fantasy, into my happy, cloudless days, not at all worrying that my heart could simply stop from such an unexpected "reality"...
I sadly sank into a chair by the familiar mirror, in which the beloved faces of my relatives were so often reflected ... And in which now, surrounded by dear ghosts, I sat all alone ... Memories choked with the power of their beauty and deeply executed with bitter sadness our departed happiness...
It's safe to say that almost every American has at least heard of the American dream. For years politicians have praised her in their speeches or warned the people that she would be endangered if their opponent was elected. Popular songwriters from Neil Diamond to Tanya Tucker have sung about the pursuit of this very dream. Hundreds of books are full of the words "American dream" on their covers; and some of them are guidelines on how to achieve it. There can be no greater compliment for an American citizen than to say that he or she has achieved the American Dream.
Given the fact that Americans are so in love with the American Dream, it's even more bizarre that few people can actually agree on a definition of the term. For some, it is the belief that everyone who lives in this country, even a poor immigrant, a slum dweller, or a farmer's child, has the potential to become rich and prosper. For others, it is the belief that every person living in the United States has the opportunity to achieve their (even the most incredible) goals. For others, such as folksinger and social activist Woody Guthrie, whose most famous composition is "This Is Your Land" (which is still sung by schoolchildren across the country to this day), or civil rights leader Martin Luther King, the American Dream means that every citizen of the country is guaranteed equality, freedom and the right to be heard.
But not everyone sees the American Dream as a positive aspect of society. Some say that it has become a compulsion and an obsession to hoard wealth and property, which can lead to the death of the people. For example, Harvard Business University professor John A. Quelch writes that political leaders guilty of "defining the American dream in material terms, of encouraging Americans to live beyond their means in their pursuit of the goal." Other opponents point out that America's ethnic and economic disparity persists, making the American dream little more than a cruel myth. Comedian, writer, and public critic George Carlin once said, "It's called the American Dream, because you have to be in a dream to believe it."
No matter how you feel about the American dream, you are probably wondering how it came about. Let's find out!
Origin of the American Dream
Historian James Truslow Adams is often credited with a major role in popularizing the idea of the American Dream. In 1931, in his treatise The Epic of America, Adams wrote "that this is the dream of a land in which life should be better and richer for all, providing opportunities for everyone, according to his abilities or achievements."
But the notion of the American dream, as defined by Adams, actually existed long before him. In 1630, John Winthrop delivered a "city on a hill" sermon to Puritan colonists as they sailed to Massachusetts. Although Winthrop never used the word "dream," he eloquently and eloquently described his vision for a society in which everyone would have the opportunity to prosper as long as everyone worked together and followed biblical teachings. Gradually, this dream of opportunity developed in the minds of the colonists as a God-given right. In the Declaration of Independence in 1776, Thomas Jefferson argued that everyone living in America (at least those who were not enslaved colonists) had a right to " free life and the pursuit of happiness.
As America developed and grew throughout the 19th century, so did the notion that it was different from other countries: it was a land of incredible opportunity, where anything could be achieved if one had the courage to dream big. Alexis de Tocqueville, a Frenchman who visited the new nation in the 1830s, called this belief "the charm of expected success." The American transcendentalist philosopher Henry David Thoreau, in his book Walden (1854), gave the following formulation: “If a person moves confidently towards his dream and strives to live the life that he imagines, then success will come to him in reality.”
The phrase "American Dream" gradually began to appear in newspaper articles and books from the mid-1800s, often referring to the brave pioneers who went west in pursuit of fortune; or European immigrants who came to US ports in search of better job and housing. By the early 20th century, the term "American Dream" was being used as a definition of economic prosperity - "from rags to riches." In 1916, Sherwood Anderson, in his novel The Son of Windy MacPherson, described his character as "an American multimillionaire, a man in his financial climax, one who understood the American dream."
Now let's find out how the Americans saw their further development in the 20th century.
Evolution of the American Dream
In 1931, James Truslow Adams wrote a book about the history of the United States. He changed his mind (or was dissuaded) from calling it the "American Dream" because he believed that the "Dream" itself was now in grave danger. Lands that were once a land of great opportunity are now mired in the Great Depression. The Depression destroyed the fortunes of a huge number of millionaires, took away people's homes and jobs, forced them to live in camps for the homeless and beg for change on the streets. Few believed President Herbert Hoover's words that prosperity was just around the corner.
