Essay On The Myth Of The American Dream

Myth of the American Dream Was the “American Dream” a myth or reality for Americans living from 1865-1900s? The “American Dream” was not a reality for African-Americans, immigrants, and Native Americans. For example, for Native Americans (Indians), life was not a dream at all because they lost their lands and freedom. After the Civil War, African-Americans were given their freedom and no longer slaves. They were given the right to vote with the 15th Amendment stating the that United States government cannot deny a citizen the right to vote based off of race, color, or previous condition of slavery. However, many were denied their rights as a result of discrimination, black codes and threats of violence by white supremacists groups such as the KKK. The Native Americans (Indians) had been in conflict from the beginning when people started arriving to the United States and the expansion of the New World. They struggled with farmers, miners and the
The African-Americans struggled with racism even after they had been given their freedom. They continued to be treated poorly by many whites especially members of the KKK therefore making the American Dream a myth as they still felt as if they had not been freed at all. The Native Americans (Indians) freedom was taken away as the invasion of the New World took over and they were forced onto reservations and not allowed to hunt and roam as they always had. For the immigrants moving into the New World the American Dream that sounded so good in their homeland was not at all what they had been promised. They lived and worked in harsh conditions and were treated poorly making the American Dream a myth. The American Dream for the African-Americans, immigrants, and Native Americans was a myth in the end as they did not achieve and have the opportunities they had been promised making it a myth and not a