Concept of American Dream among Immigrants - Essay Example

The Concept of the American Dream Among Native Americans and Immigrants After World War II, America became the land of promise for most people wanting to escape the trauma of their war torn countries. The Statue of Liberty, which was a gift of the French people, symbolized the great American dream. Whatever that dream was. After all, each immigrant who passed through the procedures at Ellis Island each had their own idea as to what the American Dream meant to them. However, it was not only the immigrants from Ellis Island who had an American dream, the native Americans, the red-skins, the original settlers in this great nation, who by that time had been corralled into their own reservation camps also carried their own visions of the American dream. Very little is known about the concept of the American Dream as it applies to the Native Americans and the immigrants though. This paper wishes to take a deeper look at what the American Dream means for the average immigrant and the native Americans. I feel that this needs to be done in order to help the modern American come to an understanding as to what the American Dream might truly mean for them as well. Some immigrants from Hungary have this American Dream / belief that “As long as you work hard you can achieve your goals”. (Kolosvari, Orsolya “"As Long As You Work Hard, You Can Achieve Your Goals": Hungarian Immigrants on the American Dream “). It would seem that this is the basis for most of the immigrant American dreams. It is the primary force that pushes them into coming to the United States in any way possible. However, that sense of idealism tends to change once they are assimilated into the culture and soceity of the United States because of their country of origin, gender, skills, education, and the type of racial discrimination that they may encounter while they adjust to their Americanized way of life. (Kolosvari, Orsolya “"As Long As You Work Hard, You Can Achieve Your Goals": Hungarian Immigrants on the American Dream “) After the war, the melting pot theory of American culture came to a boiling point. In fact, the successful assimilation of those cultures into our American way of life became so successful that America has become one of, if not the most, diverse countries in the world, culturally speaking that is. However, 21st century America is being hit by a new wave of immigrants from Asia and other third world countries whose idealism and cultures are beginning to challenge the “One America” dream that was established by the previous immigrant generations (Booth, William “One Nation Indivisible: Is It History?”). The American Dream as envisioned by the new generation of immigrants has created a divisiveness within the American political structure. The concept of the dream is now affected by disconnected communities that do not have a shared sense of commonality or purpose (Booth, William “One Nation Indivisible: Is It History?”). because of the varying cultures that exist within them, each one vying to become the majority influence on the way of life of the people. However, there are those in the aforementioned communities that still carry a sense of American idealism within them that keeps them grounded to the ideals and convictions of the immigrant American Dream. Although the ideals of the immigrants that come to rest in America will continue to evolve and grow in concept, there is one constant about the American Dream that will never change. America is viewed by many as the land of security, the land of dreams, and the land of plenty. The land of plenty is the keyword by which America has become the answer to the dreams of the heavily burdened and down hearted across the world. Their dream is that of economic security and political stability. America has successfully sold the concept that the country holds the key to the mystery of achieving that level of stability that other countries can only dream about. That is the main reason that America as a country has become a very inviting and enticing country for immigrants to try their luck in. The great American Dream as per the immigrant idealism all boils down to economic stability. America offers them the greatest chance at economic advancement and that is why America has become the land of American Dreams for them. Most of them have actually found their dreams coming true here which is why their concept of the great American Dream continues to flourish. (“The Economics of Immigration”) The concept of the American Dream for immigrants is based upon their desire to provide the best that they can for their family overseas. Due to the non discrimation laws governing the American employment system, these people have the opportunity to gain steady employment without fear of reprisal for their beliefs, culture, and way of life. (Zakaria, Fareed “Why America Needs Immigrants”). Immigrants view those born in America as some of the luckiest people in the world. It is this mindset that has helped fuel the idea that America holds the answer to all their problems. The solutions to which can be achieved by residing in the United States and working towards their goals in life. Known as the new Americans, these are the people who create the future vision of America for others to dream about. Each immigrant is equipped with his own set of idealistic visions of the American Dream. They are those who burn the midnight candle working at jobs that the White Man is not inclined to accept. Their concept is that the American Dream can be achieved through hard work and the perseverance of a person. There is nothing that cannot be achieved in America because it is the land of equality and freedom. Most of the time, it is difficult for them to adhere to this new concept but they somehow manage to remain steadfast in their belief of achieving the dream. Long before the immigrants came to the forefront of the discussion about the American Dream though, there was already a set of people who held on to the dreams of a great nation that would rise from their ranks. Their dreams were that of the true pioneers and ideals of the first settlers of this nation. Sadly, their dreams and ideals were crushed by a force that refused to allow them to live in peaceful co-existence with the immigrants to their land. I speak of the Native Americans who were forced off their homeland and into reservation camps, devoid of any hopes and dreams because the White Man immigrant refused to allow them to co-exist with them on the very land that we now call America. Their concept of the great American Dream is based upon the idealism and beliefs of their ancestors. When they lived and roamed these lands free and without any worries, they believed in the dream of peaceful co-existence with nature and their fellow tribesmen. However, the coming of the White Man and their subsequent rounding up and encampment across the states forced them to change their beliefs in life and their dreams. They now also dream of the great American Dream. Their great American Dream has not changed much in concept since their encampment. All they wish to have as they live on the land they share with the White Men and the other immigrants is to be able to live a life free of opression and outside commotion. (“Tracing of the American Dream Through American Literature”) Just like the Black Rights Movement in the past, the native Americans also long for equal treatment, the opportunity to live off their camps, and become a part of the American way of life. However, they are being prevented from doing so by ancient rules that placed them on the camps. The new generation of native Americans Great American Dream is quite simple. To be able to live off the camp and be treated equally like the other people in the country. Their dreams are also economically tied but unlike their immigrant counterparts, their quest for equality and recognition of their culture and traditions as part of a United America has always been rebuffed. It is easy to see how the dreams of the immigrants and the native Americans are so different and yet, still the very same Great American Dream. They long for economic stability, a chance to live a peaceful life that is secure in the belief that hard work will eventually pay off for them. They are no different from each other in that respect. They share the same visions and concept of the Great American Dream. Works Cited Bati, Talja. “Tracing the American Dream Through American Literature”. orgsites.com. orgsites.com. n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2013. Booth, William. “One Nation, Indivisible: Is It History?”. The Myth of the Melting Pot. washingtonpost.com. 22 Feb. 1998. Web. 21 Apr. 2013. Chandrasekhar, Charu. “Can New American Achieve the American Dream? Promoting Homeownership in Immigrant Communities”. law.harvard.edu. harvard.edu. n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2013. Furman, Jason & Gray Danielle. “Ten Ways Immigrants Help Build and Strengthen Our Economy”. The White House Blog. whitehouse.gov. 12 Jul 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2013. Lilly, Sandra. “Study: First Generation Immigrant Children Do Better in School Than US- Born Kids.” Education. NBCLatino. 11 Sept. 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2013. Kolosvari, Oroslya. “ As Long As You Work Hard, You Can Achieve Your Goals: Hungarian Immigrants on the American Dream”. Sociation Today. ncsociology.org. 2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2013. Schoenbaum, Austin. “Native Americans and the American Dream”. peejeshare.com. peejeshare.com. 16 Jan. 2012. Web. 17 Apr. 2012. “The Economics of Immigration”. Ellis Island Era Immigration. schmoop.com. n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. Zakaria, Fareed. “Why America Needs Immigrants”. GPS. cnn.com. 8 Jun. 2012. Web. 23 Apr. 2013. Read More