Definition Of The American Dream Essay

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THE AMERICAN DREAM. Introduction. By definition the American dream refers to the national ethos of the great United States of America (Mailer,1965). It contains a defined set of ideals that include the chance for not only prosperity but also success and freedom. Further the American dream entails the upward societal mobility that can be achieved through hard work. James Adams in 1931 defined the American dream by saying that life should be richer , better and fuller for all individuals , with the a fair opportunity for everyone according to their ability and achievement regardless of circumstances of birth or social class. The American dream idea is deeply rooted in the declaration of independence which proclaims that all of us are created equal and that we are endowed by our creator with inalienable rights such as life ,liberty and most importantly the pursuit of happiness(Vatanpour 1991) Modern Meaning of The Dream. The The debate on the existence and attainability of the American dream has received various reactions from people and researchers that are on different sides of the spectrum .Essentially, the debate entails two competing visions on opportunity’s nature in the modern American life as well as how to provide for it ( Winn ,2012). The opponents hold that the broadening inequality of salaries threatens not only fairness but also opportunity. Further,they suggest that the American government should focus on investing on people which will give all Americans an equal chance of being successful .The other side , which I support holds that making the American dream a reality for the less fortunate individuals needs the ordinary citizens to take the steering wheel in the strengthening of institutions as well as fostering the success culture( Cal,2010). Under this opportunity vision, government action can from time to time support these efforts but can never afford to substitute them and thus commonly undermines them (

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