Elements of the American Dream
The underlined items are the things you
MUST write down, the rest is up to you.
American Studies - 2012
James Truslow Adams:
The Epic of America (1931)

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… It is not a dream of
motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of
social order in which each man and each woman
shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of
which they are innately capable, and be
recognized by others for what they are, regardless
of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or
position." (p.214-215)
“Give me your tired, your poor,
your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
“Promises” of the American Dream

From Teaching American Literature: A Journal
of Theory and Practice by Martha & Tim
Viator, Rowan University (2011)
1. Promise of Change
In America, anything is possible,
individuals should and therefore must
work to make their situations better
 Americans have faith that they are
masters of their own destiny
 Americans have faith in the future,
regardless of the past

2. Promise of Moving Up
Upward mobility - success is at least
economic self-sufficiency and/or a
profession or career that others respect
 Parents want better lives for their
children
 This promise can lead to materialism —
the use of things acquired to symbolize
one's “arrival” or status

3.Promise of Meritocracy
In a society that is just and fair, in which
"anyone can get ahead," diligent,
patient self-sacrifice and hard work will
be rewarded
 underscores the puritan value of
discipline

4. Promise of Home Ownership
Owning a home symbolizes security
and ease, especially as a safe place for
one's children, and symbolizes “making
it”
 It invokes the frontier spirit, the
American value of acquiring property to
signify "getting one's own."

5. Promise of Freedom
"life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness"
 Individualism central to the American
character - pursue our own interests &
talents
 Tension between true (ideal) liberty and
actual liberty

6. Promise of Equality
America values of opportunity for all
 Everyone must be eligible to strive for
life, liberty, and happiness
 Political tensions arise as some argue
that a government and a society
insuring equality limits individual
freedoms

7. Promise of Risk Taking
Combing the promise of change
(anything’s possible) with the promise of
freedom (pursuit of one’s individual
talents), necessitates taking risks.
 Associated with the frontier and our
entrepreneurial spirit
 If one is going to be the master of
his/her destiny, one must display
courage
