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The development of the American dream
The development of the American dream
The history of the american dream 1920
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American Dream of the 1950’s The 1950s was a time of ambitious people that wanted To make a life for themselves and their families. This was a peaceful time also an ever changing decade. The main points of the dream consisted of the booming economy, loving enriched literature, and finally the socials status that mostly a lot of Americans cared a lot about in this period of time . From the Elvis Presley himself, the iconic American automobile, and even the authors like William Golding and J.D. Salinger that had a passion to make impact on this time period in which they loved and lived in(Josh Rahn). This was America that had, that had thinkers that overcome anything thrown at them, people that could lose everything and some how bounce back to be the most powerful country, This was a truly astonishing nation to live in at this time everything was going in every aspect of life. That’s why when you talk about the american dream it was the 1950’s. Family life was a lot different today than it was in 50’s it was seen as materialistic nation also a social status decade(Stuart A. kallen “The 1950’s). After having the victory in world war 2 a lot of young veterans coming and finding girls, to settle down and have a family(Becky Bradley). Which came to be called the baby boom generation. Which in this time and in within the family life and what it was like to live in 1950’s neighborhood was that everyone knew each other (Stuart A. kallen). In the 50’s we were not afraid of lawsuits if you touch person or you did this etc. We were more together as a family. When times got hard are first was not to run from our partner but to, but to stay through thick and thin (Becky Bradley). Children growing up always had something to do from mak... ... middle of paper ... ...ting from school and getting a job to be able to support your family. Today its a whole lot different it is almost like we lost that dream because of the bad economy and foreign affairs. We can only look back to great time of the 1950’s to learn how change our american dream, chase that one actual dram that we all love and cherish. Works Cited "The Beat Generation." - Literature Periods & Movements. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade50.html "American Cultural History." - 1950-1959. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. http://www.online-literature.com/periods/beat.php Baker, Patricia, and Robert Price. Fashions of a Decade. New York: Facts on File, 1991. Print. Clayton, Marie. Elvis Presley: Unseen Archives. Bath, U.K.: Paragon Pub., 2002. Print. Kallen, Stuart A. The 1950s. San Diego, CA: Lucent, 1999. Print.
Stephanie Coontz's essay `What we really miss about the 1950's' is an essay that talks about a poll taken in 1996 by the Knight-Ridder news agency that more Americans preferred 1950's as the best decade for children to grow up. Coontz doesn't believe that it is a decade for people to remember fondly about, except for financial reasons and better communication within families. Coontz doesn't believe in it as the best decade because of the votes, the 50's only won by nine percent, and especially not by African Americans. Examples from family and financial issues in the 50's that makes it better than other decades from 20's to 80's. She doesn't believe that the 50's should be taken `literally' because from 50's there were changes in values that caused racism, sexism discrimination against women. Even though the 50's were good, it didn't lead to a better 60, 70, and 80.
The 1950s seemed like a perfect decade. The rise of suburbs outside cities led to an expansion of the middle class, thus allowing more Americans to enjoy the luxuries of life. The rise of these suburbs also allowed the middle class to buy houses with land that used to only be owned by more wealthy inhabitants. Towns like Levittown-one of the first suburbs- were divided in such a way that every house looked the same (“Family Structures”). Any imperfections were looked upon as unfavorable to the community as a whole. Due to these values, people today think of the 1950s as a clean cut and model decade. This is a simplistic perception because underneath the surface, events that took place outside the United States actually had a direct effect on our own country’s history. The rise of Communism in Russia struck fear into the hearts of the American people because it seemed to challenge their supposedly superior way of life.
The 1950s in America was a time that brought about simplicity and perfection amongst the American society. The “all-American Dream” with the flawless family, which was emphasized by the constraints, and expectations that were demanded by the American Republican era of Eisenhower, would pave way for manifesting changes of the 1960s. Through the emphasis of media and societal expectations and political and wartime upheaval, Americans would fit the cookie cutter mold that would breed the fighters and lovers of the 1960s.
The 1950s was a time when American life seemed to be in an ideal model for what family should be. People were portrayed as being happy and content with their lives by the meadia. Women and children were seen as being kind and courteous to the other members of society while when the day ended they were all there to support the man of the house. All of this was just a mirage for what was happening under the surface in the minds of everyone during that time as seen through the women, children, and men of this time struggled to fit into the mold that society had made for them.
As World War Two came to a close, a new American culture was developing all across the United States. Families were moving away from crowded cities into spacious suburban towns to help create a better life for them during and after the baby boom of the post-war era. Teenagers were starting to become independent by listing to their own music and not wearing the same style of clothing as their parents. Aside from the progress of society that was made during this time period, many people still did not discuss controversial issues such as divorce and sexual relations between young people. While many historians regard the 1950s as a time of true conservatism at its finest, it could really be considered a time of true progression in the American way of life.
