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¶ … American Dream understood 1960's/1970's
16[1961], Kennedy delivered a landmark speech at the University of Washington campus in Seattle: "We must face the fact that the United States is neither omnipotent nor omniscient, that we are only 6% of the world's population, that we cannot impose our will upon the other 94% of mankind, that we cannot right every wrong or reverse each adversity, and that therefore there cannot be an American solution to every world problem" (http://content.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1635958_1635999_1634954,00.html #ixzz2g57wnLby).It was the early sixties and the American Dream was being questioned, revised, reiterated, reinforced and, most importantly, completed with responses to matters the Americans and the rest of the world were confronted with. The Cold War, the War in Korea, the U.S. relations with Cuba, the Civil Rights Movement, the Women's Rights Movement, the understanding and revision of authority from all standpoints,...
Some of them, it shared with the rest of the world, some were all its own. Since the end of WWII, the world was presented with the idealist image of the U.S., the saver, the hero, and the omnipotent character that will rescue all from the powers of evil. Unfortunately, the evil had many faces and as J.F. Kennedy underlines in his speech in Seattle: "there cannot be an American solution to every world problem" http://content.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1635958_1635999_1634954,00.html #ixzz2g57wnLby
The American Dream, which contained first and foremost the idea of "freedom," could not be successfully exported to all corners of the world. Not only were the Americans a small portion of this world, but they had problems of their own.
The American Foreign Policy of the sixties and the…
The American Foreign Policy of the sixties and the seventies appeared to have roots in the idealistic idea of the American Dream. Theoretically, the Americans were fighting to liberate peoples from all sorts of tyranny. Practically, the American people were left to discover what the costs to be the worlds' policeman really involved.
War on foreign fronts cost the Americans dearly. Unfortunately, the results were poor to null, so they public rage against such futile undertakings began to grow. The American dream's meaning of fighting for freedom began to shift towards the freedom to say "no" to war, despite its initial noble intentions of fighting on the "good" side. "As the war expanded -- over 400,000 U.S. troops would be in Vietnam by 1967 -- so did the antiwar movement, attracting growing support off the campuses. The movement was less a unified army than a rich mix of political notions and visions. & #8230; Some peace activists traveled to North Vietnam. Quakers and others provided medical aid to Vietnamese civilian victims of the war. Some G.I.s protested the war" (http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/vietnam/antiwar.html).
The two ideals of the American dream in the sixties and seventies: "peace" and respectively "freedom," began to shift in a matter of a few years: "In 1965, a majority of Americans supported U.S. policies in Vietnam; by the fall of 1967, only 35% did so. For the first time, more people thought U.S. intervention in Vietnam had been a mistake than did not. Blacks and women were the most dovish social groups" (idem). The Americans were beginning to understand that such speeches as that of President Kennedy's on the campus in Seattle were meant to go beyond mere campaigning and political gain. Unfortunately, politicians appeared to have learned very little from the War in Korea,
American Dream The Great American Dream has undergone a massive transformation since the end of nineteenth century and the sooner we come to terms with it, the better it is for the rest of the world. The American dream was once characterized by westward expansion, 'the new world' and ideals of liberty, freedom and equality. Unfortunately all these interpretations of American dream have lost significance over the years. It is our
American Dream The Awakening" and "Thelma and Louise" Although written and filmed a century apart, Kate Chopin's novel, "The Awakening," and the movie "Thelma and Louis" possess the same core theme of feminism at odds with the norms of society. Chopin's character Edna, has had the social upbringing of any proper female of her day. Chopin describes her as "an American woman, with a small infusion of French which seemed to have been
In this way the American Dream became even less accessible to poor persons, who in the past may have expected help from the more fortunate sectors of society. Instead they were forced to see the rich grow increasingly richer without any chance for access to prosperity. Unemployment and disparate income rates exacerbate the problem. Those employed in the most worthy of caring professions are often at the lowest end
(Steinbeck, 1939) When the Grapes of Wrath is compared with the other works that are discussed earlier, it is clear that this is showing the negative side of the American dream. In this situation, things did not work as planned for the Joads. Instead, they were forced to deal with these challenges and believe that things will turn around. This determination is showing how the American dream is more than
Waves of immigrants -- the Irish fleeing famine, the Italians, the Germans, the Scandinavians, the Chinese -- came to America, in the hopes of beginning their own businesses, starting their own farms and making life better for their children. America seemed like a place where the past did not define one's status in the present: yet even though many of these ethnic groups made inroads into America's social fabric and
A solid work ethic can help stimulate creativity. Work ethic does not entail laboring for long hours in deplorable working conditions. A healthy work ethic means that Americans work hard because they love what they do and take pride in it. Warshauer shows how the "get rich quick" ideal has permeated American society, replacing what was once a healthy work ethic with an unhealthy arrogance. Liu also refers to