Definition: The American dream- ideally, when the government should protect the ability of each person to pursue their own idea of happiness. The Declaration of Independence defends this American dream. It uses a familiar quote: “We take these truths for granted, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among them is Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Definition: The American Dream is an ideal scenario where the government should protect each individual's ability to pursue their own idea of happiness.
The Declaration of Independence defends this American dream. It uses a familiar quote: “We take these truths for granted, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among them is Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
The Declaration continued: "In order to secure these rights, governments are established among the people, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
The founding fathers of the law of the revolutionary idea that every person's desire to achieve happiness was not just self-indulgence. It was part of what drives ambition and creativity. By legally protecting these values, the Founding Fathers created a society that was very attractive to those who aspired to a better life. (Source: American Dream: A Biography, Vremya Magazine, June 21, 2012)
To the drafters of the Declaration, the American Dream could flourish only when it was not hindered by "taxation without representation." Kings, military rulers or tyrants should not decide taxes and other laws. The people should have the right to elect officials to represent them. These leaders must abide by the laws themselves, not create new legislation willy-nilly.
Legal disputes should be decided by a jury, not the whim of a leader. The Declaration also specifically states that the country should be allowed free trade. (Source: Declaration of Independence, US National Archives.)
American Dream legally protects the right of every American to reach their potential.
This allows them to contribute to society... I am convinced that in the best possible way ensure national progress is to protect the right of citizens to improve their lives. (Source: Creating the American Dream, American Radio Works.)
In 1931, historian James Truslow Adams first publicly defined the "American Dream". He used this phrase in his book
Epic of America . An oft-repeated quote from Adams: "The American Dream is the dream of a land in which life is to be better, richer, and fuller for all, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement."
Adams went on to say that this is not "...a dream of cars and high wages, but a dream of a social order in which every man and every woman can achieve the most full height in which they are innately capable, and to be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the contingent circumstances of birth or position.“
The American Dream is "the beauty of expected success". So said the French historian Alexis de Tocqueville in his book
Democracy in America . He studied American society in the 19th century.
This allure has drawn millions of immigrants to the shores of the United States. It was also a compelling vision for other peoples.
Sociologist Emily Rosenberg identified five components of the American Dream that have emerged in countries around the world.
Belief that other countries should emulate America's development.
- Faith in a free market economy.
- Support for free trade agreements and foreign direct investment.
- Encouraging the free flow of information and culture.
- Acceptance of state protection of private enterprise. (Source: Emily S. Rosenberg,
- Spreading the American Dream: American Economic and Cultural Expansion 1890-1945 .)
The American Dream was made possible by an environment conducive to prosperity, peace and opportunity. There are three main geographic, economic and political factors.
First, the United States has a large land mass under one government, thanks to the results of the civil war.
Second, America has benign neighbors. Part of it has to do with geography. The climate in Canada is too cold, and in Mexico it is too hot to create powerful economic threats.
Thirdly, the rich Natural resources fuel US trade. These include oil, rainfall, and many rivers. Long coastlines and flat terrain make it easy to transport. See How natural resources boost the economy for more details.
These conditions favored a population united by language, political system and values. This allowed a diverse population to become a competitive advantage. US companies use it to become more innovative. They have a large, easily accessible test market for new products. At the same time, diverse demographics allow them to test niche products. This American melting pot generates more innovative ideas than a small, homogeneous population. See Benefits of Cultural Diversity for more details.
History of the American Dream
In the beginning, the Declaration only extended the Dream to white owners. However, the idea of inalienable rights was so strong that laws were added to extend these rights to slaves, women, and non-property owners. Thus, the American dream changed the course of America itself.
In the 1920s, the American dream began to morph to the right to create a better life for the desire to acquire material things. This change was described in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel,
The Great Gatsby . In it, Daisy Buchanan's character cries when she sees Jay Gatsby's shirts because she "never saw such-such beautiful shirts before. " This version of the dream bestowed by greed was never truly achievable. Someone else had more. Dream
The Great Gatsby was "an orgiastic future that recedes before us from year to year. Then it eluded us, but it does not matter - tomorrow we will run faster, stretch our hands further ... "This greed led to the collapse stock market 1929 and the Great Depression. The country's leaders verbalized the evolution of the American dream. President Lincoln granted equal opportunity to Son for slaves. President Wilson supported women's voting rights. He led to the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1918. President Johnson introduced Title VII of the civil rights ah 1964. This ended school segregation and protected workers from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy) or national origin. In 1967, he extended these rights to those over 40 years of age. President Obama supported the legal prenuptial agreement, regardless of sexual orientation.
