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The American Dream began with the birth of a nation who strove to be free of oppression, although the term “American Dream” was not officially coined until 1931 by James Truslow Adams. He defined the American Dream as “a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” Adams specifically notes that the Dream is not one of fancy cars, or high wages, but instead the thought that “each man and each woman shall be able to attain the fullest stator of which they are… capable” (“What is the American Dream?”).
Despite this definition, many people choose to believe in and strive for a more materialistic dream that is achieved by having fancy cars and a large income, or choose to not believe in a dream at all. Wealth does not constitute happiness or freedom, but instead drains workers of happiness, filling them with stress and anxiety, and keeps them tied to work with new technology.
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“ Ok, let me say I’m extremely satisfy with the result while it was a last minute thing. I really enjoy the effort put in. ”
The American Dream is still alive because America continues to be a land of opportunity where the most unlikely of people have a chance to be successful, and the main goal in life is to be happy.
From small businesses to celebrities, America has a way of giving everybody the opportunity to be successful, and an excellent example of this is Oprah Winfrey. Oprah had a mountain of odds piled against her; she is a black female born into a small town in Mississippi, and was sexually abused by several men at a young age, before moving to Nashville with her father.
At twenty five, Winfrey moved to Baltimore where she hosted the “TV chat show People Are Talking,” which became a hit (Oprah Winfrey). From there, her success spirlaed;
Another example of why the American Dream is still alive is because America has been and continues to be the melting pot of the world. People have always come to America in hopes of having a better life, the most notable causes coming through Ellis Island. As many as 3,000 people would crowd each ship, voyaging from several parts of Europe.The hope was that these people could escape the poverty and religious intolerance that existed in seveal towns across Europe. Passangers were divided by wealth and class; first and second class passangers were placed in cabins, while third class passangers were left in the large, open bottom of the sip called the steerage.
More recently there was the Syrian Refugee crisis that faced not only America but several other countries. For the majority of crisis, the refugees took solace in surrounding countries that were easiest to travel to, such as Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, and Turkey. These countries have been hosting Syrian refugees since 2011, but recently began denying people solice. Because of the increasing number of refugees, many countries in Europe began tightening their refugee policies, restricting the number of people that are let into their country. In Hopes of preventing the same sort of mass migrations in the future, countries have begun building walls, placing fences, are placing military persons on their borders, which would not allow people to as easily immigrate into the country (CNN).
Despite President Trump’s initiatives, no wall is being built on America’s Mexican border. Many will argue that the American Dream does not exist because immigrants are not welcome. These same people will compare American to other countries, such as the United Kingdom, which ranked three places higher in a 2015 survey of the greatest countries in the world. The United Kingdom, ranked at number three, was recorded taking in a much higher number of immigrants than the United States, which was only ranked at number seven. However, more recently, America is more open to immigrants that the United Kingdom, which promised to help 3,000 refugee children with the introduction of a new program, yet the program was halted after only 350 children entered the country (CNN).
In the United States, it has never been easier to pursue dreams of owning one's own business. Locally, there are several small businesses that have grown abundantly because of community support. Ask any person local to Amesbury where the best place to get ice cream is and they will point you to Hodgies, an ice cream stand that has been open and family run for several generations. Another local small business is Skip's Burgers, which was nationally recognized by Phantom Gourmet for their outstanding curly fries. These businesses were started in the land of prosperity, and have been able to be maintains through changing with the times and holding true to the commitment of the AMerican Dream, making others happy in their presence, and providing family friendly places to meet.
While starting a business is not the easiest thing to do, it is manageable because in the United States, there is avalible opportunity for people to receive help. To get started, there are hundred of websites that curious entrepreneurs can use to get a baseline knowledge for the industry in which they would like to enter, weather that be food, distribution, or something else, such as childcare.
Next, as long as a person has reasonably good credit, meaning they are likely to pay back a loan, banks will frequently give loans to entrepreneurs, especially those who have a good idea. To get this loan, however, there has to be a plan for the business. If a person is struggling with a business plan, community colleges across the states open up classes for people to take, an excellent example is Northern Essex community College. People can quickly and easily sign up for just one class to help them better understand the business world for a relatively low cost. It is because of these opportunities people are able to argue that the American Dream is still alive, because people have opportunity, and people use this opportunity.
While the United States is not perfect, we are better off than women in several other countries, such as Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan, Sudan, the Republic of the Congo, and many others who still lack basic rights which the majority of American woman take for granted. Here, women are fighting for birth control rights, and to close the pay gap, which is only approximately twenty percent of wages, a number that has steadily decreased within the past decade. While those are important factors that should be changed, people should take a step back every once in awhile, and look at these other countries where women have no rights. For example, in Turkey, in 1997, only twenty years ago, women took to the streets in protest, accusing the government of trying to return to an ancient way of life which would put more restrictions upon women. These women were out in the streets shouting slogans such as, “Women exist!” and “Women's rights are human rights!” (CITE). An article published in 2014 by Diana Pearl lists the ten worst countries to live in for women, and a few reasons to support that rank. In that list, Turkey was ranked thirty fifth out of thirty six countries surveyed for women. Pearl notes that in Turkey, only twenty nine percent of women are documented as employed, compared to seventy percent of men that are documented as employed. This leaves the majority of women the job of housework and child care, an unpaid and unadmired profession in that country.
Oddly, The article also includes the United States, but clearly states that the country is not low on the list for women's rights, but Pearl took the opportunity to point out flaws in the United States. For example, America is one of three countries in the whole world who do not support new mothers; women only receive twelve weeks of maternity leave, which is unpaid. This makes it impossible for single parents to connect with their new babies, give themselves time to heal, and financially support the household. The article also includes the wage gap which has been an ongoing problem in America.
The difference, however, between the United States and these other countries, is that Americans have the right to public speak out against the government, a right which is used in abundance. For example, since the election of Mr. Trump, there has been a fear among the people that he would discontinue birth control access to women, and deport immigrants. Before he made a motion to do either, a multitude of organizations banded together to stand against these beliefs. Now that Mr. Trump has made an action acting both immigrants and birth control, there are hundreds of advertisements trying to stop these from passing in Congress. Planned Parenthood, a well known organization across the United States, currently is promoting its petition demanding birth control for all. Along with the petition, however, there is information about why birth control is necessary for women, and it is easily found doing a simple google search.
The American Dream is still very much alive and thriving because in America, there is still opportunity to be better and be the best person you can be. Believing in and maintaining the American Dream is important because with it, there is hope for a better future, not only for an individual or a single family, but for the country as a whole. Because America still has a dream to strive for, that makes us better than most countries, and gives people both inside and out of the country hope for a better future.
The American Dream and why it is Still Alive in the United States. (2024, Feb 27). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/the-american-dream-and-why-it-is-still-alive-in-the-united-states-essay
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