The American Dream Is Unique To Me
Growing up was always different for me compared to others around me in Columbia Falls Montana. I think of myself as slightly different from everybody else, and I believe that almost everyone should look themselves like that. I grew up in a very american way, in fact the idea of being an American was almost forced on me. Yet both of my parents are not full blood Americans. My father was not even born in this country! However it was crucial to my parents that I would be raised like everybody else around me that my lifestyle would embody the characteristics of what exactly the American way of life was about. I was raised on the idea that hard work is the number one characteristic,also that anybody who can truly achieve this characteristic can succeed beyond their wildest endeavors. This idea is the foundation for the American dream, and I was taught that this kind of success that I have the potential to succeed is only unique to the United
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States. Other countries do not offer this sort of social mobility and safety. That is why my father left his country of violence, corruption as well as tyranny, to give that opportunity to me. I am set up to succeed better than any other generation in my family before me. My parents have given me all the ingredients to succeed and achieve the American dream. However as the years go by it seems that more and more media outlets are taking the steam out of the American Dream.This raises the question of in 2017. Is the American Dream still alive? My response to that is the American Dream is still alive in this country base on the factors of a free market economic system, social equality as well as our mentality of passing on our dream to our children. Let's start by talking about the economic system that is implemented in our country. Although the size of our welfare state has changed drastically over that past 120 years in the United States, one aspect of our economy has always stayed the same. The vast majority jobs in the workforce still lies in the private sector. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development states that 85.4% of the workforce is in the private sector. This is one of the lowest influences of government in the average citizen's fiscal livelihood. In fact Heritage.org ranks the United States as 11th out of 196 nations in the freeist markets. So how does this affect the American Dream? Economist often state “ The freer the market the freer the people” now although this ides is good in theory, it often works out slightly differently in practice, but the same could be said for the American dream, it is after all just an idea that everyone can interpret differently. In the United States economic system, you could in theory be born the most impecunious man or woman in this country and die the most powerful and wealthiest, and people ran with that idea. Millions of people fled their nations around the world, escaping crippling corruption, violence as well as oppression to get their chance at the American Dream. We have looked at the freedom that people have financially in their lives, and this is a massive part of the American dream. However there is one more aspect to making the American dream, not everyone can achieve this certain success, because of their ethnicity or gender. These nations that people were leaving for america did not have Social liberty, but the United States did which brings us to the other aspect of the American Dream that still makes it achievable.
Social equality in this country is one of the best in the world which sets everyone up for equal opportunity and little oppression. What started off with Religious freedom with our First Amendment, later evolving into the passing of our 13th amendment in abolishing slavery, then in 1920 we saw the legalization in women's suffrage with the 19th amendment. The United States has always been a trailblazer for social progressiveness. Social equality in this country is one of the best in the world which sets up everyone for equal opportunity. It is very important that everyone in the country all has the chance to succeed in the American Dream, and in the United States everybody is given that chance. There are no set laws that prevent anybody from achieving the success that they want. People in our system is based upon who you are, not what you are. As social rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. once said “ Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This quote shows a time in the United States where everybody was not treated equally under the law. Dr King fought for everybody to have an equal oppurtunity to a dream in his famed “I Have a Dream” speech, and he found himself successful. That in the United States if there is something that you do not agree with, then you have the privilege to exercise your right of free speech. In the present day we can see that everyone has the access to acheive their dream through equal opportunity where one's success is based on who they are, not what they are.
So how does this dream still exist? If there seems to be all the ingredients in this country to succeed why is it that not everybody does? This comes down to exactly what are mentality is about our past as well as our future. It is important to notice that having the mentality that history is already set and that the institutions that we follow can only be built upon instead of creating new ones. That telling ourselves that the American dream is no longer possible and that failure is inevitable for us is setting our children and future generations to fail. If we do not have the mentality to achieve our American dream regardless of all the privileges that we are given, then we will achieve nothing. This makes mentality the most important part of keeping this dream alive, and the future keeps looking bright. A poll conducted by CNBC showed that 63% of Americans believe they are living the American dream with a significantly higher percentage of that believing that their dream is in reach. This shows that Americans still have confidence in their future as well as the future for the generations to come. My father had that sort of confidence and faith in the American dream, and in fact he decided to leave his home country at the age of 14, alone, He was leaving a place that did not have social equality or a free market, but risked his livelihood to finally get his chance at the American Dream. Thankfully he succeeded and set me up for much more success than what he was ever able to obtain, and I hope to give a much better chance to my children. Just like generations before me, they all worked hard to give us the America that we have today. However this is not only unique to my family, it is something that almost every American family has in common. In President Obama's address to the Democratic National Convention in 2008 regarding his family he states this “ And they too had big dreams for their daughter, a common dream born of two continents.” This is addressing president Obama past family and their dream no matter how far away they are from success can still achieve it. The fact that the son of a Kenyon immigrant can become the most powerful man in the most powerful country on earth is truly mind boggling. It shows that through the power of social mobility that is driven by a free market, but most importantly through the mentality that anybody can achieve the pursuit of happiness, whether it is the president of the United States all the way to my father. We can see that anybody, even in today's America, can truly achieve the American Dream. That with enough motivation ,regardless of who you are.can strive to succeed beyond one's wildest dreams. It's important that we must pass the torch on to our children, because our ancestors who came to America to set us up to succeed, and we must do the same.
Today I sit in a classroom that often has mixed opinions about whether the American dream is plausible or not.
