Changing American Dream - Essay Example

Changing American Dream From the very beginning of American colonization period people see American continent as a special place where there is plenty of opportunity for someone to become wealthy. Today, it is possible to define American dream from different perspectives, but in general: the American dream is the idea held by people around the world who suppose that through persistence, hard work and determination they can achieve prosperity and high social status.The next change in the American dream was caused by industrial Revolution.

It started at the end of the 19th and had a great historical influence till the WWI. At the beginning of the 20th century, American dream represented industrial acquisitions and own business. Material things like cars and rich apartments and luxury associated with American dream. Since the first automobile was invented it has embodied cultural and emotional values that have become an integral part of the American Dream. The Great Depression, resulted the stock market crash, caused widespread hardship during the Twenties and Thirties, and was almost a reverse of the dream for those directly affected.

Racial instability did not disappear, and in some parts of the country racial violence was almost commonplace. Consumerism transformed the American Dream. People received a chance to earn more and buy expensive goods. Their buying habits were transformed and became necessities. The world seemed absurd, because war considered morally right. The events of major importance like WWII, Vietnam War, war in Afghanistan, or minor armored conflicts resulted in desire of people to live in peace. The period of the Cold War connected with Truman doctrine, and Cuban Missile Crisis transformed the dream.

President Kennedy played an important role preventing the new World War with the Soviet Union. The invention of hydrogen and atomic bombs caused new sufferings for mankind. The first atomic bomb was used during WWII in Hiroshima. All negative events have questioned people's beliefs in progress. Gene engineering, heart surgery, laser surgery and transplantations made a great leap in the understanding of human being. Mastering of cosmos was another step in science. Gagarin made the first space flight in 1951, and the age of the space race has been started.

Cultural changes which took place in 1960s resulted in the development of the creative sector which has also transformed the American Dream. Hippie movement created a new cultural values emboded marijuana usage and civil disbidience. Reforms in education cultivated human creativity. The Beatles was the idols for young generation. Millions of Americans rather quickly acquired a steady job, a car, and a new house, and grew bored. The period of Cold war, to certain extent, change the dream. It influenced the development of a civil society capable of claiming new political rights.

Civil Rights Act of 1964 stopped the African American descrimination. In 1966 the National Organization for Women is founded , as the largest women's rights group in the United States, which seeks to end sexual discrimination by means of legislative lobbying, litigation, and public demonstrations. The first computers appeared in the 1960s. From 1950 to 1980, "Americans were more and more likely to see their offspring move up - or down - the income ladder". The realisation of American Dream became more simple because new consumers created great demand for goods.

A new version of capitalism began evolving in which creativity was not just perennial but constant, in which rapid-fire innovation and continuous improvement were the norm (Harvey, 1995). In the 1990s freedom of expression has allowed new forms to flourish, and it result was a sustained outpouring of human creative activity, in every form imaginable. The reforms of R. Reagan and G. Bush supported the idea of prosperity and better life. The recent Social security reform is also has an impact on the American dream promising people economic stability and prosperity (because of their hard work) in 20-30 years.

At the beginning of the new millennium America is far better positioned to survive and prosper in the new environment than were these other civilizations. The present day American dream is job you love, with which to earn much. Whereas the American Dream was once equated with certain principles of freedom, it is now equated with things. I'd like to conclude using the quote from the article: "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire": "There can be little doubt that the producers of the millionaire games shows, the state lotteries, and lawyers are getting rich on other people's yearning for the American Dream" (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Changing Conceptions of the American Dream, 2005).

References1. Harvey, Sally P. Redefining the American Dream: The Novels of Willa Cather. Rutherford, NJ: Fairleigh Dickinson UP, 1995. 2. Rosenberg, E. Spreading the American Dream: American Economic and Cultural Expansion, 1890-1945. Hill & Wang Pub; 1st ed edition. 1982.3. Stewart, Grace. "Diversity and the American Dream." Private Voices, Public Lives: Women Speak on the Literary Life. Denton: University of North Texas P, 1995. 4. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Changing Conceptions of the American Dreamhttp://www.

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