The Existence Of The American Dream Before 1863

The Existence of the American Dream Before 1863 Often the American Dream is discussed as an idea of prosperity, glory, fame. But what is the American Dream exactly? The American Dream is a “social ideal that stresses egalitarianism (human equality) and especially material prosperity” (Merriam-Webster). The existence of the American Dream is highly debated among historians and anthropologists alike, but as an idea and a goal of America, it definitively does exist. In early America, its existence is predicated by the Industrial Revolution, the Reformation, and the belief in Manifest Destiny. The Industrial Revolution was brought about in the 1800’s with the introduction of the cotton gin, the McCormick Reaper, and other devices used to ease
People like Elizabeth Cady Stanton were able to make significant advances in womens’ rights movements, while people like Dorothea Dix helped to establish reforms for prisons and mental asylums, providing safety for the mentally unstable and those who could not help themselves (“Prison and Asylum Reform”). The American Dream was advanced by these people due to a large feeling of ineptitude on the part of the average American and the dissatisfaction with America and the direction it was currently heading. School reform, thanks to Horace Mann, was taking place at this time as well, and was helping schools to grow, to get Americans more educated and informed (“Horace Mann”). This solidifies the existence of the American Dream by showing people that there was a sense of caring, a sense of belief in the future of America that allowed people to show they wanted it to grow. Horace Mann’s influence on school reform helped to show people in America that their future was not rooted in an ignorant yound generation and an educated wealthy party, but soon to be ingrained in a total education for all people, given to those who needed it, and especially many who simply wanted it, to succeed in the future America that was to