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The development of the American dream
The development of the American dream
Impact of the American Industrial Revolution on society
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The American middle class is defined as a social class in the United States. It is the class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy. There are people in the United States middle class as well as other countries and this class of people has specific issues and interests that they are concerned with. Issues such as the health care reform, the financial reform, making college affordable, and housing. By dealing with these specific issues, the middle class has to vote, making them the middle class voters. In the middle class, there are four sections and all three make up the middle class. And in that middle class are the middle class voters, a small chuck of it. The middle class has been considered as homogenous, but with that different …show more content…
The American dream is the“…national ethos of the United States, the set of ideals (Democracy, Rights, Liberty, Opportunity, and Equality)” (Wiki), seems to be where the “anxious class” would be. The numbers prove to be right, but the people in this tier think otherwise. Only 16% of the “anxious class” is highly satisfied with their lives, but out of the other groups, they are most likely to be dissatisfied with the “way things are going in this country.” Many in this group earn 50,000 or more a year and no one earns less than 30,000. Their position in the middle isn’t prosperous or poor, making them the “anxious class.” Unlike the top of the class, the “anxious class” is split in half with female and males making this the group where the gender isn’t predominant (assuming that there are only two genders and not …show more content…
“There is a wide belief that Americans are less class conscious than Europeans” (Vanneman). Because the United States consumes more than any other country, the global economy relies on our consumption. “The middle class is an ambiguous social classification, broadly reflecting the ability to lead a comfortable life” (Kharas). During the industrial revolution, there were aristocrat traditions in royalty, class, and rank in Europe. In America, the industrial revolution was coming of a wealthy nation. The United States is has a two party system, Republicans and Democrats. The Democrats wanted more people in the middle class, mainly blacks and immigrants. The Republicans wanted to protect the people who were already in the middle class, whites, and successful working people. The middle class in America is sometimes threatened by its own success. “The definition of the middle class is the people of generic roots like Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Robert Johnson, and Sam Walton can become billionaires” (Hockenberry). Not everyone who is in the middle class can become a billionaire and using their stories as an example is the death of the American
Let's take it back to the past in regards to wealth distribution in this country. The fact is that the economy boomed from the end of WWII into the 1970's. “Incomes grew rapidly and at roughly the same rate up and down the income ladder, roughly doubling in inflation-adjusted terms between the late 1940s and early 1970s” (CBPP). Through the 70's economic growth slowed, and the wealth gap widened. Middle-class families were now considered lower class. People relied on the government to help them out with welfare programs. The middle-class class was weakened and the gap grew and grew. There were periods of positive fluctuation, however the middle-class simply never regained it's status that was held in more prosperous times in the past.
Mantsios believes that Americans do not like to talk about the different classes, whether it is about the upper, middles or lower class. He outlines four myths that are widely held about class in the United States. Myth one the united states is fundamentally a classless society, myth two we are, essentially a middle class nation. Most Americans have achieved relative affluence in what is widely recognized as a consumer society. Myth three we are all getting richer. Each generation propels itself to greater economic well-being. And myth four, everyone has an equal chance to succeed. Requires no more than hard work sacrifice and perseverance (Mantsios).
The rise of the middle class in Medieval Europe was an enormous change in the way society at the time was structured. The middle class has remained a part of society since the Middle Ages, and it looks like the middle class will stay until a large civilization falls and takes the rest of the world with it. Hopefully, that won’t happen for a long time, but if civilization collapses soon, then we can predict what will happen in the future by looking at civilization’s fall in the past. Large changes in civilization, however, take time, and usually there are warning signs of catastrophe that leaders of countries often ignore.
The phrase “The American Dream” is an incredible thing. The promise of that dream has convinced hundreds of millions of people that, as a citizen of this country, you can accomplish anything if you work hard enough. Whether you want to be a doctor, athlete, or even a president, those things should all be within your reach, regardless of your class or race! America is the nation where dreams can come true. Unfortunately, for a large number of people that believe this, this is a concept that does not apply to them. Many Americans find opportunities are denied to them because of their race. Others can be found living in poverty and far from anything that would be considered desirable. Statistics show that the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans earned 9 percent of all U.S. income in 1979. Did you know that the same 1 percent earns 24 percent of all U.S. income today? That is a staggering example of the income inequality in America. The American Dream is that if you work hard and have the ability you will succeed, but that has become an impossibility for millions of disadvantaged Americans because the income inequality has been steadily increasing since the 1970s and racism and poverty are constant barriers to their success and financial security.
