The American Dream In The 1960's

“There is an equal chance of opportunities for every American, but it is up to them whether or not they take advantage” (Randhawa). In 1931, James Truslow Adams, an American writer and historian, introduced the idea of the American Dream, where each individual, whether it be a citizen or immigrant, would have the equal chance to chase their dreams to the best of their ability. In the beginning, each individual perceived America as the land of opportunities, specifically to make money and get a better education. But ever since the 1960’s rolled around, the idea of wealth was to put to the side and the idea of correct social order was the main focus. The American Dream in the 1960’s compared to now has changed drastically, considering the fact

that African Americans were still revolting against racially inspired violence and demanded equal rights, but today this is no longer much of an issue. During the Vietnam War, many Americans were drafted into South Vietnam to fight the Civil War. The American Dream back then was easily accessible since poverty rates were dropping rapidly, and have even continued to stay down to this day. The American Dream in the 1960’s was heavily influenced by the Vietnam War, the War on Poverty and the Civil Rights Movement.
The Vietnam War began in 1965 between North and South Vietnam when the North was considered a communist state and the South was considered a democratic state.

The U.S. intervened when president Dwight D. Eisenhower decided to side with South Vietnam, drafting many Americans into the war. Some drafted Americans fled to Canada to avoid getting drafted. This where discrimination played a major role, as stated, “American forces in Vietnam included twenty-five percent poor, fifty-five percent working-class, twenty percent middle-class men, but very few came from upper-classes families” (Vietnam War Statistics). The lives of men who did not have much to offer to society were seen as worthless and were put in majority on the front lines as a sacrifice. This idea demolished the whole purpose of the American Dream. Out of the 2.7 million Americans drafted into the Vietnam War, 362,000 were either injured or dead while a majority of them had no idea what they were fighting for. “The American soldiers got psychological problems, they didn’t know anymore who is evil or good and didn't know what they are fighting for” (Traumatic: Vietnam War and American Dream). Many who had come to America for equal rights or a better future had their hopes shattered and they began to doubt the American Dream even existed. This war traumatized many Americans and yet the ones who survived were expected to assimilate to being a part of society so

quickly.
The War on Poverty was first introduced by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 during his State of the Union address. Due to a national poverty rate of about 22%, the Economic Opportunity Act was passed to lower poverty rates and to expand educational opportunities. President Johnson stated, "Our aim is not only to relieve the symptom of poverty, but to cure it and, above all, to prevent it" (The War on Poverty: 50 Years Later). Johnson wanted to decrease the struggles of low-income households along with increasing the role of the government in educational strategies. The Food Stamp Act of 1964 also reduced poverty and the incidents of health related problems by providing nutritional meals among low-income families. In the Food Stamp Act, “Not only did the program feed poor individuals, but it also provided an economic boost to grocery stores because the food stamps worked as a cash-equivalent, enabling customers to buy more goods and items not subsidized by the program” (Food Stamp Act of 1964). As time went by, the FSA became more widespread and was more accessible to both children and retirees. The War on Poverty was very successful with its purpose due to the fact that the poverty rate was 22% in 1960 and in 2015, it was calculated to be about 11%, reducing the poverty rates by about 10% within the past 50 years.
The purpose of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960’s was initially to bring an end to racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans. Martin Luther King Jr. was proven to be one of the most effective leaders of this movement when he gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech at the political rally known as the March On Washington, which was designed to shed light on the struggles African Americans had to go through. “ ‘I have a dream,’ he said, ‘that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed–we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal’ ” (Civil Rights Movement). This speech of his made a huge difference in how African Americans were perceived and ultimately helped to outlaw racial segregation in many schools and jobs. In addition, Rosa Parks, also known as “the mother of the freedom movement” was an activist in the Civil Rights movement who became known for her international representation of resistance to racial segregation. She was convicted of violating the segregation laws after she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in Alabama. “People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired,” wrote Parks in her autobiography, “but that isn’t true. I was not tired physically… No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in ” (Civil Rights Movement). Just standing her ground led to her being fired from her job as a seamstress. She even received death threats, but this did not, however, hold her down. She went on to write her own autobiography and even co-founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development. The Civil Rights Movement helped the American Dream evolve greatly. There is evidence of that now that there is a growing movement of equality for women’s rights, gay rights, and immigrant rights across all of America.
In conclusion, the American Dream was heavily influenced by the Vietnam War, the War on Poverty, and the Civil Rights Movement. According to Manjit Randhawa, the American Dream for her was different than James Truslow Adams had initially intended because,“It was harder to achieve the American Dream when I was your age due to racism and sexism…” (Randhawa). The American Dream has changed between the 1960’s and 2017 in many ways because there is less racial segregation, more social order, and the poverty rates have decreased over all. Racial segregation has gone down due to historical figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and social order has increased because wealth does not prove a person’s worth anymore. When the American Dream was looked at by foreigners, it was mainly about all the money, but they had yet to realize, that the American Dream was actually based off correct social order and equal rights for everyone, regardless of race, gender, or age.