After the 1920s, many presidents backed Gatsby Son, guaranteeing material gains. President Roosevelt expanded the equivalent opportunity for homeownership by creating Fannie Mae to secure mortgage loans. His Economic Bill of Rights protected "...the right to decent housing, to a job sufficient to support one's family and oneself, opportunities for education for all, and universal health care."
President Truman built this idea after World War II. His "post-war social contract" included the GI bill. He provided government college degrees for returning veterans. Urban policy expert Matt Lassiter summed up Truman's "contract" this way: "... if you worked hard and played by the rules, you deserved certain things. You deserved security and decent housing and didn't have to constantly worry about losing your home to bankruptcy." (
It is safe to say that almost every American at least heard about the American dream. For years politicians have praised her in their speeches or warned the people that she would be endangered if their opponent was chosen. Popular songwriters from Neil Diamond to Tanya Tucker have sung about the pursuit of this very dream. Hundreds of books are full of the words "American dream" on their covers; and some of them are guidelines on how to achieve it. There can be no greater compliment for an American citizen than to say that he or she has achieved the American Dream.
Given the fact that Americans are so in love with the American Dream, it's even more bizarre that few people can actually agree on a definition of the term. For some, it is the belief that everyone who lives in this country, even a poor immigrant, a slum dweller, or a farmer's child, has the potential to become rich and prosper. For others, it is the belief that every person living in the United States has the opportunity to achieve their (even the most incredible) goals. For others, such as folksinger and social activist Woody Guthrie, whose most famous composition is "This Is Your Land" (which is still sung by schoolchildren across the country to this day), or civil rights leader Martin Luther King, the American Dream means that every citizen of the country is guaranteed equality, freedom and the right to be heard.
But not everyone sees the American Dream as a positive aspect of society. Some say that it has become a compulsion and an obsession to hoard wealth and property, which can lead to the death of the people. For example, Harvard business professor John A. Quelch writes that political leaders are guilty of "defining the American dream in material terms, of encouraging Americans to live beyond their means in their pursuit of the goal." Other opponents point out that America's ethnic and economic disparity persists, making the American dream little more than a cruel myth. Comedian, writer, and public critic George Carlin once said, "It's called the American Dream, because you have to be in a dream to believe it."
No matter how you feel about the American dream, you are probably wondering how it came about. Let's find out!
Origin of the American Dream
Historian James Truslow Adams is often credited with a major role in popularizing the idea of the American Dream. In 1931, in his treatise The Epic of America, Adams wrote "that this is the dream of a land in which life should be better and richer for all, providing opportunities for everyone, according to his abilities or achievements."
But the notion of the American dream, as defined by Adams, actually existed long before him. In 1630, John Winthrop delivered a "city on a hill" sermon to Puritan colonists as they sailed to Massachusetts. Although Winthrop never used the word "dream," he eloquently and eloquently described his vision for a society in which everyone would have the opportunity to prosper as long as everyone worked together and followed biblical teachings. Gradually, this dream of opportunity developed in the minds of the colonists as a God-given right. In the Declaration of Independence in 1776, Thomas Jefferson argued that everyone living in America (at least those who were not enslaved colonists) had the right to "a free life and the pursuit of happiness."
As America developed and grew throughout the 19th century, so did the notion that it was different from other countries: it was a land of incredible opportunity, where anything could be achieved if one had the courage to dream big. Alexis de Tocqueville, a Frenchman who visited the new nation in the 1830s, called this belief "the charm of expected success." The American transcendentalist philosopher Henry David Thoreau, in his book Walden (1854), gave the following formulation: “If a person moves confidently towards his dream and strives to live the life that he imagines, then success will come to him in reality.”
The phrase "American Dream" gradually began to appear in newspaper articles and books from the mid-1800s, often referring to the brave pioneers who went west in pursuit of fortune; or European immigrants who came to US ports in search of better job and housing. By the early 20th century, the term "American Dream" was being used as a definition of economic prosperity - "from rags to riches." In 1916, Sherwood Anderson, in his novel The Son of Windy MacPherson, described his character as "an American multimillionaire, a man in his own highest point financial prosperity, someone who understood what the American dream is.
