What is the American Dream?

The American dream. Everyone has their own concept of the American dream. But what is the ideal American dream?  But what does the American dream consist of?  Who does the American dream support the most? To discuss the american dream and what it means to people you must first understand what the american dream means. The American dream can be found as far back as when the declaration of independence was written. The American dream is the idea that no matter the social status or the background you can obtain the idea of success in the modern world. 

To support the definition you must look back to where it all started. It started the day the Declaration of Independence was signed , “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 Pursuit of Happiness…” ( U.S 1776).​​ In this quotation, the congressmen who wrote this document are speaking to the white men of America, in which they were telling them that no matter of there status or their background they would be able to achieve success, but now that we are in modern time, the declaration of independence is now applied to all people of America. The tone in which this document was created was aimed at a very similar crowd of men, who all held the same idea of the American dream. The men who lived by this in 1776 all had the American dream of a white pure society where all other men and women existed below them.

Furthermore the declaration of independence was written in a way that only the white man could understand as most slaves were unable to understand or comprehend the declaration due to the fact that they could not read. The white man’s ideas of freedom were things such as freedom of speech and freedom of religion, which might not be the shared dream of those considered below them. This is only the beginning of what the American dream means, and the view that first created it, a tonedeaf dream that was built by ignorant white men who only had their best interest at heart.

Now, we must begin to take a look at the modern American dream. The modern American dream is not just one idea but a multitude of different ideas from people of all backgrounds. Here we will take a look at the women’s american dream. Women were not being thought of when the “ american dream “, in a letter to her husband, john adams, abigail adams wrote “Remember the ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors.” ( Adams 1776) In the excerpt, it is clear that women were not being considered in the declaration, to the point where Abigail Adams had to beg her husband to put them above that of his ancestors. Abigail’s tone was very hopeful as she believed her husband would include the American dream of white women in the declaration. She was talking to the white male about the white woman’s dream. In addition the white womens American dream was being able to vote, which they were not given until the 19th amendment was signed into the constitution in 1920. The white women being granted the right to vote showed how the declaration of independence was slowly changing for the better. White women were only one step further in the growth.

Now, for the American dream of the African American man. In the time of 1776 the black man’s dream was to be free from the bondage of the white man. The black man’s dream was not declared until 1865. “Neither slavery nor invoulatary servitude, excpet as a punishment of crime…” ( U.S. 1865) The 13th amendment was just the beginning to the black man’s american dream. Though this amendment freed negroes  from bondage, There would still be a long journey to achieve the american dream of the black man. The civil rights movement was another large step towards the black man’s american dream, it fought for social justice and equal rights. The civil rights movement had a lot of activists who wanted to be heard and wanted to be seen.

Activists such as Martin Luther king, Malcolm X, and many more. They each had a dream to be heard. To be heard by the white man to treat them as if they were one. The black man wanted to be seen as a fellow and not another. Martin Luther king jr. once said “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin…” (MLK jr. I have a dream) Showing how he wanted his kids to be able to walk around and be viewed with the same respect white men, women, and children received, and he fought for it until his last breath. His peaceful protest and Malcom X’s riots were both two things that got the African American man a lot closer to their definition of the American dream. The civil right movement was meant to be heard by all, not just one, it was meant to be understood not just by the colored man but also by the non colored man. It was for everyone to come and stand as one instead of standing apart.

The American dream of the African American female. African American females’ American dream definition was so hard to come about. Not only did they have to face being slaves, but they also had to face sexcism,and being degraded. Due to the fact that they were women they were not looked at as able to do much and their color did not help that struggle it only made it worse. African American women had no control on how their body was treated or what it was used for. They were not able to work in a “Man’s world,” and they were not able to fit into the “white womens shoes.” So their definition of the American dream becomes bigger. From getting to be in control of their body and what they did with it and how they carried themselves just being the start. To be able to do a White man’s job better than the white man. 

The ladies of “Hidden Figures” are one of the reasons Black women have reached their definitions of the American dream. The three women of the operation are the reason that the white man was able to pull off the first successful launch into orbit. Nobody ever thought that the brains of 3 African American women would be able to do it. That is when the American dream became real. When the white male and female stop underestimating the skills of the Black female. Or the woman of the seat Rosa Parks, she was tired of being told to sit at the back of the bus. Her action spoke to all the women of her color. She gave them the message of stand up for what you want and believe in even if it is as simple as a seat because that made history. An African American woman’s dream was accomplished when they were able to sit anywhere on the bus, go to school with the white women, control their body, be able to vote, and do the job of the white men.

The Immigrants’ version of the American dream. Imagine coming into a foreign place and knowing nothing about it. Well that’s how their story starts. Most of them don’t even speak the language. Being an immigrant there definition of the american dream is not to be rich or to outbeat someone at their own job. But it is to do the work nobody is willing to do. You see we American people, the people who are born in the states or New york at least, are lazy, we are so spoiled and immigrants do not get that type of treatment. They have to fight to be wanted, they have to come out of their comfort zone and learn a new language and be judged and looked at differently. Nobody sees that they are just trying to make a better life for themselves and their family. 

Immigrants do the hard work, wanting to get paid the right amount for their hard work. Their American dream comes to a place that will treat them equally and thank them for their hard work and dedication. To escape reality and make a better reality. Some immigrants do not come from places that have a government like the United States and some do not have the proper health care and dental care and life care that the American people get. They do not see the struggle within the American dream because their American dream does not look like someone else’s.  Even though they come with the dream of receiving equal opportunities they do not get that. They work double and triple the effort of what a lot of people don’t do, but they get taken advantage of. Instead of them being appreciated and being set for life the laws and the people treat them like aliens.

In conclusion everyone from every race and every gender has a different version or reality of the american dream. Some achieve their dreams easily and others have to work very hard to get there. It is not fair to all but sometimes hard work and dedication gets you higher and farther no matter how long it takes. The American dream is about equality and promises. Everyone has had their struggle and some are still fighting for their struggles to be taken seriously. The system does not support everyone even if the laws say they. There is always a loophole so think what is your idea of the american dream and can you help someone else achieve their dream?