Protecting The American Dream Essay

Over the years, millions of immigrants have come to America in search of a better and prosperous life for themselves and their families. There are some people who might define the “American Dream” as having no real struggles, living in a mansion with an endless bank account, or having access to every opportunity that there is in life. However, the American Dream has somewhat taken on a new meaning for some in our world, where it’s less about materialistic things and more about enjoying the lives that we are given. In the article 5 Ways Our Founding Fathers Protect The American Dream by Kimberly Amadeo, she explains that James Truslow Adams was the first person to openly introduce the American Dream in his Epic of America in 1931 (Amadeo).
In the article The Not-American Dream: Do Other Countries Have National Catchphrases by Julia Felsenthal, she is able to look at the different countries all around the world and how they each have a certain direction they want to go as a people. Many countries don’t have a well-known dream like the United States, making it hard for the citizens to grasp onto. “U.K. Labour Party leader Ed Miliband coined the phrase ‘the British Promise,’ meaning that each generation can and will do better than the last, but it hasn’t caught on” (Felsenthal). In Russia, leaders such as Vladimir Putin looked for ways to come up with a “national idea” or a “Russian idea” that could take the place of their old ideologies, but it ended in almost a joke (Felsenthal). Because Russia used to have closed borders, it is a sign that a person is doing ‘well’ in life if they travel abroad (Felsenthal). As the middle class China continues to grow, the phrase “Chinese Dream” has spread throughout the media, but nothing close or “resonant as the American dream” (Felsenthal). They are living the middle-class life if they own a home and car, and have “access to education and travel”