Now let's find out how the Americans saw their further development in the 20th century.
Evolution of the American Dream
In 1931, James Truslow Adams wrote a book about the history of the United States. He changed his mind (or was dissuaded) from calling it the "American Dream" because he believed that the "Dream" itself was now in grave danger. Lands that were once a land of great opportunity are now mired in the Great Depression. Depression ruined destinies huge amount millionaires, took away people's homes and jobs, forced them to live in camps for the homeless and beg for change on the streets. Few believed President Herbert Hoover's words that prosperity was just around the corner.
Hoover's successor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, however, created a number of social programs to help the poor and was more successful in persuading Americans that they could do much better in their lives. In January 1941, in a speech to Congress, Roosevelt formulated his vision for a new American dream supported by the US government. This "dream" included full employment for the working population, government assistance to the elderly and those unable to work, and greater use of the fruits of scientific and technological progress to continually improve living standards.
This vision of limitless prosperity was sought again after the end of World War II. With an economy boosted by massive amounts of military spending, the victorious United States has emerged as the richest and most powerful country on the planet. In 1950, Americans, who made up only 6% of the population the globe produced and consumed one-third of their goods and services. Factories intensively produced products to meet the needs of a growing population, wage grew, and rich workers with their big families moving into spacious new homes in the suburbs.
Many Americans with middle-class status believed that if they worked hard enough, life would get better and better for them and their offspring. It should be noted that some social critics considered this dream to be excessively materialistic, spiritually empty and intellectually destructive. Other critics have pointed out that America has not always been a land of opportunity for all, especially for those who belonged to racial and ethnic minorities. Further - more about this.
Race Relations and the American Dream
While many Americans reveled in the country's prosperity after World War II, others were not so optimistic. In 1955, Sloane Wilson, in his novel The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (which was later made into a film with Gregory Peck in leading role) portrayed an emotionally traumatized military veteran who became a businessman and drove himself to despair trying to keep his suburban family alive.
But many other writers have steadfastly defended the aspirations of the middle-class population. “Obviously we cannot pack up and leave the suburbs even if we wanted to, although most do not,” wrote newspaper columnist Ruth Millett in 1960. "What's the point of making us feel guilty for wanting to follow the American dream and trying to give our kids what parents usually want to give - an easier life, better educational opportunities and a little more high level protection."
But soon enough, a boom in suburban births questioned parenting dreams. At the same time, African Americans who long time denied rights and opportunities (which white Americans took for granted) - they began to sharply demand justice. In 1964, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech called "The American Dream" at New Jersey's Drew University. He said that America's dream has not yet come true because of racial discrimination, poverty and violence. He said that instead of accumulating more wealth, American dreams should be about equality for the people, giving equal rights to minorities. He noted that it is necessary to restore the crumbling parts of cities and eradicate hunger in the country.
In the 1970s, with the U.S. economy stagnant, inflation soaring, and the country torn apart by race riots and divisions about the Vietnam War, Martin Luther King's call to rethink his ambitions seemed prophetic. In 1974, French historian Ingrid Carlander hit the headlines in America with the publication of a book entitled Les Americaines, in which she boldly declared that the American dream was dead. By the end of the decade, Americans were mired in long gas lines, fearful of mortgage loans to the country houses of their dreams, realizing that Ingrid was probably right. This fear and disappointment caused the American dream to transform once again.
Will the American Dream survive in the 21st century?
In 1980, American concern about the "dream" helped elect Ronald Reagan to the US presidency, who promised to restore it. Reagan himself was the embodiment of the American dream - coming from a modest family farm in the state of Illinois. Reagan said that America is still a place where everyone can grow as high and as far as their ability allows.
Reagan's formula for restoring the American dream was tax cuts, which he argued would stimulate economic growth. He was also determined to cut government welfare programs, which he considered discouraged from being self-reliant. The economy eventually revived, and rising prosperity helped Reagan easily win another 1984 election. But critics question whether the tax cut actually revived the dream for most Americans, arguing that it happened only for a privileged few.
Congressional budget data confirms critics' doubts. Between 1979 and 2005, 99% of households in the US grew 21% after tax, less than 1% per year, not enough to keep up with inflation. But in the same period, the after-tax income of the richest Americans grew by 225%. In 1979, the income of one percent the richest people America was eight times the income of a middle-class family, and in 2005, 21 times more.
