Question

(4) American Dream If you choose this topic, I strongly recommend to you to read the article by King. Respond to the three articles, define American Dream, and construct your argument of your own about whether American Dream is dead or alive. Some guiding questions are 1) how do I define American Dream? 2) who is American Dream for? 3) Who has more influence over possibility of making American Dream happen, government or individual or something else?

Answer 1

The American Dream is the right for each person to pursue his or her own idea of happiness. It is the belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success in a society where upward mobility is possible for everyone. The American Dream is achieved through sacrifice, risk-taking, and hard work, rather than by chance.

In his famous and frequently quoted "I Have a Dream" speech, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. makes his view of the "American Dream" clear. To him, the American dream is one of equality for all people.

By equality, Dr. King means that all citizens—including both black citizens and white citizens—are treated justly. The American dream is a dream of justice. It is a dream of equal, fair, and equitable treatment for all peoples living in the US. It is also a dream of peaceful coexistence.

The American Dream is the ideal that the government should protect each person's opportunity to pursue their own idea of happiness.

This protection extends to private enterprise, allowing a free market economy. That economy depends on the free flow of information to function. It also supports free trade agreements and foreign direct investment. According to sociologist Emily Rosenberg, these four components have led to a fifth: many other nations want to replicate America's development. The government protects the rights of you and every other American citizen to find your own path to economic prosperity. Unlike many other countries, you are not required to follow your father’s profession. Your destiny is not legally determined at birth by caste, religion, or gender. There is still discrimination, but the law protects your right to pursue a better life.