The American Dream Research Paper

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Although the term American Dream was first invented by a historian, James Truslow Adams, in 1931, the concept of the American Dream has been alive since America declared their independence from Great Britain in 1776. The path to achieving the American Dream has varied as time passed, but the concept of working hard to achieve the lifestyle desired has persevered. Originally, the American Dream meant that every person in the United States had an equal opportunity to achieve their desired level of success and prosperity through initiative and determination. Today, many people have their own views on what that dream means to them, such as owning their own home or becoming extremely wealthy, both of which can be achieved with proper education, …show more content…

Receiving a high school diploma or a college degree does not automatically solidify success; on the contrary, it is the people that receive these and continue to devote themselves to excellence, and these are the people who embody the true American dream. Andrew Merle is an award winning writer who did a study about daily habits for productivity and success. During this study, Merle observed the daily habits over two of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. He recorded that Warren Buffet reads about 80% each day while he is awake, and that Bill Gates reads over 50 books per year. This shows that in order to be successful, there has to be consistent self …show more content…

There are several arguments that go against this statement, some of which talk about the lack of jobs, cost of college, and low minimum wages, all of which make a great argument. While all of these make sense, they point out only the negative parts of our society, which gives people that have no initiative the excuses needed to allow them to feel at peace with their mediocrity. Thomas Jefferson once said, “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude” (BrainyQuote). Some people choose to work for something while others want to be given everything. Women’s rights have continued to make strides as well as minorities through educating themselves, through perseverance, and through hard work. This has created the most pure form of the American Dream that this country has seen since it was

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