However, the debate about how to revive the American dream continues. Conservatives are calling for tax cuts, while liberals are calling for higher taxes for the rich to pay social programs to help lift the rest.
Meanwhile, a third group argues that everyone should tackle problems equally and that Americans should rethink what the American Dream really means. In a 2008 essay, Harvard University professor John Quelch warned that "so many Americans expressed their dreams through the acquisition of something." He urged them to understand the dream as the freedom to pursue career ambitions, raise children, and most importantly, be good citizens of society. This, in a sense, is a return to James Truslow Adams' definition of the American Dream in 1931: "it public order in which every man and every woman should be able to reach the maximum height of which they are innately capable and be recognized for who they are, regardless of origin or status.”
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
… the American dream of a country where everyone's life is better, richer and fuller, where everyone has the opportunity to get what he deserves.
James Adams wanted to encourage his compatriots, to remind them of America's purpose and achievements. This phrase stuck and then became the title of a play by Edward Albee (1961) and a novel by Norman Mailer (1965), but in these works it was rethought ironically.
The meaning of the term "American dream" is very vague. Thus, the historian F. Carpenter wrote: “The American dream has never been precisely defined and, obviously, will never be defined. It is both too varied and too vague: different people give different meanings to this concept. However, almost all US presidents, when taking office and making responsible decisions, have to promise their constituents that their policies will advance the realization of this dream.
"certain inalienable rights" including "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
The concept of the "American Dream" is often associated with immigrants who came to the United States in search of a better life. The fact that they left countries where, unlike the United States, there was a fairly rigid estate system that limited social mobility determined their commitment to the philosophy of individual freedom and free enterprise. The concept of the American Dream is closely related to the concept of "self-made person", that is, a person who independently achieved success in life through hard work.
The components of the "American dream" are also the ideal of equality of all before the law, regardless of ethnic origin and social status, as well as the veneration of symbols, models and heroes common to all Americans.
Ownership of a private home is often seen as physical proof of the American Dream.
The theme of the search for the "American dream" was touched upon in his works by Hunter Thompson.
Criticism
What happened to the American Dream? No more sounds of a single powerful voice expressing our common hope and will are heard. What we hear now is a cacophony of horror, reconciliation and compromise, empty chatter, high-sounding words "freedom, democracy, patriotism", from which we have emasculated any content.
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- Mark Lapitsky
Notes
Excerpt from the American Dream
Benigsen from Gorki went down the high road to the bridge, to which the officer from the mound pointed out to Pierre as the center of the position, and near which rows of mowed grass, smelling of hay, lay on the bank. They drove across the bridge to the village of Borodino, from there they turned left and past a huge number of troops and guns drove to a high mound on which the militiamen were digging the ground. It was a redoubt, which did not yet have a name, then it was called the Raevsky redoubt, or barrow battery.
Pierre did not pay much attention to this redoubt. He did not know that this place would be more memorable for him than all the places in the Borodino field. Then they drove across the ravine to Semyonovsky, where the soldiers were pulling away the last logs of huts and barns. Then, downhill and uphill, they drove forward through the broken rye, knocked out like hail, along the road to the flushes [a kind of fortification. (Note by L.N. Tolstoy.) ], also then still dug.
Bennigsen stopped at the fleches and began to look ahead at the Shevardinsky redoubt (which had been ours yesterday), on which several horsemen could be seen. The officers said that Napoleon or Murat was there. And everyone looked eagerly at this bunch of riders. Pierre also looked there, trying to guess which of these barely visible people was Napoleon. Finally, the horsemen drove off the mound and disappeared.
Benigsen turned to the general who approached him and began to explain the whole position of our troops. Pierre listened to Benigsen's words, straining all his mental powers to understand the essence of the upcoming battle, but felt with chagrin that mental capacity it was not enough for this. He didn't understand anything. Bennigsen stopped talking, and noticing the figure of Pierre listening, he suddenly said, turning to him:
- You, I think, are not interested?
“Oh, on the contrary, it’s very interesting,” Pierre repeated, not quite truthfully.
