The Pursuit of the American Dream: History and Evolution
This essay traces the American Dream from its origins among British colonists seeking religious freedom in North America through its transformation into a modern ideal centered on financial security, homeownership, and higher education. The paper examines how economic cycles — particularly the prosperity of the 1950s and the instability of recent decades — have shaped public belief in upward mobility. It also considers whether the American Dream has disappeared, arguing that it persists in a new form among Hispanic and Latino immigrants who measure success by doing better than the previous generation. Ultimately, the essay concludes that while the Dream has evolved, its core of hope and aspiration remains alive.
- Introduction: Thesis: the American Dream persists through history
- The History Behind the American Dream: Colonial origins and individualism behind the Dream
- The Modern Day American Dream: Materialism, homeownership, and higher education as modern goals
- Is the American Dream Gone?: Economic decline and shrinking belief in upward mobility
- The New Immigrants: Latino immigrants redefine Dream through generational progress
- Conclusion: The Dream evolves but its hopeful core endures
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What makes this paper effective
- The essay uses a clear chronological framework, moving from 17th-century colonial origins through the 1950s golden era to the present day, which gives readers a coherent historical arc.
- It blends multiple types of evidence — scholarly books, opinion journalism, and polling data — to support claims about both historical context and contemporary attitudes.
- The paper balances pessimism and optimism effectively: it acknowledges the erosion of the traditional Dream while arguing that a revised version persists among new immigrants, avoiding a one-sided conclusion.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective use of embedded quotations as analytical anchors. Rather than dropping quotations without commentary, the author introduces each with context and follows it with interpretation — for example, citing Adams's 1931 coinage of the phrase and then unpacking what hope meant to arriving immigrants. This technique shows how to integrate sources to advance an argument rather than merely decorate it.
Structure breakdown
The essay follows a standard five-part structure: an introduction establishing the thesis, three body sections that develop the argument chronologically (colonial history, mid-20th-century ideals, and contemporary economic pessimism), a thematic section on new immigrants as carriers of the Dream, and a conclusion that circles back to the opening claim. Each body section ends by transitioning to the next, maintaining logical flow throughout.
Introduction
The American Dream began as a journey away from oppressive Great Britain to a new land. Those seeking religious freedom came to North America and formed the thirteen colonies so they could pursue a life filled with happiness and upward mobility. However, not everyone got what they wanted, and soon the American Dream became an American Nightmare for some. That did not stop new immigrants from coming and trying to chase their own version of this timeless wish.
Although the versions of the American Dream have changed throughout the centuries, people still maintain a strong desire to make it and come to the United States to see what life there can offer. The past and the present remind Americans what the American Dream consisted of and continues to consist of — and that is where this essay will go to understand why such a notion has persisted since the first settlers came to shore.
The History Behind the American Dream
The roots of the American Dream first took hold when the first British settlers came to North America to form what would be known as the thirteen colonies. They sought freedom from religious persecution in Great Britain (Caldwell, 2011). Some decided to head toward the east coast of North America to practice their beliefs and make money for themselves and their families. It was hard for many who came. They endured hardships and conflicts with the Native peoples already living there. Still, a few colonists managed to make life in the colonies profitable and built their homes and businesses accordingly.
Some say the American Dream has a strong foundation of individualism. "The American Dream was built on the rough foundation of American individualism, a revolutionary substance unlike anything the world had seen before" (Caldwell, 2011, p. 11). Those who came did so because they wanted the liberty of being their own person. For the British colonists, they wanted not only a new start but a new identity, away from the one they had left on British shores. While the symbolism of the American Dream came from these settlers, the actual phrase did not appear until centuries later.
The true origin of the phrase was first mentioned in 1931, by a middlebrow historian James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America. In this book, the phrase appears for the first time in the Preface, when Adams refers to the "American dream of a better, richer, and happier life," adding that "that dream or hope has been present from the start" (Kochan, 2007, p. 210).
To someone like James Truslow Adams, the American Dream meant a strong sense of hope and desire that fueled the long journey to a better life. Many people who have come to the United States had hope in their eyes when they arrived through Ellis Island. That hope persisted even when things did not lead to a better, richer, or happier life. Many who crossed the border into America — whether legally or illegally — have experienced hardships that made them question whether the move to this seemingly prosperous nation was a good idea. Even those born in the United States to immigrant parents sometimes feel as though the country is not truly a home but rather a temporary base. Such a sentiment can stem from many reasons: a stagnant economy, multiple recessions, or the lack of quality and affordable education and healthcare. People coming to this country sometimes experience regret because their picture of the American Dream has been shattered. This leads to the question of what the American Dream consists of today.
Works Cited
Caldwell, W. W. (2011). Cynicism and the evolution of the American dream. Washington, DC: Potomac Books, Inc.
Carson, B. (2016, March 15). What happened to the American dream? The Hill. Retrieved from http://thehill.com/opinion/op-ed/272950-what-happened-to-the-american-dream
Currier, E. (2015, January 1). The numbers show rags-to-riches happens only in movies. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/01/01/is-the-modern-american-dream-attainable/the-numbers-show-rags-to-riches-happens-only-in-movies
Kochan, S. (2007). The Great Gatsby and the American Dream. München: GRIN Verlag.
Lee, J. (2014, February 25). Don't tell Amy Chua: Mexicans are the most successful immigrants. TIME. Retrieved from
PBS. (2014, December 11). Is economic reality wiping out the American dream? PBS NewsHour. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/economic-reality-wiping-american-dream/
Smith, H. (2012). Who stole the American dream? New York: Random House.
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