After World War II, America had to take a step back and take a look at their country. The American Dream had been restored upon the atrocities of the war. In the 1930’s the American Dream was primarily focused on working hard, men providing for their families, and trying to rise from the depression. In the 1940’s, post World War II things changed and consumerism and feminism began to play a key role along with many other factors. There are many ways to describe the American dream and what aspects were influential to it, such as World War II, modernism, new technology and entertainment.
During the 1950s the American Dream for women was to not fall short in the male-dominant society. Women wanted to enter the paid work force to help support their family and no longer rely on their husbands for their every need. Even though the overall American Dream was to be wealthy, to support a family, and to have a job; people wanted to be really wealthy without doing work. Families during this time period were materialistic and just wanted what everyone else had. The 1950s were when “…over 6 million women went to work for the first time in their lives… women were afterward criticized for destroying the American family” (Gillespie 3). In previous years, up until 1945, women stayed at home caring for their families
To do what makes oneself happy. The American Dream is represented in many different ways and every person lives and chases a different version of the American Dream. Chris McCandless lived his American dream by walking alone into the wilderness of Alaska. The song written by Toby Keith, “American Soldier”, shows the price some pay for their dreams and ours to come true. Jay Gatsby died trying to acheive his dream and get the girl he loved, but died happy because he had pursued her until his death. The band All Time Low wrote a song called “The Reckless and The Brave” that brings a new light to how we go about achieving our dreams. So I believe that the American Dream is all about doing what will make you the happiest in the end.
Peacock, John. The Chronicle of Western Fashion: From Ancient times to the Present Day. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1991. Print.
The American Dream was created at the beginning of The Great Depression in the early 1930’s. It was used to influence people to work harder to try and make more money. The Dream was used as a sign of hope. The Dream is what every American wanted. The American Dream back then was having a big house (pic of the house) with a white picket fence, and a family of four (the perfect family), the family had two children, a boy and a girl and a stay at home wife/mother who cooked and cleaned all day while the father worked all day. That was the Dream then, but now in 2015 it has altered completely. The dream now is not about having a flawless family, but about having
Money, fame, and promiscuity are the three main components of the American Dream, and what better way to get to that level than through music? The truth is, almost any other profession has a higher statistical chance of achieving this goal. Musicianship is a nearly impossible career plan to survive with. An artist will spend incalculable hours learning and mastering their craft, only to be oppressed by the community. No matter how much time or money a musician spends on his/her creations, the world will typically find a way to avert their success.
The American Dream. This concept is well known as the picture perfect family, nice house and the white picket fence. As well as succeeding and excelling in life and making the future generations lives better than the current one. This concept has contributed much of the immigration from as early as 1931 to present day. However, many immigrants immigrate to the United States in order to escape oppression as well as uprising and turmoil which may reside in their home country. Though society often places people none the less immigrants into categories from social class, heritage, and prejudice they share a common thread of hope as well as facing obstacles in their journeys and once they arrive to the states. An example of this common thread of escaping their homeland in order to pursue new experiences and hopeful new life yet experiencing different hardships are shown when looking at both the Mexicans and the Irish.
The American dream has always been a talk amongst the American culture. When people speak of it, they often think back to the 19th century. The American Dream can be thought about when learning information on the Declaration of Independence which states that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness this was written by Thomas Jefferson. Despite this, the American Dream is just as relevant to American culture today as it was in the 19th century and in many ways still attainable.
"The American Dream" is that dream of a nation in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with options for each according to capacity or accomplishments. It is a dream of social stability in which each man and each woman shall be able to achieve to the fullest distinction of which they are essentially competent, and be distinguish by others for what they are, despite of the incidental conditions of birth or stance. The American Dream is often something that humanity wonders about. What is the American dream? Many people discover success in a range of things. There are many different definitions of the American Dream. However, the American Dream embraces prosperity, personal safety, and personal liberty. The American dream is a continually fluctuating set of ideals, reflecting the ideas of an era.
The ‘American Dream’, as was once known has ceased to exist in the United States and it could just be something that is not guaranteed anymore. We are merely allowed just the pursuit of happiness, as stated in the Declaration of Independence “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. We are told that all men are created equal and independent of one another, but are we really? In the movie The Pursuit of Happyness Chris Gardner goes from rags to riches displaying what it means to live the ‘American Dream’ as an African-American male in the United States. The story line ultimately suggested that you need to have a certain amount of money and stand in a certain class to be deemed successful in life as an African-American. The Pursuit of Happyness illustrates through the examples of Chris Gardener that anyone has the chance to achieve happiness if they devote a great amount of effort and time. However, in today’s world our socioeconomic factors define our meaning of happiness. Society realizes that the key to happiness is not actually determined by how much money you have, once you finally obtain wealth, money will just keep raising our bar of happiness. On the surface, this dream appears to the best thing people hope for offering the chance to better themselves, and accomplish success despite of some one’s race, religion, or family history. What Chris Gardner went through is a struggle made by socioeconomic factors which played a huge role in his ideal image of the ‘American Dream’. Money meant success to him and this is where my sociological lens becomes significant to my primary text. As an African American male, Chris Gardner, in The Pursuit of Happyness overcomes the socioeconomic factors he faced by defeating the odds and la...