My Essay Point

American Dream – In The Land of Opportunities

The American Dream is a set of ideals (equality, rights, opportunity, democracy and liberty) where there is equal opportunity for success and prosperity. There is also an upward society for children and family with no barriers. The government should encourage every individual’s opportunity so that they could pursue their own happiness and achieve the American Dream.

What is it all about?

Renowned historian James Truslow Adams in the year 1931 publicly coined the term American Dream. He used this phrase in the book Epic of America. He quoted that “The American Dream is a land of dreams where life should be fuller, richer and better for everyone with each passing day and with abundant opportunities according to one’s achievement or ability.”

Mr. Adams also said that it is not merely a dream of high wages and motor cars, but an idea where each woman and man must be able to attain the fullest stature in the society according to their capability. The people should be recognized for their work irrespective of the circumstances of position or birth. The founding fathers of United States of America legalized the values so that each individual’s drive to pursue happiness should not be just self-gratification but to drive creativity and ambition for the next generations.

Military rulers, kings or tyrants shouldn’t decide any laws or taxes. The people should be given the opportunity for electing the officials for representing the masses. The elected leaders need to abide by the rules and regulations and not create any other legislation. Under a jury, all the legal disputes must be settled rather than a leader’s influence. It is the firm belief that the best way for national growth is to protect the fellow countrymen’s rights so that they could achieve their dreams.

Sociologist Emily Rosenberg has identified few components of the American Dream that is also seen in other countries. There is a belief that other nations should also replicate the success. One should have faith in a free market economy and there should be support for foreign direct investment and free trade agreements. Acceptance of various cultures and the free flow of information should be promoted without any bias. The private sector should fully cooperate with the government to implement different policies for the better future of its citizens.

Factors for making the American Dream a Success

First and foremost, the country has a vast land mass under a single government, kudos to the result of the Civil War. One of the most critical factors to achieve the American Dream is that America has friendly neighbors. That’s due to the geographical conditions. The climate of Canada is quite chilled and on the other hand, Mexico is quite warm which barred these two countries from posing an economic threat to America.

The country has enough natural resources like plenty of rivers, oil and rainfall for feeding its countrymen and meeting their needs and requirements. Transportation has been more accessible due to flat terrains and long shorelines. America is a role model for other countries of how the economy has flourished by proper use of natural resources and enables a nation to become a global powerhouse. These factors have allowed the country to foster unity by the political system, language and values which allows a diversified population to have a competitive advantage over other countries. The American firms have a large and accessible market to test their new products and innovate more to satisfy the consumer’s requirements. Due to the abundance of cultural diversity, people from different races interact with each other and solve the most challenging problems to maintain the continuity of American Dream.

The current scenario of the American Dream

Changed Perceptions

Researchers from Policy Interactive for the social justice and environmental group Center for a New American Dream have polled a total of 1821 citizens over eighteen years of age. The researchers wanted to know the perceptions about the economy, healthcare, advertising, environment, etc. from these young guys. The surveyed results show that the American dream is unattainable than ten years ago due to the high cost of healthcare and education as well as the worker’s wages are quite low. Even the insurance costs and debts from student loans are skyrocketing with each passing day, more than one-third of the Americans are taking a pay cut to improve the quality of their lives. They are working for fewer hours, started working from home and also took an alternative job.

Changed Lifestyles & Work Standards

Many Americans feel happy about the change and don’t regret for missing the extra few bucks. More than fifty percent of the respondents believe that helping others how to build a community, save money and creating a positive environmental impact is the new trend for pursuing the American Dream. Sharing one’s knowledge with others is the new economy as millennials are more optimistic about the future as they believe sharing will lead to the economic prosperity.

Helping Others to Grow & Grow Yourself

Current trends like peer to peer accommodation facilities, bike-sharing services are a win-win situation for the millennials who are looking various ways to connect with each other and leave behind a small footprint for the coming generations. United States Representative Ted Yoho made a remarkable statement about the American Dream that” The American Dream comes from opportunities; those opportunities which are protected by the Constitution, founding principles and the core values. These ideas are neither Democrat, liberal, black or white, conservative and Republican. These are ideologies of every American.”