How Has The American Dream Changed Over The Years

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Americans all envision different pictures of the American Dream. Whether it be the thought of being wealthy, the idea of building a home with a family, or perhaps just to feel a sense of being free in general. People’s perspectives on the American Dream have also changed throughout the decades. Some Americans associate the American Dream with owning material items and living this perfect life. In contrast, others think of the American Dream as something more internal, such as being free and being able to live a happy life. Most people tend to picture a white picket fence surrounding a large home that is filled with a family that owns the classic materials. Others dream of a life where they are privileged to be internally comfortable with where …show more content…

Many advances were also made to help improve the economic status at the time of this ideal American Dream coming into place. Sarah Churchwell touches on this subject by saying, “Although many now assume that the phrase American Dream was first used to describe the 19th century., not until 1918 have I found any instance of the ‘American Dream’ being used to describe the immigrant experience.” (n.pag.). She also states in the article that the American Dream wasn’t a promised thing and that higher-up voices were urging citizens to do better and have a better dedication to working so that this dream was theirs to achieve. Historian James Truslow Adams has come to the conclusion that over time America has lost its way of moral values and has started to focus on only becoming successful and materializing things that aren’t practical. James Truslow stated that “the American Dream of a better, richer, and happier life for all our citizens of every rank”, Churchwell continues by saying that he meant this in a spiritual way, as in being “spiritually rich” …show more content…

Yes, Americans can earn their perfect dream, however, they should not get lost in their morals and lose their way of life throughout the journey to reaching their dreams. Achievement is a very important moral for American citizens to have, such as being productive to work for things that they wish to achieve, but sometimes people forget to tend to their other values on the way to achieving. This causes people to be unfaithful with their core values. In order to have future values and success, you must still focus on current values and successes. Unity is also a very important belief when it comes to the morals of the American Dream. But people can get caught up in the thought of gaining wealth, which typically results in the division between bonds once people start to become motivated to do the wrong things during this process and treat others poorly to get there. People sometimes fail to remember that happiness is not something gained by simply being wealthy, but relationships with others and personal fulfillment are also necessary to pursue

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