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Nethaniel Tuyen
Ms. Cooney
English 9
13 April 2018
The American Dream Essay
The American Dream in the 1970s is not successful due to issues such as social events that are occurring. By example in the 1970s the American Dream was about having a happy free life and having equality.
Based on social, economic and political evidence ,The American Dream in the 1970s was to gain the rights and equality of the citizens. “Movements of anti-war, civil and animal rights, and hippie culture were happening. The American Dream in the 1970s was to live a peaceful life. In the 1970s, family was focused on and so was latest trends in music. Hippies were popular and everyone needed to work hard for what was essential to live. Economics influenced everyone
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because most people invested their money in stocks and interest rates increased. Part of the American Dream for everyone, no matter the race or religion, was for everyone to come together in peace. The Watergate Scandal affected people's lives by showing everyone that we still had a long way to achieve the American Dream”(Whitesell). This represents that the economy changes in America affects every citizen in America lives and how they live. In the 1970s was also primarily focused on living the peaceful happy life but economic and political events affects the AprAmerican Dream. Lastly, no matter what ethnic group or religion there were all affected by economic changes. The American love affair with the automobile ends in oil shortages and public rage out bursted in America. The love of oil and the new up roar of the new automobile sparked a whole new way of life in the seventies. Now oil expenses are higher Americans have to worry about there stock and depending on foreign sources which cost more. “Most Americans didn’t even know we were importing our oil until the gas crisis hit, Arab members of OPEC put in place an embargo on oil to the US and cut back production in response to American support of Israel in the Yom Kippur War in 1973. After decades of abundant supply, Americans now faced shortages – and, perhaps worse, a dawning of realization that we are no longer steering this ship. The very fuel that powers the cars, homes, businesses – the lifeblood of American life – is in the hands of foreign powers”(Lowbrow). Now that America is facing shortages of oil is giving the country and has to go to the extra mile to get what they needed. The oil crisis hit America, Americans have to spend more on oil which takes a heap of money from people's wallet. America dependence affects people's journey to the American Dream by high cost in oil. Like oil expenses the tax for anti-tax decrease amount in public services. “Besides oil expenses, in the late 1970s California voters passed a vote on Proposition 13, limiting local property taxes and making it harder for communities to raise them in the future”(Lowbrow) Local property taxes decreased so many Americans in the 1970s bought houses. This left more Americans satisfied having a house of their own and fulfilling a part of their journey to the American Dream. Lastly having the benefit of low taxes on houses gives Americans more money for other things such as cars. Like new property taxes America also passed Proposition 13 to lower new home owners new home rate. Citizens are struggling to achieve the American Dream also from the cause of continuous political obstacles.
“This anti-tax reorientation has decreased the amount and quality of public services; led to increases in alternative, regressive sources of taxation such as the sales tax; and encouraged new kinds of inequalities such as between old and new homeowners, between residents able to afford privatized services and those not, and between communities with other sources of revenue to support schools and services and those without”(Time). With the anti-tax reorientation public services quality decreased. The inequalities in new owners and old are differentiated between residents which affects the younger or new home owners financially. With this political event and government money is primarily focused on schools and services this leads to Americans having to pay more. But instead of negative benefits Americans passed Proposition 13 which gave Americans positive benefits. “On a broader scale, Proposition 13 represented a new unwillingness to view government as a provider of positive benefits to all members of a community and an embrace of more consumerist and individualized ways of securing services”(25 Moments). After the pass on Prop 13 Americans have positive benefits in communities around America. This provided communities around America to have secured services. Lastly after all the government had done for Americans and the positive win-lose benefits help them in the American Dream.
In conclusion The American Dream in the 1970s is not successful due to issues such as social events that are occurring. Based on social, economic and political evidence ,The American Dream in the 1970s was to gain the rights and equality of the
citizens. Works Cited “25 Moments That Changed America: Turning Points from the 20th Century.” Time, Time, 4 June 2015, time.com/3889533/25-moments-changed-america/. Lowbrow, Yeoman. “7 Events in the 1970s Which Led to the American ‘Crisis of Confidence.’” Flashbak, 12 Dec. 2017, flashbak.com/7-events-1970s-led-american-crisis-confidence-391521/. Whitesell, Maggie. “The American Dream in the 1970's.” Prezi.com, 4 Feb. 2016, prezi.com/xdiv7xjqcz4a/the-american-dream-in-the-1970s/. Word count: 900
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The American dream is a slowly fading dream that seems to be escaping all the lower classes of American society. The American dream still exists if we examine it correctly. The dilemma with the American dream is that it has become so much harder to fulfill. Social inequality, along with a lack of social mobility, have negated the ability to accomplish this. As time has passed, the gap between the rich and poor has become larger and larger.
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However, the perception of American Dream has changed into materialism lifestyle due to the emergence of new money everywhere. I see American Dream in this era as a product of cultural environment which has a concept of glamorous and luxurious living that brainwashed the society. The goal of the American Dream here is to live life to the fullest by partying and climbing up the social
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The “American Dream” has changed for the better. So now that we, as Americans, have established our principles, we can build our goals and create a pursuit for a middle-class economy and a better future. Every object on this earth came for somewhere and it took time to generate into what wee know it as now. Same goes for the goals of the “American Dream” and how it came to be what it is.