The American Dream In The 19th Century

Men and women in the 19th century married for love and because they truly had affections for one another and care for the person they were to marry and not for the money, that the person may have or not have. However, because of the economic transformation of the industrial revolution and the advancements of transportation of railroads and other means of travel, in the 19th century, making a way for trading buying and selling of goods, it brought about an identity crisis in the homes of the families. Men and women’s roles had changed in the 19th century. All these developments caused the cost of other goods to go up in price. The identity crisis was seen even more so when women and children, often younger than 12 had to work. School became

a luxury in the poor families and communities this caused a spike in illiteracy in American citizens. These rates were at a high, in the early stages of the industrial revolution. Slowly over time, men went to work outside the home and away from their land and farms. Inside the home-married women were supposed to devote themselves to working solely with their children to provide love and nurture, as well as, provide their education and religious upbringing. It was the woman’s job, in this time to do these things as men spent little time in the home and more time away. This period of change had greatly affected their thinking and every day interactions with each other within the nucleus of the family Furthermore, when husbands had to be gone working some of them abandoned their wives or died out on the roads traveling. This forced some women to work for wages, leaving them no choice for their families.
If it became too difficult for single mothers or fathers to work, then the children that were born to a single, struggling parent sometimes were left abandoned. Thus, husbands and wives married later in life, married for economic financial gain, and they were having less children. The birth rate also declined during the 19th century. Gone were the days where the families lived off the land, grew their own food, and made their own clothing for bartering and trading with their neighbors, in their surrounding communities.
American men and women of equal economic stature were marrying. Rich married the rich, middle class married the middle class, and the poorer men and women married within their class. This caused a division in economic classes. Wealthy American women planned the social gathering with other wealthy friends and neighbors and middle class women had sewn clothing and fabric to sell in the market, to help the family meet other income, for their families’ survival. Soon the American families in the 19th century found that it was expensive to live without more working families in the home together. As they advanced, in the years to come, more families decided to live together with their extended families
Very few Americans lived on their farms to work the land, anymore. Because of the development of transportation and the exporting of goods and textiles from far away, it became easier, to buy and sell manufactured goods and to have the goods shipped in from warehouses and sweatshops. It took money and working outside the home and alongside other business that became the new way of life and the new “normal” for American’s in the 19th century
These changes are just some of the contributing factors of life that forever defined American families and changed the way of life for everyone. Identity crisis or not, it was here to stay and it was just getting started.

The ideal of being an American may be different from one person to the next and depending on the social status and economic times one is living in.

The American “ideal” has been a struggle to achieve all these years since the advancement in transportation in the 19th century. It is of my opinion that I think people are still trying to reach the idea of the ‘ideal American” and what that means. I believe it is the very essence of what liberty and equality mean. It is to make the words; of the declaration of independence have the same meaning for every single citizen. The achievement or the pursuit of the ideal is what most people think the American dream or ideal is. During the recession of 2008 and economic downturn changed the ideals and it was still something Americans had to redefine and pursue. In a sense, the Ideal of being an American is still something Americans are trying to attain and are in the pursuit of something that we are still defining and struggling to attain, to this very day. The Ideal that this is the land of opportunity is what I think most people hold fast too. There is a belief still that anyone can achieve the American dream, and that in and of itself, is attainable if you work hard enough. People who immigrated to the United States are in search for the same great American ideal most citizens have, even when it means an ideal different form one another, that within America, I hold the opinion that the “ideal” is changing, and we American

people are in a pursuit against the rolling tides of American struggle’s.
The reality is those individuals in history and those of us now live under drastically different times and different forms of government. Furthermore, the reality is that this country is still yet, the land of opportunity, Americans may be anxious about their job security and their income. They are concerned with their debt and wealth or lack thereof; but they are not being mindful of their spending, and income earnings and saving for the tides that come in for the harder economic times and downturns, as we have seen with the great depression and most recently, the recession in 2008. Furthermore, the reality is since the recession, those people who lost their jobs were not able to find new ones. This makes one question the “American Dream” and what in reality does that actually mean by definition for each person. Yet, the US economic recovery is leading the way not only for our country but also for others and is becoming now a tide of the most reliable source of strength in today’s economy. Still yet, the reality in American families, today are struggling. It takes two people or more to live in today’s economic wave.
The reality is that we live in a country where are now on the edge of censorship and government control. The reality is that the government wants to step in a little more control over Americans and slowly strip away rights of everyone. For example, Gun control. Guns, themselves do not rise up on their own and pull the trigger of itself, it must have a force behind it to make the gun discharge. Yet, the government thinks that it can take away guns and place tight restrictions on guns and that will make things a little better. Not so, in my humble O.
We are living in a reality were slowly Americans are not as free as maybe we once were. We see this in religious liberties and freedoms without persecution. Yet we have had a real advancement in same sex marriage, which has come into something more acceptable and gives freedoms to these individuals. The Reality, is riding the tides and the waves of what we pursue as the ideal American achievement
What it means for me to be an American is to live by the founding concepts of religious freedom and liberties for each one of us.

However, it is becoming more and more censored and that makes me disappointed for Americans in search of their ideal. To me it means to believe that with hard work and some time we can see anyone thrive in this wonderful free market economy. To me being an American means being full of gratitude, patriotism, and joy of freedom and opportunity that this land has to offer. In my opinion, it also means justice. It means appreciating the spilled blood of the American soldiers in history and those who serve even today, to defend our country. It means being proud of my heritage and past roots. It means honoring founding fathers and remembering what this country was founded on and to live by it free from persecution.
To me, being an American is accepting of all and not passing judgment on any, even while holding a different opinion. Being able to express that difference and being respected for the difference is, what it means to be an American. Being an American means that we are still changing with the times and rolling with the tides. No matter how powerful our country becomes, we are still evolving and we will always evolve. Being an American is freedom to vote and participate in our democracy fully, where the American people have a say in what is done in our country, and the government listens to the American

people.
My American dream is teaching my children that we should live by the constitution and the declaration of independence of our history. What it means to me to be an American, is to owe gratitude to those who preceded us and to fully believe this nation can, and will be even more beautiful and great than it has ever been in the past. Americans should demand the very best from our own selves and from one another that we have a democracy form of government that cannot flourish or exist without the active participation of the American people and a passion that is born in each one of us, to contribute to making America great again. That is my belief about what it means to stand up for America and to be a proud American.