The American Dream and Westward Expansion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C48aGtPIuZo
Is Westward Expansion and the Idea of Manifest Destiny an
Early Example of “The American Dream?”
James Truslow Adams, in his book The Epic of America,
which was written in 1931, stated that the American dream
is "that dream of a land in which life should be better and
richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each
according to ability or achievement.” Basically what Adams
is saying is that the “American Dream” is the ability of ALL
AMERICANS to have the life that they want as long as they
work toward achieving their goals. Although this book was
not written until the mid 1900’s, one can see the American
Dream was certainly alive from the start of our nation.
The idea of the American dream is older than the
United States, dating back to the 1600s, when people began
to come up with all sorts of hopes and aspirations for the
new and largely unexplored continent. Many of these dreams
focused on owning land and establishing prosperous
businesses that would generate happiness, and some people
also incorporated ideals of religious freedom into their
American Dreams. Looking back at the words written in the
Declaration of Independence, our founding fathers explained
that, “all men are created equal…with certain unalienable
rights…life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” As our
country grew, so did the dream of living a good life happy
and free, making an honest living, becoming successful, and
ultimately making life easier for future generations.
Although the American Dream may not have been attainable
for everyone throughout American history, and even today
due to social differences and inequalities, there have been
many strides to make the dream a reality for all U.S.
citizens.
Think about all the EVENTS you have learned about in our Westward
Expansion study: The Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark Expedition,
the Monroe Doctrine, the Trail of Tears, the War With Mexico, and the
Gold Rush. You can go back to any of the readings in the Westward
Expansion Unit to review anything you want.
What were the positive and negative rewards of expanding westward, and
how did
each event
reflect the idea of The American Dream? You will
be divided into teams of 3 or 4 to work on the presentation.
Explain this answer in one of the following way
1. Create a presentation ( Prezi…) that gives an overview of each
event and discusses the positive rewards and negative consequences
of each event.
2. Each individual will explain ( in the Prezi on individual pages ) what
is your idea of The American Dream and what it means to you. (So
if your Prezi is 18 pages, there will be an additional 3 pages , 1 for
each person, making it 21 total pages). Answer the question:
What is your American Dream?
3. Your Prezis are due Thursday
Checklist:
Content
(5 points) – I have successfully explained each event/EQ in
detail
(3 points) – I have attempted to explain each event/EQ in
detail
(1 point) – I put little effort into explaining each event/EQ
Creativity
(5 points) – I have put full effort into the creation of my
project
(3 points) – I have attempted to put full effort into the
creation of my project
(1 point) – I put little effort and time into the creation of
my project
Explanation
(5 points) – I was able to fully explain the development and
creation of my project
(3 points) – I have attempted to fully explain the development
and creation of my project
(1 point) – I did not give a good and appropriate explanation of
my project
15 points Total