Hoover's successor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, however, created a number of social programs to help the poor and was more successful in persuading Americans that they could do much better in their lives. In January 1941, in a speech to Congress, Roosevelt formulated his vision for a new American dream supported by the US government. This "dream" included full employment for the working population, government assistance to the elderly and those unable to work, and greater use of the fruits of scientific and technological progress to continually improve living standards.
This vision of limitless prosperity was sought again after the end of World War II. With an economy boosted by massive amounts of military spending, the victorious United States has emerged as the richest and most powerful country on the planet. In 1950, Americans, who made up only 6% of the population the globe produced and consumed one-third of their goods and services. Factories intensively produced products to meet the needs of a growing population, wage grew, and rich workers with their big families moving into spacious new homes in the suburbs.
Many Americans with middle-class status believed that if they worked hard enough, life would get better and better for them and their offspring. It should be noted that some social critics considered this dream to be excessively materialistic, spiritually empty and intellectually destructive. Other critics have pointed out that America has not always been a land of opportunity for all, especially for those who belonged to racial and ethnic minorities. Further - more about this.
Race Relations and the American Dream
While many Americans reveled in the country's prosperity after World War II, others were not so optimistic. In 1955, Sloane Wilson, in his novel The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (which was subsequently made into a film starring Gregory Peck), portrayed an emotionally traumatized military veteran who became a businessman and drove himself to despair trying to keep his family living in the suburbs.
But many other writers have steadfastly defended the aspirations of the middle-class population. “Obviously we cannot pack up and leave the suburbs even if we wanted to, although most do not,” wrote newspaper columnist Ruth Millett in 1960. "What's the point of making us feel guilty for wanting to follow the American dream and trying to give our children what parents usually want to give - more easy life, the best opportunities for education and a little more high level protection."
But soon enough, a boom in suburban births questioned parenting dreams. At the same time, African Americans, long denied rights and opportunities (which white Americans took for granted), began to demand justice. In 1964, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech called "The American Dream" at New Jersey's Drew University. He said America's dream has not yet come true because of racial discrimination, poverty and violence. He said that instead of accumulating more wealth, American dreams should be about equality for people, giving equal rights to minorities. He noted that it is necessary to restore the crumbling parts of cities and eradicate hunger in the country.
In the 1970s, with the U.S. economy stagnant, inflation soaring, and the country torn apart by race riots and divisions about the Vietnam War, Martin Luther King's call to rethink his ambitions seemed prophetic. In 1974, French historian Ingrid Carlander hit the headlines in America with the publication of a book entitled Les Americaines, in which she boldly declared that the American dream was dead. By the end of the decade, Americans were mired in long gas lines, fearing they couldn't keep up with their mortgages. country houses of her dreams, realizing that Ingrid was probably right. This fear and disappointment caused the American dream to transform once again.
Will the American Dream survive in the 21st century?
In 1980, American concern about the "dream" helped elect Ronald Reagan to the US presidency, who promised to restore it. Reagan himself was the embodiment of the American dream - coming from a modest family farm in Illinois. Reagan said that America is still a place where everyone can grow as high and as far as their ability allows.
Reagan's formula for restoring the American dream was tax cuts, which he argued would stimulate economic growth. He was also determined to cut government welfare programs, which he considered discouraged from being self-reliant. The economy eventually revived, and rising prosperity helped Reagan easily win another 1984 election. But critics question whether the tax cut actually revived the dream for most Americans, arguing that it happened only for a privileged few.
Congressional budget data confirms critics' doubts. Between 1979 and 2005, 99% of households in the US grew 21% after tax, less than 1% per year, not enough to keep up with inflation. But in the same period, the after-tax income of the richest Americans grew by 225%. In 1979, the income of one percent the richest people America was eight times the income of a middle-class family, and in 2005, 21 times more.
However, the debate about how to revive the American dream continues. Conservatives are calling for tax cuts, while liberals are in favor of raising taxes on the rich to pay for welfare programs to help lift the rest.
Meanwhile, a third group argues that problems should be tackled equally and that Americans should rethink what the American Dream really means. In a 2008 essay, Harvard University professor John Quelch warned that "so many Americans expressed their dreams through the acquisition of something." He urged them to understand the dream as the freedom to pursue career ambitions, raise children, and most importantly, be good citizens of society. This, in a way, is a return to James Truslow Adams' definition of the American dream in 1931: "it is a social order in which every man and every woman should be able to attain the maximum height of which they are innately capable and be recognized for who they are." they are, regardless of origin or status".
