The American Dream

The Concepts of the American Dream The American Dream concept has always been viewed throughout this nation and other countries in many different philosophies and traditions. But was “The American Dream” ever achievable in the past and was it available to everyone or only to certain groups? The American Dream is defined as: an American social ideal that stresses egalitarianism and especially material prosperity; also: the prosperity or life that is the realization of this ideal (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). So what does “the prosperity or life that is the realization of this ideal” mean to us? The American dream is different for everyone, but its concepts are viewed by all as the ability to be successful and to live a life of freedom,

To the people of that particular era “The American Dream” was for some to seek political freedom while for others it was for other purposes such as religious tolerance, economic opportunities or for many escaping their countries in fear of losing their lives. However, for numerous people it was the excitement of exploring the new lands and for the adventures of the unknown. As time progressed people whom immigrated from the periods ranging from 1830’s to 1890’s viewed “The American Dream” as land of plenty and cheap, jobs were plentiful and labor was scarce with new industries and urbanization reinforcing the situation. As early as the 1900’s to present both the American people and immigrants from other countries have viewed the “The American Dream” as the land of

Forced immigrations (Slavery) was and still to this day is a huge blemish to any notion of “The American Dream”. The realization too many of the African race “The American Dream” never applied to their lives while in this nation. For countless generations the African-Americans suffered and endured an enormous amount of deprivation and violence within this country. To African Americans the concept of “The American Dream” did not come to realization until the early 1960’s when in Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech he voiced “…the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity” he was saying that even though America is supposed to be a free country, African Americans were really not free and treated equally. People within the African-American race fought hard for the recognition of “The American Dream”. Another flaw to “The American Dream” impression was of the early isolation and removal of Native Indians from their homes and lands. Various Native Indian tribes viewed “The American Dream” as the white man going to whatever extremities to take away their ways of life. Like the African-American race the tribes were forced from their homes and deprived from their cultures and life styles and had to fight many years to regain their lands and of course their views of “The American