The
American dream
The
phrase “American dream” received its first public definition in 1931 by James
Truslow who was a historian of great repute. The phrase was contained in his
book titled the Epic of America. According
to the vision of James Truslow it is “…that dream of land in which life should
be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each
according to ability or achievement” Adam goes onto to explain that the dream
was not about living an extravagant life but rather “…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.” The
America Dream became possible then because of the existing environment that
promoted conducive to prosperity, peace, and opportunities. However, if the
current turn of events is anything to go by not everyone has been able to
achieve the American dream. Impediments such as lack of proper education and discrimination
have seen the realization of the American dream becoming more of a dream than a
reality.
It
has become a dream for many Americans to achieve The American Dream. Not so
long ago, a study poll conducted in 2009 by PEW Charitable Trusts on ‘Economic
Mobility and The American Dream’, indicated that less than half of the
Americans believed that it was possible for an individual to begin as a poor
person in America, work hard to get rich and remain rich over their lifetime
and for many generations to come (Samuel 9). Economic mobility has been a major
driving force for making it possible for the Americans to scale up the social
ladder. When the same poll was conducted in the year 2014, the level of
optimism had significantly reduced and only a quarter of the Americans believed
that hard work alone were enough to make someone rich. More than 90% indicated
that they put more value on financial stability as opposed to economic mobility
(Medhurst 102). This research was a
clear indicator that the American dream was less about how financially mobile a
person is and more of how one kept their head afloat.
Poverty
has been singled out as one of the key impediments factors towards the
achievement of the American Dream. Due to high poverty index levels existing in
America today, the economic shocks have been draining family finances and
thereby disrupting their saving plans and definitely their social aspirations.
The rising unexpected expenses coupled with unpredictable income patterns have
seen the expenses eating away the savings of majority of the families in
America, even families in the upper end of the social ladder have not been
spared either.
The
ever-increasing levels of poverty in America can be traced to income inequality
that exists in the Americas file and ranks today. According to a survey
conducted by the Economic Policy Institute titled The State of Working in America, between 1950’s to early 70’s, the
level of income growth was at the same level with the level of income scale but
over time, the level of economic growth has stalled and in the process scaling
down the level of income (Samuel, 12).
The
other issue that has been impeding the realization of the American dream is geography
and race. When Martin Luther King Jr. made the famous march in the streets of
Washington, the march was for jobs and the freedom that usually comes with a
stable well-paying job. Whereas there is no doubt whatsoever that civil rights
need to be protected, equally so should job creation and fair job allocation be
protected. However, the biggest problem today is racial discrimination when it
comes to the social mobility. In America when you are born poor you are likely
to die poor and when you are born rich you are likely to die a rich.
It
is now an accepted norm in the mind of most Americans that your class or
position in life will define who you will become in the future. Class and
social position do indeed matter as to whether you will make it in life or not.
The truth, however, is that the percentage of black people scaling the economic
mobility ladder has been dwindling by the day.
The fact that black children are most likely to be born in poverty and
to a single parent household than their white counterparts is the reality, and
this is the reality that will determine whether or not this child will make it
in life or not. According to a research conducted by National Poverty Center,
58% of the poor in America come from racial or ethnic minorities (Medhurst 105).
Studies indicate that the rate of upward mobility in a geographical area
dominated by a large population of black people is significantly lower as
compared to a geographical area dominated by white people. The children with narrower
chance to make it in life are children from the black communities too.
The
other thing that has compounded the racial mobility gap is discrimination when
it comes to employment. Blacks are more likely not to be given jobs or get jobs
with higher pay. A research done by William T Grant Foundation indicated that
in term of succeeding in getting a job “…black men who have never been
incarcerated fare less better in the job market than white men just out of
prison” (Samuel, 10). This unfortunate turn of event is also replicated in the
way Americans choose their life partners. There has been a growing tendency
that the rich educated people are opting to marry rich educated people some of
these social tendencies have had the effect of increasing the intergenerational
inequalities.
Lack
of proper education has been a big impediment towards the realization of the
American dream. Over the past few years, a huge gap in terms of social mobility
and wealth has emerged among the less educated population in America. The
American dream main focus was with regard to emerging opportunities in
comparison with the human success. In the past, the cornerstone toward the
realization of the American dream was pegged on hard work, but recent studies
have shown shifts in that belief. Today, for a person to achieve the American
dream, you need to work hard and have a good education. Education is important
to enable a person to secure a good job that pays anti-poverty wages.
The
income gap between those who have a good education and those who are less
educated has been on the rise. The well -being of many households is now more
dependable on the level of education of the household head than anything else.
Many Americans believe that the key to achieving the American dream is a good
education, but for most of the American families meeting the total cost of
college education has been a tall order indeed. Due to lack of school fees and
crushing student loans experienced by others, most of the American youths have
been forced to drop out of school in favor of menial jobs leading to ultimate
deferring of their American dream. Although having an education does not
guarantee you to live the American dream, many people are in agreement that
education is the springboard that can catapult an individual towards the
achievement of that dream. However, the biggest limitation towards the
achievement of the American dream is the high costs of the college education
coupled with the burden of paying college debts.
The
American Dream as earlier anticipated by James Truslow has not been fully
realized, due to various reasons. The dream was based on a society where all
people will be accorded equal opportunities to realize their dreams
irrespective of their race, gender or their geographical location. In the
course of time, lack of equal opportunities due to racial, gender and
geographical discrimination as well as inability to access quality of education
by most Americans have played central role issues in derailing, impeding or at
worse extinguishing hopes of many Americans of attaining the now ever-elusive
American dream.
Cited
works
Gonzales-Estacio, M. “How typical freshmen plan to
write an essay”. Far Eastern University English Language Journal, (2008).
Samuel,
L. “The American dream.” Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, (2012).
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