The American Dream

The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success. In the definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams in 1931, "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement" regardless of social class or circumstances of birth. The idea of the American Dream is rooted in the United States Declaration of Independence which proclaims that "all men are created equal" and that they are "endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights" including "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

I believe the American Dream is whatever you want it to be. I don’t believe there is a set definition of it because everyone sees it differently. How can we live up to something someone else has already lived? But like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said “I have a dream…”, everyone has a dream to live up to. My dream is to get a degree in Computer Science; I have wanted to do something with computers since I got my first computer. Not everyone have the same dream as others. Whatever the American dream means to a particular individual, that definition has its roots deep within these two ingredients. Therefore, equality and financial stability are bounded within the true definition that leads to all derivations of the American dream.