Defining the American Dream: History, Meaning, and Change
This paper examines the concept of the American Dream from multiple angles: its historical origins in the colonial era, its commonly accepted definition as a meritocratic ideal of hard work and upward mobility, and the ways in which that definition has shifted in recent decades. Drawing on sources including scholarly research on college students' beliefs, Lois Tyson's analysis of the Dream's commodified nature, and journalistic accounts of declining economic mobility, the paper argues that while Americans broadly retain faith in the Dream, changing economic realities and persistent structural inequalities have complicated and narrowed what the Dream can mean in practice.
- Introduction: Thesis: Dream's definition shifts with history
- Historical Origins of the American Dream: Colonial-era roots in land and religious freedom
- The Commonly Accepted Definition: Hard work, open opportunity, Puritan work ethic
- Young Americans and Meritocracy: College students still believe in achievement ideology
- The American Dream as Social Vision and Commodity: Tyson's critique: Dream reduced to material gain
- Inequality and the Limits of the Dream: Race, class, and slavery as barriers to the Dream
- How the American Dream Has Changed: Declining wages erode modern economic optimism
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- The paper grounds an abstract concept in concrete historical context, tracing the American Dream from the colonial period through the present day in a logical sequence.
- It balances multiple scholarly and journalistic perspectives—Abowitz's empirical study, Tyson's critical theory, and McManus's journalistic account—giving the argument breadth and credibility.
- The conclusion ties back to the thesis by showing that all the sources examined ultimately confirm that the Dream's definition is fluid and context-dependent, providing a satisfying resolution.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective synthesis of sources: rather than presenting each source in isolation, the writer connects them to a single evolving argument about how the Dream's meaning shifts with historical and economic circumstances. Each quotation is introduced, quoted, and then explained in the student's own words—a model of the "quote sandwich" technique that keeps the student's analytical voice prominent.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a clear three-part thesis (history, accepted meaning, recent change), then devotes one or two paragraphs to each component in order. A pivot paragraph on historical inequality bridges the optimistic definitions to the more pessimistic contemporary view, and a brief conclusion restates the thesis without introducing new material. This mirrors a standard five-paragraph essay structure expanded to a short research essay format.
Introduction
People have discussed the concept of the American Dream for many years, yet its definition remains difficult to pin down. The reason for this is that as the circumstances of the country change, so does the view people hold of what the American Dream represents. The purpose of this paper is to define the American Dream through the lens of history, to explore its generally accepted meaning, and to examine how that definition may have changed over the past several decades.
Historical Origins of the American Dream
History shows that the concept of the American Dream began with the "discovery" of the Americas. Whether the explorer was Leif Erikson or Christopher Columbus, all of the people who came to these shores dreamed of something better. As one source puts it:
"The idea of an American Dream is older than the United States, dating back to the 1600s, when people began to come up with all sorts of hopes and aspirations for the new and largely unexplored continent. Many of these dreams focused on owning land and establishing prosperous businesses which would theoretically generate happiness, and some people also incorporated ideals of religious freedom into their American Dreams" (wiseGeek).
People immigrated to the new American colonies in part because England imposed fewer religious restrictions on those who settled here. Additionally, the average person could not own land in Europe — or at least not very much — because most land was the property of the state or of the wealthy nobility. People heard of the vastness of America and wanted to have a piece of land they could call their own. From the very beginning, the American Dream was about doing everything possible to live the life one was meant to live.
The Commonly Accepted Definition
In common usage, the American Dream has been described as "an idea which suggests that all people can succeed through hard work, and that all people have the potential to live happy, successful lives" (wiseGeek). Because people have historically faced fewer restrictions on achievement in the United States, it has long been believed that any person who wants to succeed can do so through determination and effort. This belief has been called the Puritan work ethic, or given other names that imply the same idea. The people who originally came to America had to work extremely hard simply to survive. Even today, those who achieve the most are generally those who are most willing to work.
Young Americans and Meritocracy
In one study conducted by Deborah Abowitz, college students were surveyed to determine whether they still believed in the traditional American Dream. She found that:
"College students today generally do believe in the achievement ideology and the openness of the American class system. Their views are derived from an idea of success as a meritocratic 'contest' for social mobility in which an individual's effort and abilities count for more than family and personal connections in the race for the American Dream" (Abowitz).
This indicates that young people in contemporary society continue to hold the belief that Americans are able to accomplish whatever they set their minds to. Whether someone invents a product, works their way up from the lowest levels of a company, or aspires to become President of the United States, those goals are seen as achievable. These college students further expressed that "the idea of achievement in an open system of contest mobility is based on the norm of ambition. Those who work hard earn their advantages. They deserve to live well" (Abowitz).
Works Cited
Abowitz, Deborah A. "Social Mobility and the American Dream: What do College Students Believe?" College Student Journal 39.4 (2005): 716–728. Print.
McManus, John F. "Understanding America Today: Immigrants have Long Come to America to Live the 'American Dream.'" The New American 23.21, 15 Oct. 2007: 4–6. Print.
Tyson, Lois. Psychological Politics of the American Dream: The Commodification of Subjectivity in Twentieth-Century American Literature. Columbus, Ohio: Ohio State University Press, 1994. Print.
wiseGeek. "What is the American Dream?" 2009. Web. 13 Dec. 2011.
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.