The American Dream Research Paper

The American dream was once centered on the idea that anyone can achieve success through hard work, no matter where they come from. However, this idea has evolved with the country. In the literature we’re reading from the time when America was being colonized, the new country is portrayed as being full of opportunities. Unlike England, there was a middle class of working citizens in America, who fulfilled the American dream by working their way to a comfortable life. Today, the middle class has become a much larger percentage of the American population, so most of the incentive for the American dream comes from the want for material possessions. The contemporary American dream focusses on the pride one takes in a high social status, rather

One of these is the freedom from England’s aristocracy. Part of the reason the American dream was appealing is because it portrayed America as a free land where one controls their own life without needing to adhere to the ideas of a monarch or a dictator. Literature that used the American dream to support moving to America enticed people with the idea of being represented by elected officials rather than officials that were born into their office. The contemporary American dream holds this ideal, and people still move to America because of the appeal of elected government. The main part of the American dream that hasn’t changed is the idea that in America everyone is free to choose what they do with their life. Ideally, this means that no one is restricted by their class or inheritance. The contemporary American dream includes the idea that people can do whatever makes them happy, and this applies not only to class but to race and

However, some of the important ideals of the dream have changed so much that it is unachievable today. The main reason relative success was reachable through hard work in the early years of the country is because there was ample land to be farmed and profited from by anyone willing to claim it. Most of these early settlers were extremely poor people who worked their way into America’s middle class and thus fulfilled that part of the American dream. Since America’s population has grown by so much and taken up all of the country’s land, the opportunities settlers had are no longer present. To fulfil the contemporary American dream, one needs enough resources like money for school to work their way up to a high paying job. The problem with this is that those with the resources wouldn’t be following the American dream because they already hold a high position in the country’s social ladder. Other important parts of the contemporary American dream are still within reach of American citizens. People can still choose to do whatever they want with their lives if it makes them happy, and they’re free to vote for a government that supports their freedom. Taking all of this into account, the contemporary American dream is not achievable in its