The American Dream is known to be a hope for a better, richer, happier life for all citizens of every class. For almost all Americans, this entails earning a college degree, gaining a good job, buying a house, and starting a family. Although this seems wonderful, a large amount of the American population believes that the Dream has changed immensely because of increased prices in today’s society, the price of tuition being highly unaffordable, as well as the unemployment rate skyrocketing and weaker job growth. While some American citizens believe it has changed, others believe that the American Dream has not changed, but point out it is harder to obtain.
As you can remember the middle class is the working class that elected Trump and Trumpism into office. Mr. Donald stated in his presidential campaign slogan that he is on his way to “Make America Great Again.” Donald Trump’s presidency uniquely characterizes an opportunity for the middle class to be built and strengthen through policies. In winning his voters hearts Trump used his slogan in gain the trust of his people. Trump appealed to the working-class Americans by promising many changes to the United States system that impose many new
The American Dream is the belief that anybody can achieve anything in life. America is known as the country of opportunity regardless of race, gender or nationality. The land of opportunity and equality rights and liberty. The American Dream is to be successful no matter what social class an individual belongs to. The opportunity for upward mobility through hard work leads to a successful life. Individuals in society often strive to obtain many resources that are important. The structure of the economy is typically related to education, occupation, housing, and health care which are not distributed equally to enable an individual to achieve equal opportunity some will have to go through hardship in order to obtain it. The lack of social mobility makes the
For years, the middle class was the American Dream. It was the place where many American families lived comfortably, saved modestly, and on special occasions had the ability to splurge. However, in recent years the middle class has struggled. As the cost of living is on the rise, the standard wages are not moving at the same rate thus making it more challenging for the middle class to maintain their position let alone move up, causing the middle class to shrink.
In the land of the “American dream,” it is the common belief that there is a direct relationship between hard work and success and that those who put in long hours are bound for success and move up the social ladder. In the united states we have four major classes. The four major classes are upper class, middle class, working class and lower class. Social class in the United States can be looked at purely from economic factors such as income and also using educational, wealth and job related factors then you are placed into one of these classes. Ever since man has existed there have been issues with class it is something that has existed and divided citizens in almost every nation. America is known for its “american dream” however achieving it is far from an easy task .Although moving up the social ladder is very rare in today's society it still can be done.
Think of a time when America was at its highest peak. Back when jobs were easily accessible and there was enough wealth to go around. Unfortunately, that time is not right now according to Edward McClelland. He believes that the middle class is dissipating and if we do not do something it is going to be a thing of the past. This all encompassed within his article that he wrote this entitled RIP, the Middle Class: 1946-2013. The article goes over the intricacies in which the middle class has diminished over the years. This article is speaking to people who follow up social issues and current events, more specifically people who remembered what the middle class used to be like. McClelland makes a persuasive argument throughout the article by
The idea of lower and upper middle class is extinct in America’s economic and social state. There are only extremes: you are either extremely rich, extremely poor, or extremely in debt. People do not understand that the idea of middle class is misconstrued. When you take into consideration the challenges the needy face on a daily basis can be compared to the challenges of those who are considered “middle class”. In both social castes people are faced with ridicule, one just more apparent than the other. Both parties have to worry when they will get their next meal, when will the government system actually be of viable help, and when they will ever actually stop struggling.
In traditional media and culture, class is a relationship based off of income where the majority of people fall in a middle zone with a small number falling below and an even smaller number resting above. The majority has been termed the middle class, and in recent years has become the target of advertising, politics, and entertainment. In American culture, the middle class represents the average, with the extremes of poverty and elitist flanking either end. When class is defined by income, the middle class would technically encapsulate a majority of people. However, the identities of the people in this bracket are not cohesive and are impossible to define as a whole. American culture has tried by representing middle class as cozy existence and insisting that this
Many always compare the lower and higher when speaking about the American Dream. However, not many speak for the middle class and their sentiment.Considering that I am part of the middle class, I will tell you my perspective on the American Dream. My American Dream alone is constantly changing; however it always ends up relating to my family. My current American Dream is to achieve a well paying job so I can give back to those that have helped and gave to me. Not only is this American dream relatable to some, but I believe it’s relatable to many. One may argue that the American Dream is impossible to achieve if one is part of the lower class; however, that is
Research has concluded that the middle class is shrinking and eventually become nonexistent. In the future, we will distinguish the classes in the United States as either rich or poor. People who are rich are only becoming richer and the
The widespread belief of the American Dream reinforces the idea that everyone has an equal opportunity, and success or failure depends solely on the individual. However, we know from experience that due to inequalities, this is not always the case. Therefore, the American Dream is used as a way to justify and further legitimize the social stratification that exists within our society.