Midyette 1

Hannah Midyette
Prof. Intuwiwat
UWRT 1102-091
November 18th, 2015
Is the American Dream more than just an idea?
When one thinks about The United States of America, one might find phrases
such as the land of opportunity come to mind. The idea of the American Dream has
been around since the country became its own nation. However, the coined term
American Dream started to exist in 1931 when James Truslow Adams defined it in his
book The Epic of America. Lawrence R. Samuel, the author of The American Dream: A
Cultural History, references Adams writing The dream is a vision of a better, deeper,
richer life for every individual, regardless of the position in society which he or she may
occupy by the accident of birth (Samuel 13). Since then the American Dream has
become our nations core mythology and has served as the core principle for many social
movements throughout history. Our country has consistently promoted itself on the idea
that anything is possible for anyone who works hard. But is this the reality?
Post World War II brought a significant change in the definition of success. No
longer was it every Americans dream to settle down with their family on a farm. The
American Dream became more complex and flexible; applying to almost any situation
that involved achievement. The depression was long gone and the war left many to
pursue their dreams after being witness to horrific tragedy. According to Samuel, The
Dream of being ones own boss exploded as the war wound down, no doubt fueled by
soliders experience of having to take orders from anyone with more stripes or bars than

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they (39). Even though half of these new businesses failed within the first few years,
experts continued to promote the idea of entrepreneurship as independence and the
ability to support oneself became a core dimension of the American Dream.
Despite Americas promotions and propaganda of a life with liberty and pursuit of
happiness the world couldnt help but notice, How the nation was not living up to its
democratic principles in its treatments of blacks (Samuel 38). This became known as
The American Dilemma. Rupert B. Vance of the Virginia Quarterly Review stated
Tensions exist in the mind of every one who becomes conscious of the difference
between the claims he makes for himself and his children under the American creed and
the claims he is willing to grant the Negro. Despite the heavy promoting of the
American Dream into postwar society, the nations racial problem was a reminder that it
remained only a vision.
The Cold War played a big role in the continuation of the American Dream and
patriotism. It was viewed as a weapon something that was stronger than any army even
though it was just an idea (Samuel 50). If we were better than Russia socioeconomically,
then they wouldnt stand a chance. Throughout the Cold War the American Dream
became what many considered the good life: a suburban home filled with traditional
gender roles, the latest appliances, and a social status that strived upon conformity.
Unfortunately the achievement of the good life was unattainable for those who hadnt
been privileged enough to experience opportunity.
According to Gayle Porter, the author of Work Ethic and Ethical Work:
Distortions in the American Dream, One of the ways in which society has promoted the
belief of opportunity for all in the United States is through access to a quality public

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education system (543). Higher education was slowly becoming the central focus to a
higher income, status, and security (Lazerson 2). Marvin Lazerson recalls from his own
experience, The civil rights movement was underway and I recognized what millions of
African Americans had always known-the American Dream was considerably less real
for some than for others (3). Time and time again race interrupted the reality of an
American Dream. Even today, The fact that more than 45 percent of entering college
students fail to graduate, with even higher percentages of minority students and students
from low income families, is disheartening (Lazerson 9).
Modern day America has been through crises after crises and yet still retains the
idea of the American Dream. In recent years, the term has often been interpreted to
mean making it big or striking it rich (Kamp) giving us an idea that the American
Dream hasnt changed much since the beginning of the Cold War. There are those who
worry that the American Dream is in danger due to the recession(THIS
PARAGRAPH ISNT FINISHED BUT IM GOING TO USE OBAMAS SPEECH
HERE).
Even though many claim to have success due to the American Dream, it is only an
vision that has yet to be achieved. Its conception is centered on hard work and equal
opportunity; giving any citizen a chance to achieve their goals and become financially
stable. Throughout history our country has tried to give the impression to the rest of the
world that America has these things, but there have always been exceptions to this. Work
ethic alone cannot help one become successful if the system continues to push those who
cant afford a higher education out. However I believe that somehow the American
Dream has helped the United States of America move forward in becoming a progressive

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nation. If America continues towards its goal of the American Dream then it might be
possible that one day this country will be known as the land of opportunity and really
mean it.

