Young Writers Society

The American Dream isn’t well known to many people. The definition of the American Dream is rather simple; it is the desire of Americans to have freedom and to be better off than their parents. The American Dream means many things to many people. Some people consider the American Dream to be composed of success stories, while others think of it as a casino that has some winners, but a lot of losers. The American Dream is composed of four central themes: government, business, religion, and the American identity. The purpose of this essay is to examine each of these themes and see how they allow normal citizens the opportunity to achieve success.

We begin our story with the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. It is here where the American dream is truly born. The Constitution starts with a preamble that establishes the American Dream in this line

The US Constitution wrote:“… and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity…”(Constitution)

The significance of this line is that our founding fathers were securing the blessings of the liberty to do what we please, not just for ourselves, but those who come after us. In the First Amendment people are guaranteed the freedom of speak without fear of persecution. The Declaration of Independence has this famous line which also echoes the American Dream.

The Declaration of Independence wrote:“We hold these truths to be self-evident, 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.” (Independence)

This famous passage says that all men are created equal in opportunity and with rights which can’t be taken away: the right to their lives, their freedom, and to pursue happiness in any way they can. With these three passages in the documents upon which our country was founded, the American Dream had been born. By acknowledging these rights, government had created the American Dream.

According to the textbook Understanding Business, the American Dream is

Understanding Business wrote:“Americans’ hope for a better quality of life and a higher standard of living than their parents.”

(Nickels) It granted totally normal people the chance to become something great. For the longest time, man had dreamed of flying. For the Wright Brother’s, it had become a passion. Many had tried before them, rich European scientists and nobles tried time after time to fly, with varying degrees of success. The Wright Brother’s studied the designs of gliders that had been attempted in the past and then started designing their own glider. Eventually the Wright brothers flew into history by making the first powered flight on December 17, 1903. (Bradshaw) The ability to obtain the education and the books enabled them to increase their knowledge so that they, two ordinary Americans, could aspire to greatness. The American Dream allows people to aspire to greatness but it also has another effect, it allows people to fail.

The greatest stories of the American Dream are not the born successes, but the successes that come about as a result of hard work. Not everyone succeeds the first time, every time. The story of Chris Gardner is one such example. He had quit his job as a medical supply sales job to go for a job which he learned later had been closed. His family had left him on the same day he was arrested for unpaid parking tickets. He spent ten days in jail and went from jail to a job interview.

Kaiser wrote: “I could not think of a lie bizarre enough,” Gardner said. “I told the truth.” (Kaiser)

He was hired and worked very hard. His family returned and they slept wherever they could afford to. Sometimes it would be in bus terminals and sometimes it would be cheap hotels. Mr. Gardner would sometimes spend the night in his cubicle, just to have a place to sleep. His dedication to learning about stock trading eventually enabled him to afford an apartment and, after working with his company for four years, he started his own company. He used several government programs to help him set it up. He went further and fought hard to keep his company afloat. It is now a successful company as a result of his efforts. His story is the result of the capitalist system from which normal people can gain economic power.

Capitalism is defined as

Dictionary.com wrote:“an economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately or corporately owned and development is proportionate to the accumulation and reinvestment of profits gained in a free market.” (Dictionary.com)

It is the capitalist system which lies at the heart of the American Dream. Capitalism has prevailed several times in America’s history and it has built this country into a superpower. This is because it allows Americans to freely trade and compete with one another. Professor Friedrich A Von Hayek said in his book The Road to Serfdom,

Professor Von Hayek wrote:“Freedom in this sense is, of course, merely another name for power or wealth.” (Von Hayek, 40)

During the Cold War it was heavily compared with the Communist style of economic system, in which everything is run by the government. This system failed, according to Von Hayek, because:

Professor Von Hayek wrote:“The economic freedom which is the prerequisite of any other freedom cannot be the freedom from economic cares which the socialists promise us and which can be obtained only by relieving us of the power of choice. It must be that freedom of economic activity which, together with the right of choice, carries also the risk and responsibility of that right.” (Von Hayek, 58)

When people have an economic choice, they have economic freedom. The Communist system was effectively a government monopoly; there was no economic freedom. Economic freedom itself isn’t the American Dream. Instead, it is the means by which the American Dream is reached. It would be a mistake to say that the American Dream and Capitalism are one and the same because the American Dream is far more than the desire to be rich. When the Pilgrims came here originally it was so that they might worship freely. (Pilgrim Society)

Many people that have sought the American Dream came here so that they might escape from religious persecution. Even in America, it has been the dream of the faithful to run from religious persecution. Everyone knows the story of the Mayflower and their search for religious freedom. They aren’t the only example of religious groups fleeing religious persecution. The Jews that could afford to leave Germany before the holocaust went many places, especially America.