Now whether my peers believe that history is already set and the institutions that we live under are the only institutions that ever will exist or not. I am going to try my hardest to strive for success. In the country that we live in, we all have equal rights under law, giving any American a chance to pursue. This is mixed in with a free market economic system, the government can not completely regulate my success. However this success can only be achieved if one can reflect that our past ancestors have set us up for success. So we must succeed and give our future generations unprecedented success. Through these factors in our country as well as the right mentality, the American dream is unconditionally achievable. The American dream is still alive in this country based on the factors of a free market economic system, social equality as well as our mentality of passing on our dream to future generations of
Americans.
States. Other countries do not offer this sort of social mobility and safety. That is why my father left his country of violence, corruption as well as tyranny, to give that opportunity to me. I am set up to succeed better than any other generation in my family before me. My parents have given me all the ingredients to succeed and achieve the American dream. However as the years go by it seems that more and more media outlets are taking the steam out of the American Dream.This raises the question of in 2017. Is the American Dream still alive? My response to that is the American Dream is still alive in this country base on the factors of a free market economic system, social equality as well as our mentality of passing on our dream to our children. Let's start by talking about the economic system that is implemented in our country. Although the size of our welfare state has changed drastically over that past 120 years in the United States, one aspect of our economy has always stayed the same. The vast majority jobs in the workforce still lies in the private sector. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development states that 85.4% of the workforce is in the private sector. This is one of the lowest influences of government in the average citizen's fiscal livelihood. In fact Heritage.org ranks the United States as 11th out of 196 nations in the freeist markets. So how does this affect the American Dream? Economist often state “ The freer the market the freer the people” now although this ides is good in theory, it often works out slightly differently in practice, but the same could be said for the American dream, it is after all just an idea that everyone can interpret differently. In the United States economic system, you could in theory be born the most impecunious man or woman in this country and die the most powerful and wealthiest, and people ran with that idea. Millions of people fled their nations around the world, escaping crippling corruption, violence as well as oppression to get their chance at the American Dream. We have looked at the freedom that people have financially in their lives, and this is a massive part of the American dream. However there is one more aspect to making the American dream, not everyone can achieve this certain success, because of their ethnicity or gender. These nations that people were leaving for america did not have Social liberty, but the United States did which brings us to the other aspect of the American Dream that still makes it achievable.
Social equality in this country is one of the best in the world which sets everyone up for equal opportunity and little oppression. What started off with Religious freedom with our First Amendment, later evolving into the passing of our 13th amendment in abolishing slavery, then in 1920 we saw the legalization in women's suffrage with the 19th amendment. The United States has always been a trailblazer for social progressiveness. Social equality in this country is one of the best in the world which sets up everyone for equal opportunity. It is very important that everyone in the country all has the chance to succeed in the American Dream, and in the United States everybody is given that chance. There are no set laws that prevent anybody from achieving the success that they want. People in our system is based upon who you are, not what you are. As social rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. once said “ Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This quote shows a time in the United States where everybody was not treated equally under the law. Dr King fought for everybody to have an equal oppurtunity to a dream in his famed “I Have a Dream” speech, and he found himself successful. That in the United States if there is something that you do not agree with, then you have the privilege to exercise your right of free speech. In the present day we can see that everyone has the access to acheive their dream through equal opportunity where one's success is based on who they are, not what they are.
So how does this dream still exist? If there seems to be all the ingredients in this country to succeed why is it that not everybody does? This comes down to exactly what are mentality is about our past as well as our future. It is important to notice that having the mentality that history is already set and that the institutions that we follow can only be built upon instead of creating new ones. That telling ourselves that the American dream is no longer possible and that failure is inevitable for us is setting our children and future generations to fail. If we do not have the mentality to achieve our American dream regardless of all the privileges that we are given, then we will achieve nothing. This makes mentality the most important part of keeping this dream alive, and the future keeps looking bright. A poll conducted by CNBC showed that 63% of Americans believe they are living the American dream with a significantly higher percentage of that believing that their dream is in reach. This shows that Americans still have confidence in their future as well as the future for the generations to come. My father had that sort of confidence and faith in the American dream, and in fact he decided to leave his home country at the age of 14, alone, He was leaving a place that did not have social equality or a free market, but risked his livelihood to finally get his chance at the American Dream. Thankfully he succeeded and set me up for much more success than what he was ever able to obtain, and I hope to give a much better chance to my children. Just like generations before me, they all worked hard to give us the America that we have today. However this is not only unique to my family, it is something that almost every American family has in common. In President Obama's address to the Democratic National Convention in 2008 regarding his family he states this “ And they too had big dreams for their daughter, a common dream born of two continents.” This is addressing president Obama past family and their dream no matter how far away they are from success can still achieve it. The fact that the son of a Kenyon immigrant can become the most powerful man in the most powerful country on earth is truly mind boggling. It shows that through the power of social mobility that is driven by a free market, but most importantly through the mentality that anybody can achieve the pursuit of happiness, whether it is the president of the United States all the way to my father. We can see that anybody, even in today's America, can truly achieve the American Dream. That with enough motivation ,regardless of who you are.can strive to succeed beyond one's wildest dreams. It's important that we must pass the torch on to our children, because our ancestors who came to America to set us up to succeed, and we must do the same.
Today I sit in a classroom that often has mixed opinions about whether the American dream is plausible or not.
Now whether my peers believe that history is already set and the institutions that we live under are the only institutions that ever will exist or not. I am going to try my hardest to strive for success. In the country that we live in, we all have equal rights under law, giving any American a chance to pursue. This is mixed in with a free market economic system, the government can not completely regulate my success. However this success can only be achieved if one can reflect that our past ancestors have set us up for success. So we must succeed and give our future generations unprecedented success. Through these factors in our country as well as the right mentality, the American dream is unconditionally achievable. The American dream is still alive in this country based on the factors of a free market economic system, social equality as well as our mentality of passing on our dream to future generations of
Americans.