The American Dream

History of the American Dream Term “American Dream” first used by James Truslow Adams in The Epic of America “The American Dream is ‘that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement…It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.’” http://memory.loc.gov/learn/lessons/97/dream/thedream.html

Foundations of the American Dream Puritans Settled New England in 17th century Leaders and common people searching for freedom Declaration of Independence “…that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” Benjamin Franklin Self-made man “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” Key to wealth is hard work!

Foundations of the American Dream Horatio Alger (1850s roughly) “Rags to riches” stories People of poverty (particularly young boys) find middle-class comfort “Luck, pluck, and virtue” Roosevelt New Deal Social Security Act of 1935

Foundations of the American Dream “Levittown” Houses with two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen and a living room Suburban conformity 1950: 55% of people owned homes American Dream included car, house, and television ownership “Consumer culture” People lost work ethic due to a sense of entitlement

The American Dream Today Interviews with Celebrities

Maya Angelou “The American Dream, whether attainable or not, is to have freedom, freedom in all things. To go as far as ambition impels us, in work, in play, and religion and even in love.” “I think that is what sent the first pioneers away from Europe and caused them to struggle with the Native Americans here and caused them to bring people, unwillingly from Africa, to indulge in slavery, and it is what caused the slaves to struggle against slavery.” “Everyone is looking for freedom, freedom to live their lives, to control their own destiny.” Interviewed by Evelyn Rusli

Buzz Aldrin “I think the American Dream used to be achieving one’s goals in your field of choice- and from that all other things would follow. Now, I think the dream has morphed into the pursuit of money: Accumulate enough of it, and the rest will follow. We’ve become more materialistic. For balance, I think we need to get back to idealism and patriotism but also be realistic with our monetary goals.” Interviewed by James Clash

Tyra Banks “The American Dream is about fulfilling your potential to the max. It’s not a chase for material goods, it’s about learning what inspires you in life and creating a plan to turn it into your life’s work.” Interviewed by Hitha Prabhakar

Mel Brooks “When I was a little kid 50 years ago, in 1946, I had just got out of the Army after two years fighting in the war. The American Dream was a house and a car.” “Today, the American Dream is winning American Idol. It’s changed slightly.” Interviewed by Miriam Marcus

Elizabeth Dole “The American Dream truly is defined by individuals. It is their positive ambitions- such as getting an education, owning a home, serving our country, holding elected office, or having a productive career- and their commitment and courage to see these goals through.” Interviewed by Miriam Marcus

Hugh Hefner “When you think of the American Dream, you think about the ability to be free and secure in your own personal lives. [It is] the right to own what you want, to own property and to worship the God of your choice, and privacy in your own home. It’s an idea unique to America and shared by other countries as well.” “I think, by and large, the federal government has lost sight of some of those rights and freedoms that the American Dream stands for. Going on the quest for it, and the very fact that we refer to it as a dream, tends to separate the idea of it from reality, but it is what the country is founded on and it will behoove us to remind ourselves of that.” Interviewed by Hitha Prabhakar

Frank McCourt “The American Dream boils down to self-knowledge. I like an illustration I saw once in a volume of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, where there’s a kid sitting under a tree dangling a line into the Mississippi. He was just sitting there, doing nothing, and that’s something we need to do more of- to sit and do nothing, and dream, and to follow that dream.” Interviewed by Mary Crane

Chuck Norris “I used to think the American Dream could be obtained through the accumulation of possessions, positions, and prestige. The “truths self-evident” to our founding fathers eluded me for too long.” “ ‘Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ is so much more than fulfilling our own dreams, doing what we want and feeling good. It’s about using our God-given potential to make a positive difference on this planet.” Interviewed by Mary Crane

Vanity Fair article “The American Dream should require hard work, but it should not require 80-hour workweeks and parents who never see their kids from across the dinner table. The American Dream should entail a first-rate education for every child, but not an education that leaves no extra time for the actual enjoyment of childhood. The American Dream should accommodate the goal of home ownership, but without imposing a lifelong burden of unmeetable debt. Above all, the American Dream should be embraced as the unique sense of possibility that this country gives its citizens—the decent chance, as Moss Hart would say, to scale the walls and achieve what you wish.” http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2009/04/american-dream200904?currentPage=5

Assignment Write a paragraph (AT LEAST FIVE SENTENCES) about your definition of the American Dream. Think about it. Don’t just copy others’ ideas or the ideas we’ve discussed here. This should be written nicely on cardstock or construction paper. Your homework should have some “extra” decorative element, such as photos, drawings, song lyrics, quotes, etc. This will be due Tuesday!