America is a well known receiver of many different kinds of people, but not all Americans treat foreigners kindly. There is some anti-Hispanic sentiment due to the illegal immigration going along the Mexican-American Border. This is, ironically enough, a result of the enormous promise that America offers the people of poor countries. It is an issue that will need to be addressed in the future. America is far from being a place where persecution is gone. America has a history of persecuting many minorities: Indians, Asian Americans, African Americans, Hispanics, everyone. The Mormons themselves wiped out an entire wagon train of settlers out of religious fervor before word could be sent to them to not attack. (Gibbs) Indians were relocated many times, had their land taken away from them, and were generally treated badly.

What is interesting to note is not that these things have occurred, but that these processes have ceased over time just because of the changing of society. Government policy has become more tolerant to people of all races, cultures, and religions. The suffering of minorities has been brought to light by the minorities themselves and historians. A nation that was founded with slavery has since become a place where all people are equal in their opportunity to accomplish something great. These changes were a result of changes in how individuals viewed themselves as Americans.

The American identity varies from person to person but it does have some common traits. These include patriotism, independence, and competition. A love of country is certainly one. Patriotism is a,

Dictionary.com wrote:“Love of and devotion to one's country.” (Dictionary.com)

The patriotic nature of America was shown during and after the events of September 11th. Another trait of the American identity is independence. It is a very big part of America. Many kids are encouraged to be independent and leave home when they are 18. The ability to make your own decisions and to drive a car allows you virtually endless opportunities. Independence allows you to decide what job you want to do, what you want to be educated in, and where you want to go. America allows this independence and will only stop a person if they are breaking the law. Competition is a huge part of the American Identity. General George Patton, a particularly colorful general from World War Two, often used competition in his speeches. In a speech to soldiers about to participate in D-Day, he said the following:

General Patton wrote:“When you, here, every one of you, were kids, you all admired the champion marble player, the fastest runner, the toughest boxer, the big league ball players, and the All-American football players. Americans love a winner. Americans will not tolerate a loser. Americans despise cowards. Americans play to win all of the time. I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost nor will ever lose a war; for the very idea of losing is hateful to an American.” (Patton)

Patton was absolutely correct. America is hardly modest when it comes to bragging about itself. It is a common viewpoint in the international community that Americans are greedy, so much so that they only invaded Iraq and Afghanistan for the oil in each of the respective countries. America really isn’t interested in taking over countries on a permanent basis. If it were otherwise, America wouldn’t be working so hard at rebuilding the nations of both of these countries. We did the same thing with much less resource oriented countries like Japan and Germany for many decades, the occupation is now gone, except for a few military bases in these locations for strategic reasons.

What is going on in Iraq and Afghanistan today is a sign of another interesting phenomena: the exportation of the American Dream. It is present in many modern countries and the US is exporting it to other countries via American Culture, according to Joseph Nye.

Joseph Nye wrote:“During the Cold War military containment prevented Soviet expansion but the real victory was the transformation of the cultures behind the Iron Curtain by their attraction to Western values. So soft power [American Culture] was essentially the transformative force,” (Marcus)

The American Dream is now common in many countries because America has had such a great influence in so many places in the world. Afghanistan, Italy, Iraq, Japan, Germany, and Russia are all countries which have since been given democracy by America. Many other countries have sought the advice of America to determine how they can form a democracy in their country.

The American Dream came about from a group of men who created a country on the foundation of economic, religious, and social freedom for America. The capitalist system of government has given great incentives for people to succeed. These incentives continue to this day and economic freedom is available to anyone who works hard enough to achieve it. While America has violated the rights of its citizens in the past, it has since moved on, showing the change of character in the Americans. The character in America is very competitive, independent, and patriotic. While greed flows in the undercurrent, this is hardly a unique trait to America. The American Dream is becoming more and more common due to the amount of countries that are adopting the same governments and policies of the United States. The American Dream is really the dream to succeed. It has thrived in America because the conditions in America are better for success than in other places in the world. Since the American Dream was recognized here first, it will forever be known as the American Dream.

Works Cited

Bradshaw, Gary. “Doing it Wright.”

Dictionary.com “Definition of Capitalism”

Dictionary.com “Definition of Patriotism” Online.

Gibbs, Josiah F. Meadow Mountain Massacre 1910.

Kaiser, Rob. “Once homeless, now millionaire, Chicago man's life to hit big screen.” The Standard-Times (April 5, 2005).

Marcus, Jonathon. “Exporting the American Dream.” BBC News UK (February 23, 2004).

Nickels, William et al. Understanding Business 6th Edition. McGraw-Hill College. July 2001.

Pilgrim Society. “Religion.” (Updated July 14, 1998)

Province, Charles M. “The Famous Patton Speech”.

US Government “The US Constitution”

US Government “The Declaration of Independence”

Von Hayek, Friedrich A. “Condensed Version of “The Road To Serfdom”