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Works Cited
Lazerson, Marvin. Higher Education and The American Dream. Central European
University Press. 2010. eBook. <https://muse-jhuedu.librarylink.uncc.edu/books/9786155211911>
Starks, Brian. THE NEW ECONOMY AND THE AMERICAN DREAM: Examining the
Effect of Work Conditions on Beliefs about Economic Opportunity. The
Sociological Quarterly. 2003. Article.
<http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.librarylink.uncc.edu/doi/10.1111/j.15338525.2003.tb00555.x/epdf>
Porter, Gayle. Work Ethic and Ethical Work: Distortions in the American Dream. Journal
of Business Ethics. 2010. Article.
<http://link.springer.com.librarylink.uncc.edu/article/10.1007%2Fs10551-0100481-6>
Kamp, David. "Rethinking the American Dream." Vanity Fair. Vanity Fair, n.d. Web.
<http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2009/04/american-dream200904>.
Samuel, Lawrence. The American Dream: A Cultural History. Syracuse University Press.
2012. Book. <https://muse-jhu-edu.librarylink.uncc.edu/books/9780815651871>
Obama, Barack. "You Didn't Build That." Roanoke Fire Station, Roanoke. Fox News
Radio. Web. <http://radio.foxnews.com/2012/07/26/president-obamas-you-didntbuild-that-transcript/>.

Midyette 6

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Reflection
My proposal was along the lines of what happiness was and how
one achieved it. I thought this was really broad because we live
in such a diverse world and happiness is relative to you as an
individual. Then I looked at success in America and found that it
had a lot to do with the American Dream. Our nations views on
work ethic and views on success affect our lives daily as
individuals. But is the American Dream a reality? More than just a
vision or idea? When I was little I was told that I could become
anything that I set my mind to because I lived in America. So, is
the American Dream as real as America promotes itself? No its
not.
In my research I started out trying to find the definition of the
American Dream and I came up with so many different ideas on
how we SHOULD view the topic. It was only when I looked at the
history and culture of America that I found how it was really
defined and how events have changed peoples views on it. A lot
of research has been done on different demographics and their
views on the achievability of the American Dream. This helped
me put together that by the definition of the American Dream;
its not a reality.
Ive never actually looked into the validity and conception of the
American Dream so it was interesting to learn how it all began
and why its stuck all these years. I felt that my findings were
really general and broadened. Many were about how the
American Dream is diminishing after the recession and many
were on the influence of higher education when it came to
success. I found that people think that the American Dream has
changed over time, but its ultimately stayed very much the
same.
For the past year Ive been writing in APA format for research
papers and it was really weird to me to insert I and my own
experiences and beliefs into it. I think I wrote pretty academically
just because a lot of my information is direct quotes that I
expand on. Since I didnt go out and interview anyone, I had to
rely on others opinions and experiments. That was odd because
the essays Ive written in college were all about my own primary
source research.
I think that my group helped me a lot when it came to narrowing
down my topic. My group made this a fun experience and they
kept me sane when the work started to pile up. I think the only
reason I survived this project is because of the support I received
from them.

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6. I think I read a lot more than I ever have for a project before.
Usually I can just skim chapters and pages and find useful
information but in order to really learn about my topic in depth I
really had to study it. This was different than other essays Ive
written in college because those were all personal essays or done
by my own social experiments.
7. I already knew that the system was corrupt but I never knew how
much our government and media has pushed patriotism. When I
was younger I was really into the country I lived in because thats
what I was taught, but as I got older and my education expanded
I found flaws. Nothing is perfect, but our government sure wants
it to see like America is.
QUESTIONS:
1. I was really confused on what the point of my essay was, so I
struggled with what information I used. What do you think the
point of my essay is?
2. How can I get my point across more effectively without being too
specific or being to general?
3. Do you think I should change my essay into a different form, like
a play?
4. Does any of what I wrote make sense to you? What doesnt make
sense and needs to be explained more?
5. Should I change the point of my essay?