Is The American Dream Dead 
Is the American Dream Dead?
Tamás Jámbor
Advanced Writing & Composition
Éva Kardos
May 20, 2014
Is the American Dream Dead? The notion American dream is a fundamental part of the American society and culture, dozens of books, articles and songs deals with this topic, politicians often mention it in their speeches. Though the phrase has different meanings to different people, it suggests an underlying belief that hard work pays off and that the next generation will have a better life than the previous generation. Nowadays this belief is challenged and more and more concern is articulated in connection with the American dream in the 21st century. As comedian, author and social critic George Carlin have put it: "It's called the American dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.” In what follows I would like to explore the theme of the American dream as a whole and consider its juncture in the 21st century by elaborating on its past and present. The evolution of the American dream Historian James Truslow Adams is credited for being the first popularizing the idea of the American dream in his book The Epic of America (1931). He characterizes the American dream as "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” But the same idea existed since the colonist times. In 1630 John Winthrop give a sermon to his fellow Puritan colonists in which he detailed his vision of a society in which everyone would have a chance to prosper, as long as they all worked together and followed Biblical teachings. Eventually, the hope for equality of opportunity evolved in colonists' mind into a God-given right. More than a hundred years later Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence asserted that every American – except the slaves – have the right to "life, liberty and pursuit of happiness." As grew America in the 19th century, so did the number
Tamás Jámbor
Advanced Writing & Composition
Éva Kardos
May 20, 2014
Is the American Dream Dead? The notion American dream is a fundamental part of the American society and culture, dozens of books, articles and songs deals with this topic, politicians often mention it in their speeches. Though the phrase has different meanings to different people, it suggests an underlying belief that hard work pays off and that the next generation will have a better life than the previous generation. Nowadays this belief is challenged and more and more concern is articulated in connection with the American dream in the 21st century. As comedian, author and social critic George Carlin have put it: "It's called the American dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.” In what follows I would like to explore the theme of the American dream as a whole and consider its juncture in the 21st century by elaborating on its past and present. The evolution of the American dream Historian James Truslow Adams is credited for being the first popularizing the idea of the American dream in his book The Epic of America (1931). He characterizes the American dream as "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” But the same idea existed since the colonist times. In 1630 John Winthrop give a sermon to his fellow Puritan colonists in which he detailed his vision of a society in which everyone would have a chance to prosper, as long as they all worked together and followed Biblical teachings. Eventually, the hope for equality of opportunity evolved in colonists' mind into a God-given right. More than a hundred years later Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence asserted that every American – except the slaves – have the right to "life, liberty and pursuit of happiness." As grew America in the 19th century, so did the number