The Origins of the Urban Crisis - Essay Example

The term, 'American Dream' was coined by James Adams, in his book, 'The Epics of America' and the American Dream is the very pulse of the country, as signified by the personified Statue of Liberty. The American Dream, as envisaged by the early Americans, is the utopian condition of living in pursuit of liberty, happiness and luxury. It lays down that one must work hard and persevere, in order to live in comfort and happiness.

Early immigrants to America were attracted by the fact that they could now live in a country, where there would not exist any forcible acquisition of land or impoverished conditions. They felt that this new land upheld their hopes of working hard and earning their due, providing opportunity to grow and live in absolute harmony and comfort. The American Dream grew in its dimensions during the Industrial Revolution, which enabled the increment in production and provided opportunities to labor and earn money.

This, in turn, increased the Standard of Living in America, which furthered the dream. The Dream reached its pinnacle in the 19th century, when people shifted base to America, to try their fortunes and truly live a cherished life of luxury, liberty and happiness. Thus, the American Dream is a vision that propelled the forefather and early immigrants of America to work harder, live successfully and comfortably and enjoy the very essence of life.

Change in the American DreamThe forefathers of the American nation, who envisaged and coined the term, the American Dream envisioned a hard working and prosperous nation, rising above the rest of the world. The aim of the American Dream was to realize the ideals that it put forth. The ideals of liberty, luxury, comfort, perseverance and happiness were the most striking of them all. America did progress in this direction, winning one ideal after the other.

The 19th century led to the glorious success of the envisaged dream. However, things gradually began to change and change towards slow declination. The urge to rule the world began to replace the passion to live successfully, which brought about a major shift in the process of contemplation. This brought about the frenzy of achieving military superiority, above the improvisation of the country's progress in other spheres. The World War II brought about a great shift in the American Dream and its very concepts and ideals.

The participation of neutral America in the World War II was a betrayal of the hopes of the millions of Americans, who had previously endured the Depression and the World War I. The result of the World War II led to the supremacy of the United States of America, which began to don the role of the dominant industrial nation of the world. Detroit was one of the fast growing industrial cities of America, thanks to Ford, who developed the dream