American Dream And The American Dream

The history of the American dream dates back to the 17th century, when the Puritans came to America with hopes of attaining religious freedom. In John Winthrop's famous speech called a “city upon a hill” that he gave to the new Puritan settlers, he discusses an ideal nation that would give all the people equal opportunities of becoming successful through using their greatest effort. As time moved forward, the American dream gradually changed in the minds of the American people. Years later, during the American Revolution, the Founding Fathers introduced the idea that each person's desire to pursue happiness was not self-indulgence, but a necessity for a prosperous society. The American Dream from 1900 through 1950 is entirely different from

In 1931 Adams, popularized the American dream through his book, “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 a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. 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 the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.” In the 1900s, the backgrounds of people dreaming the dream had never been broader. The economic ups and downs of a century had never been sharper. The scope of international interest and impact had never been wider. As the modern age arrived and cynicism began to rival idealism in the national mindset, the dark lining of the American dream was very apparent in twentieth-century literature. The American dream is the hope in the United States of America that anyone, whatever religion, race, ethnicity can be rich and famous, as long as they work hard and try their very best. During the 20th century the United states experienced major waves of immigration. For many immigrants who came to the United states the first thing they saw upon arrival was the Statue of Liberty, which signified new opportunities for their lives. In the late 1800s, people in many parts of the world decided to leave their homes and immigrate to the United States. Many who came to the U. S. left their countries because of crop failure, land and job shortages, rising taxes, and famine, also because it was perceived as the land of economic opportunity. Overall, majority of immigrants in the 20th century came to America