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One of the leading figures of the younger generation in the 1950's was Elvis Presley, but he stood out against the traditional view of the "American Dream" and offered the young people of America a different "dream." Instead of simply "playing along," sacrificing family and personal fulfillment for financial success and the ability to purchase new things, Elvis showed that one can refuse to "play along," and that real self-fulfillment comes, not from the accumulation of material goods, but from more personal sources. One can refuse to be a cog in the machine of industry, refuse to put the accumulation of material things above personal fulfillment. Happiness is not found in the latest gadget but in one's heart.

This lesson sparked one of the most influential times in American History: the 1960's. The dream of freedom from preconceived notions of happiness, which Elvis first whispered in the ear of everybody in 1956, had by the late 1960's, blossomed into a time of social awareness. By creating a new way to live the "American Dream," no longer constrained by the traditions of the materialistic past, American society has been expanded, allowing for all Americans to pursue their own version of the "American Dream." And this version can still be the traditional version if one likes, but it can also be whatever makes one happy, without the restrictions of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or anything else.

Recently the United States of America has been rocked to its financial core by the actions of many in the financial community. Hard working Americans will once again suffer the consequences of economic calamity caused by the greed and materialism of those in positions of financial authority. It would seem that the traditional "American Dream" of the accumulation of wealth and material goods has once again raised its head to the detriment of the nation. The lessons of Elvis Presley and the 1960's had been forgotten in the rush of financial success of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Americans had forgotten that the accumulation of wealth was not a way to achieve personal fulfillment, and that real happiness came from within. As The U.S. struggles to rebuild itself economically, Americans must remember the "dream" that Elvis whispered in everybody's ear, they must remember to seek personal fulfillment through personal endeavors, not gaining wealth at any cost.