Yhe American Dream - Still Alive
June 30, 2008
As we begin the first week of July 2008 during which we Americans will celebrate the 4th of July, I though I would look into the vision expressed by the founding fathers who drafted the Declaration of Independence and how that vision relates to present day concepts of the "American Dream".
Perhaps the most cited statement in the Declaration of Independence is the statement of mankind's "inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". As settlers came from the "old world" to the "new world", they very often came to share in these "inalienable rights".
Early on, the American Dream was a belief in a freedom that allowed all citizens and residents in the U.S. to achieve their goals of happiness and prosperity through their efforts and hard work. The phrase "American Dream" was coined by James Truslow Adams in his 1931 book "The Epic of America" Since the 1930s, home ownership has been a component of this "American Dream".
In the rush to home ownership in this 21st century, there was a belief that everyone should be allowed to share in the "American Dream", i.e. home ownership.
I suspect that too much emphasis was put on owning a home as achieving the "American Dream" without recognizing that owning a home may or may not be the crucial component. However, no matter how I analyze the components of the "American Dream", the desire to have a place to call one's own is still very much the dream of most people.
Tomorrow, I will trace the way that home ownership became attainable for the "ordinary man".
As we begin the first week of July 2008 during which we Americans will celebrate the 4th of July, I though I would look into the vision expressed by the founding fathers who drafted the Declaration of Independence and how that vision relates to present day concepts of the "American Dream".
Perhaps the most cited statement in the Declaration of Independence is the statement of mankind's "inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". As settlers came from the "old world" to the "new world", they very often came to share in these "inalienable rights".
Early on, the American Dream was a belief in a freedom that allowed all citizens and residents in the U.S. to achieve their goals of happiness and prosperity through their efforts and hard work. The phrase "American Dream" was coined by James Truslow Adams in his 1931 book "The Epic of America" Since the 1930s, home ownership has been a component of this "American Dream".
In the rush to home ownership in this 21st century, there was a belief that everyone should be allowed to share in the "American Dream", i.e. home ownership.
I suspect that too much emphasis was put on owning a home as achieving the "American Dream" without recognizing that owning a home may or may not be the crucial component. However, no matter how I analyze the components of the "American Dream", the desire to have a place to call one's own is still very much the dream of most people.
Tomorrow, I will trace the way that home ownership became attainable for the "ordinary man".
posted by shirley harry at 8:17 AM
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