The American DreamA Brief History

“I came to America because I heard that streets here were

paved with gold. When I came I learned three things:

first: streets in America are not paved with gold;

second: streets in America are not paved at all;

third: I am expected to pave them.”

• Recollections of 1900's immigrant

The Start of the American Dream

• The revolutionists believed in an America where everyone was treated equally

Early Days: Manifest Destiny

• Because of all of the unused resources, and America expanding, immigrants came to America

• Immigrants could improve their social standing in one generation

1930s: Fear and Hoarding

• In 1931, writer James Truslow Adams gives them one: “that Americans dream of a better, richer, and happier life for all our citizens of every rank.”

1940s: War and Consequences

• More people could now attend college, buy cars, and have a large family

1950s: The Calm Between the Storms

• Post-War plenitude—and post-traumatic stress—reinforce family values, as seen on TV, which serves to distract Americans from the threat of war and the counterculture movement.

1960s: The Big Boom

• A new generation rejects the cautious materialism of their parents for an expressive, exuberant form of idealism (that canny marketers are only too happy to monetize).

1970s: Oil Bust

• The idealism of the 60s gives way to all-out pleasure-seeking behavior, but oil shocks and rampant inflation ensure that luxury is defined as nothing fancier than polyester jumpsuits and attending nightclubs.

1980s: Nouveau Pastiche

• A new diverse middle class appears

• This is personified by Bill Cosby, whose TV persona, Cliff Huxtable, somehow earns millions while practicing obstetrics in Brooklyn Heights.

1990s: eDREAMING

• People want to be able to buy a third car, private planes, or another house

• Extremely materialistic (selfish, money-oriented)

2000s: A Dream Deferred?

• The American Dream runs amok. Strung out on diet pills, wrapped in Sunggies, Twittering away their pursuit of happiness, Americans, led by a frat boy with a meaningless M.B.A., achieve the dream of talking about themselves. Then, in the fall of 2008, they hit bottom.

“What does the phrase ‘The American dream’ mean to

you?”• Four years ago, 19 percent of those

surveyed supplied answers that related to financial security and a steady job, and 20 percent gave answers that related to freedom and opportunity.

Today

“Freedom to live our own life.”

“Created equal.”

“Someone could start from nothing.”

“That everybody has a fair chance to succeed.”

“To become whatever I want to be.”

“To be healthy and have nice family and friends.”

“More like Huck Finn; escape to the unknown; follow your dreams.”

James Truslow Adams

• “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 the fullest stature of which they are innately capable.”

American Dream•What is your American Dream?

•How do you hope to accomplish this dream?

Works Cited

• http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2009/03/an-american-dream-timeline

• http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/08/us/08dreampoll.html