From the flush, they drove even more to the left along the road, winding through a dense, low birch forest. In the middle of it
forest, a brown hare with white legs jumped out in front of them on the road and, frightened by the clatter a large number horses, was so confused that he jumped for a long time on the road in front of them, arousing general attention and laughter, and only when several voices shouted at him, he rushed to the side and disappeared into the thicket. Having traveled two versts through the forest, they drove to a clearing on which stood the troops of Tuchkov's corps, which was supposed to protect the left flank.
Here, on the extreme left flank, Bennigsen spoke a lot and ardently and made, as it seemed to Pierre, an important order from a military point of view. Ahead of the disposition of Tuchkov's troops was an elevation. This elevation was not occupied by troops. Bennigsen loudly criticized this mistake, saying that it was madness to leave the high ground unoccupied and put troops under it. Some generals expressed the same opinion. One in particular spoke with military vehemence that they were put here to be slaughtered. Bennigsen ordered in his name to move the troops to the heights.
This order on the left flank made Pierre even more doubtful of his ability to understand military affairs. Listening to Bennigsen and the generals who condemned the position of the troops under the mountain, Pierre fully understood them and shared their opinion; but precisely because of this, he could not understand how the one who placed them here under the mountain could make such an obvious and gross mistake.
Pierre did not know that these troops were not sent to defend the position, as Bennigsen thought, but were put in hidden place for an ambush, that is, in order to be unnoticed and suddenly strike at the advancing enemy. Bennigsen did not know this and moved the troops forward for special reasons, without telling the commander-in-chief about it.On this clear August evening on the 25th, Prince Andrei was lying, leaning on his arm, in a broken shed in the village of Knyazkov, on the edge of his regiment. Through the hole in the broken wall, he looked at the strip of thirty-year-old birch trees with the lower branches cut off along the fence, at the arable land with smashed heaps of oats on it, and at the bushes, along which the smoke of fires - soldiers' kitchens - could be seen.
No matter how cramped and no one needs and no matter how heavy his life now seemed to Prince Andrei, he, just like seven years ago in Austerlitz on the eve of the battle, felt agitated and irritated.
Orders for tomorrow's battle were given and received by him. There was nothing more for him to do. But the simplest, clearest and therefore terrible thoughts did not leave him alone. He knew that tomorrow's battle was to be the most terrible of all those in which he participated, and the possibility of death for the first time in his life, without any regard for worldly, without considerations of how it would affect others, but only in relation to himself, to his soul, with liveliness, almost with certainty, simply and terribly, she presented herself to him. And from the height of this idea, everything that had previously tormented and occupied him was suddenly illuminated by a cold white light, without shadows, without perspective, without distinction of outlines. All life seemed to him like a magic lantern, into which he looked for a long time through the glass and artificial lighting. Now he suddenly saw, without glass, in bright daylight, these badly painted pictures. “Yes, yes, here they are, those false images that agitated and delighted and tormented me,” he said to himself, turning over in his imagination the main pictures of his magic lantern of life, now looking at them in this cold white daylight - a clear thought of death. - Here they are, these roughly painted figures, which seemed to be something beautiful and mysterious. Glory, public good, love for a woman, the very fatherland - how great these pictures seemed to me, what deep meaning they seemed to be completed! And it's all so simple, pale and crude in the cold white light of that morning that I feel is rising for me." The three main sorrows of his life in particular caught his attention. His love for a woman, the death of his father and the French invasion that captured half of Russia. “Love! .. This girl, who seemed to me full of mysterious forces. How I loved her! I made poetic plans about love, about happiness with her. O dear boy! he said out loud angrily. - How! I believed in some perfect love who was supposed to keep her faithful to me for a whole year of my absence! Like the gentle dove of a fable, she must have withered away from me. And all this is much simpler ... All this is terribly simple, disgusting!
Each of us has heard this expression, someone treats it with disdain, not fundamentally distinguishing it from the principle of "bread and circuses", identifying american dream only since allowance, TV and hamburgers. However, this is not the case.
Mixing concepts american dream and consumer society in our country has developed back in the days of the USSR, when anti-American, anti-capitalist propaganda concerned everything. She did not spare american dream. The United States was in many ways the antithesis of the USSR, and American success, of course, was based on prosperity, which was unacceptable in the Soviet Union. And as american dream American vices were described to us, in particular, such as the absorption of hamburgers, popcorn and Coca-Cola in a movie theater or other in public places. Ironically, the same substitution occurred in the minds of many Americans, but at a later time, at the end of the 20th century.
