Immigrants And The American Dream

The American Dream is a philosophy that start in the 19th century referring to migrating to a place where rich men and poor men could stand on the same footing. In the 19th century many German immigrants were coming to America in hopes of settling where ever they please without a passport and pursue a living. Most were fleeing Germany to avoid the “right of birth” or royal hierarchy and the corruption that lied within it. In the 20th century the American Dream became known as the California Dream which meant moving to California to strike gold and find fortune. The American dream was not about accruing wealth as much as it was about social order (Beach 149). It allowed the poor, through hard work, to have the same opportunities as the rich.
It suggests that a poor Mexican girl can achieve just as much as a rich white boy through her own hard work. The cultural advantages to private school are vast to that of public schools. Upper end private schools offer expensive field trips, newer and more recently updated books and equipment, and far superior athletic programs. A lower income family that cannot afford private school seem to be at a disadvantage. The disadvantage that immigrants have regarding their future definitively disproves the American dream. The gap in education disallows a lower class child to have the same opportunities as that of the upper class. The public school education used to be the norm for both rich and poor families alike. With the advent of private schools and the spike in tuition prices, the education gap is growing and contributing to the culture gap between the upper and lower
“Naturalized Latinos are 12% more likely to believe they have achieved the American dream than U.S. born Latinos” (Cohen-Marks and Stout 836). This fact suggests that level of expectations to immigrants is far lower than that of people who were born in the U.S. If someone is fleeing a poverty stricken homeland in hopes of a better life in America, they are highly likely to be happy a few simple changes to their quality of life. Some illegal immigrants are so happy to be able to earn 60 dollars cleaning someone’s house. Not paying taxes and working under the table allows for a much better quality of life than that of living in Mexico. This is also a reason why most illegal immigrants help smuggle over their families. To these immigrants the bar is set incredibly low. Most are fleeing places that don’t have clean water or have terrible living conditions. When they come to America they have far more options than they would have in their