One very good example of the American Dream is Andrew Carnegie, the founder of what is known as U.S. Steel. Carnegie was born in Scotland to a poor family. As a teen, he emigrated from Scotland to the United States. He was portrayed as a hard working individual who was very intelligent and disciplined. He took it upon himself to read and learn as much as he could.
Carnegie's first job was a telegraph messenger boy, and later upgraded to work for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company as a telegraph operator. His persevering work allowed him to quickly advance through the company, and he became the superintendent of the Pittsburgh Division. He continued making investments and made good profits throughout the civil war, and finally left Pennsylvania Railroad and started his own iron companies, eventually Keystone Bridge Works and Union Ironworks.
Carnegie saw how bad the wooden railroads were, so he proceeded to slowly replace them with iron ones. Carnegie's charm, perception, and hard work led to becoming one of the world's most famous men of the time, and led to the first corporation in the world with a market capitalization in excess of one billion when he sold his companies to John Morgan who called them United States Steel Corporation.
The rise from the poor boy in Scotland to the second richest man in America. He had plenty of initiative and persevered throughout his life to become what he wanted to be. He retired as one of the most respected men in the world, and he will be in the history books forever. He was polite, educated, wealthy, intelligent, respected, and perceptive. Andrew Carnegie lived the American Dream.
This still holds true today, as many immigrants come to the United States for