The very notion of the American dream" (eng. " american dream”) is often used to describe some kind of national ideology that unites Americans. However, a clear definition american dream" does not exist. Every resident of the United States puts into it their own ideas about the wonderful capitalist future.
Usually this thesis is considered one of the foundations of the Protestant work ethic, which is probably true.
1. freedom of the individual and freedom of enterprise;
2. “self-madeperson” (that is, a person who independently, through hard work, has achieved success in life) and a highly paid job;
3. reputation and the process of transition from one social class to another, higher, of course.
Achieve success through hard work
Reference american dream based on:
Based on the principles set forth in the Declaration of Independence of 1776 (“men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, regardless of social class or circumstances of birth”).
Based on the ideas of James Adams, who officially introduced the concept of the American Dream in his book The Epic of America in 1931.
Considering the time when the concept of the American Dream appeared, it is not difficult to guess that its appearance is associated with the Great Depression, as an incentive for the entire American people to overcome the crisis.
The American Dream is really a dream, not just a need to satisfy primitive needs. No one can reliably say now whether it developed spontaneously, or was carefully thought out and instilled in society by the authorities, but, having appeared in the minds of people, it moved them to success. Success has become not a means to achieve comfort, it has become the goal of life. All social strata began to be included in the process of achieving success, which could not but affect economic indicators countries (at that time the dollar was still pegged to the gold reserve, so economic growth was real). With the growth of the well-being of citizens, their needs also increased, which led to an increase in production, and again to an increase in well-being. So it doesn't matter how the American dream came about, but it did its job perfectly.
It is worth noting that the model of the US state is based on the Protestant work ethic, which preaches diligent and conscientious work. The accumulation of capital is only a consequence of honest labor, which is pleasing to God, which means that capital itself is also good. More than 50% of Americans profess Protestantism, which has had a very beneficial effect on society's acceptance of the values of the American dream.
The American dream has become a kind of standard of happiness in a consumer society. Although for many people in the United States the American dream is identified with own house, built on their own income on their own land with a large courtyard, a car, a large friendly family and friendly neighbors. One of the main characters american dream is the Statue of Liberty in New York.
In conclusion, we can quote David Brooks about American Dream:“Americans live their lives dreaming of the future. To understand America, one must take seriously the central cliché of American life, the American dream. Even though we face the boredom and banality of everyday life, this dream revitalizes us, empowers us, and forces us to work so hard, move so often, invent so vigorously, and change so rapidly. We continue to strive for something new and different, even if it doesn't always bring us benefit and pleasure."
1792 days ago
Each of us has dreams and we all want the moment to come sooner or later when we say "Dreams do come true!". So Americans very often pronounce this phrase "Dreams come true." They know exactly what this phrase means and how much meaning, time and effort have been invested in the realization of this very dream.
What is the American Dream?
If you want to find precise definition or break it down for yourself that the American dream is a house, a prestigious job, a car ... then you won’t be able to do it.
American dream is an abstract phrase. There is no clear definition of the "American dream". The American dream is life ideals in which material and spiritual meaning. This is your chance to get what you deserve. This is not the goal itself, but the path that you follow in order to achieve the goal and everyone has their own. That is why it is impossible to give an exact definition of the American dream.
The very concept of the “American dream” is often used to describe a certain national ideology that unites Americans. Every resident of the United States puts into it their own ideas about a wonderful future.
Concepts related to the American Dream
- freedom of the individual and freedom of enterprise;
- "self-madeperson" (that is, a person who independently, through hard work, has achieved success in life) and a well-paid job;
- reputation and the process of moving from one social class to another, higher, of course.
American Happiness Standard
The American dream has become a kind of standard for happiness in a consumer society. Although for many residents of the United States, the American dream is identified with their own house, built on their own income on their own land with a large courtyard, a car, a large friendly family and friendly neighbors. One of the main symbols of the American dream is the Statue of Liberty in New York.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I would like to bring a quote from the American columnist David Brooks about the American dream: “Americans live their lives dreaming about the future. To understand America, one must take seriously the central cliché of American life, the American dream. Even though we face the boredom and banality of everyday life, this dream revitalizes us, empowers us, and forces us to work so hard, move so often, invent so vigorously, and change so rapidly. We continue to strive for something new and different, even if it doesn't always bring us benefit and pleasure."
