The American Dream In The 1920's

The definition of the American Dream is supposed to say it all. This depends on which definition one chooses to believe. The American Dream can be defined as the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American. An alternative definition is a life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the U.S. Because of the difference of definitions, the achievability of the American Dream can become based on an opinion. Through the times, the American Dream has changed in ideals as well as in practicality and achievability. During the 1920’s, the American Dream arose as veterans returned from the war. The 1920’s was a time of great prosperity and growth,
One of the major ideals is success in the workforce, which also leads to income. The greater a person’s income, the faster student loans can be paid off and the more economic freedom a person will have. With the amount of success achieved, the person’s income can fluctuate. Over the years, the income of the average american has increased substantially. According to the United States Census Bureau,“ the median income raised five percent in 2015 from the 2014 median.” Income inequality has created a larger income gap between the high-income households, median-income households, and the low-income households. In addition to the statistic above, “income inequality has also raised about five percent since 1996” (Proctor, Semega, and Kollar). An income gap is a gap in income between one group and another, such as rich and poor. This contributes to the American Dream by greatly determining who goes to college and receives better and higher education, and eventually a greater income. As the income rises, and number of high-income households increase, so does the amount of Americans living in poverty. Poverty is due to a decline in wages and a greater income inequality and gap. Because it is nearly impossible for them to afford living costs in the United States, they are not able to reach the level of success and happiness the American Dream aims
Every American has freedom, but there is still racism that limits the freedom of some Americans. This racism is mainly found against African Americans. Racism has always been a major issue in the United States. It goes back to the beginning of the country and slavery. One example of racism in our society are the numerous cases of policemen fatally shooting African Americans. “There were five shootings in five different cities that have sparked protests” (Vega). All of the shootings involved African Americans being fatally shot by policemen. In the cities where the shootings occurred, the median incomes and unemployment rates of African American citizen are substantially lower than that of white Americans. “In San Diego, where one of the shootings took place, unemployment among blacks was 13.7% in 2015. In other cities, like Milwaukee and St. Paul, Minnesota, there is one of the largest inequality gaps in the United States. Milwaukee has a seventeen percent African American unemployment rate. That is much larger than the four percent unemployment rate among white Americans.” Another statistic that shows African Americans are being discriminated against is the median household income for white households versus the income for african american households. “In 2013 it was reported that white households had a median income of 144,200 dollars, which is much greater than the 11,200 dollars African American