the american dream research paper

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• SCC Research Guides

ENG 101 - American Dream

• 2. Explore Your Topic

After thoroughly examining your assignment, now it's time to look for some initial background research on your topic.  View the topic page below in the Credo Database to learn more about the American Dream.

• American Dream Topic Page (Credo) Explore this topic page about the American Dream to learn more general information the topic.
• Historical and Modern Interpretations of the American Dream This brief article gives an overview of how the American Dream ideals have been interpreted throughout U.S. history.
• A Better Life: Creating the American Dream This podcast discusses what the American Dream is and how it has changed over time. A transcript is also provided.
• Literary Themes for Students: The American Dream Literary Themes for Students: The American Dream has background information about the American Dream for different groups. This source does have a literature focus, but there is a lot of general information about the American Dream to use.

Define the American Dream

​ There are many definitions of the American Dream. Your research will be more efficient if you know which "American Dream" you're writing about. Also, defining the American Dream should be one of the first things you do when writing your paper. Here are a few possible definitions of the American Dream to consider:

• economic success
• social mobility
• the ideal 1950s-type family
• home ownership
• freedom (speech, religion, etc.)
• striking it rich (in a gold mine or a game show)
• working hard to provide a better life for you and/or your children.
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• 1. Getting Started
• 3. Narrow Your Topic
• Find Primary Sources
• 5. Cite Your Sources
• 6. Write Your Annotated Bib
• 7. Write Your Paper

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The American Dream : Home

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The American Dream Research Paper

This guide was created to help you write your 4-5 page research paper, where  you will answer the following question :

To what extent is __________ an achievable part of the American Dream? 

To answer this HUGE question, you will select one aspect of the American Dream to research. The following components of the American Dream are great options for this assignment: 

• Homeownership
• College education
• Marriage and family 

Sample thesis:  Homeownership is a tenant of the American dream because it represents independence, financial success, and stability. Although there are difficulties that potential homeowners face, homeownership is absolutely achievable for all Americans because there are programs to support new homeowners, many good places to live, and this is a better financial choice than renting, 

***Note: YOUR THESIS CAN & SHOULD BE MORE THAN ONE SENTENCE! 

Paper Logistics

Research Paper Logistics:

• Times New Roman 12 pt. font, double spaced (at least 4 pages)
• Works Cited Page at the end with at least HOW MANY SOURCES
• Have an identifiable thesis statement at the end of the introducion
• Include at least 6 quotations with proper MLA formatting
• Include at least one quotation from something you have read in class: 

                      1. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie

                      2. "American Dreams" by Ian Brown

                      3. "Us vs. Them" by David Tomas Martinez

                      4. "American Dreamin" by Jay Z

                      5. Dr. King's speech

                     6. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

                     7. Fences by August Wilson

Why Use Databases?

Developing An Effective Search Strategy

NoodleTools

Noodletools is a citation generator for note-taking, outlining, citing sources, document archiving/annotation, and collaborative research and writing. NOTE: When creating a new project choose ADVANCED under citation level. Use your Wayland email address to create an account. Need help creating an account? Watch this  video .

NoodleTools also has a couple of great Help pages with a wide array of detailed  tutorials  about how to use it:  NoodleTools Help Desk  and here:  NoodleTools Support.  

Wayland Public Library

Searching Databases

Using library databases will ensure you create a quality research project 

Databases provide you with:

• Up to date, relevant information
• Evaluated sources
• Citation information 
• Subject specific content

What are your keywords?  Searching a database requires entering search terms or keywords related to your search. Consider phrases, tag words, synonyms (don't be afraid to think outside the box).  Ex:  "climate change" OR "climate crisis"  AND "global warming" 

Set up your search : Choose where in the document the database should search for your keywords: Stick to Keyword or Entire Document 

Search Limiters

Choose Your Search Limiters : Always choose "full document" - there is nothing worse than finding what could be the perfect resource, only to  discover you do not have access to the full article, only the abstract (summary). 

Additional Search Limiters:  You can further limit your search by date and document type (the type of documents that are searchable can vary by database - unless you need something very specific (primary source, newspaper article, map) you do not have to use this limiter. Similarly using the date limiter is optional, but can be useful especially if you need current information.

WHS Library Catalog

Boston Public Library

Guide adapted from T. McDonald's guide Chemistry and You

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• Last Updated: Feb 26, 2024 9:51 AM
• URL: https://waylandhs.libguides.com/americandream

The American Dream in the 21st Century Research Paper

Introduction.

• “I Too” and the Dark Side of American History
• The American Dream in the 21st Century

The King is Dead… Long Live the King

• Conclusions

Works Cited

Annotation page, gathering research, thesis statement.

The United States of America have always been considered the land of the free. What drew many migrants to abandon their homes and seek fortune thousands of miles away was the promise of a place where race, nationality, and religious views did not matter. The US was the place where anyone could make their own future. This idyllic picture was described by numerous (predominantly white) poets and writers, such as Walt Whitman. His poem, titled “I Hear America Singing” celebrates democracy, the sense of community, and individuality of every person in the country. However, the simple ideal of living a self-sufficient and independent life was always built at someone else’s expense. After the first decade of the 21st century, the situation is different. As a small minority is accumulating power and riches, even fewer people are allowed access to the vaunted ideal of an age gone by. The United States of America never did provide a chance to access the American Dream, as throughout its history, that dream was being achieved through suffering of the oppressed and enslaved.

“ I Too” and the Dark Side of American History

If we investigate Walt Whitman’s poem, we could see many people being occupied and doing their jobs to sustain themselves: the carpenter, as he “measures his plank or beam,” the mason, as he “makes ready for work,” the boatman as he praises “what belongs to him and his boat,” the woodcutter, the mother, the young girl. All seem to be present in this idyllic picture (Whitman). However, there are no farmers, and for a very good reason. The song was written and published in 1860, one year before the outbreak of the American civil war. During that time period, cotton farming was the main driving force behind the US economy. It brought money into the economy and kept it going. Whitman’s praise to the individualistic and self-sufficient culture of white people in America excludes the black slaves, whose labor enabled all these carpenters, masons, boatmen, and others to pursue their vocations and earn their “American Dream.” This feeling was emphasized in a poem by Langston Hughes, titled “I, Too.” It can be read as a follow-up and an accusation towards Whitman’s piece, as it adds to why there are no black people in the picture: “I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes” (Hughes)

The poem highlights the plight of the black people in an unjust society, where the fruits of their labor are claimed by the owners in order to fuel the economy and provide other white people, even those who do not own slaves, with employment and upkeep. The 1860 US census states that out of 31.5 million Americans, over 4 million were black slaves, and that the total amount of people occupied in the farming sector was over 10% (Lindert and Williamson 278). It is the labor of these people that allowed the country to afford to build its industry and set up a base for fulfilling the American Dream. To reach that dream, however, you had to be trained in a craft, you had to be educated, and you had to be white.

One could argue that things have changed much in the 21st century. America just had its first black president, and there are numerous projects and initiatives in place to help out black people get better education, opportunities, and chances of living the American Dream. This is not the case, however, as the dynamics of the economy shifted. The blacks are still an underprivileged minority, as 50 years of relative political compassion could not undo the effects of 300 years of oppression (Lindert and Williamson 283). This time, however, a good portion of the working white population is suffering too. Unable to exploit the population domestically, many companies have turned overseas, forcing the employment rates and wages to plummet. According to Henderson, over a half of American teens say that the American Dream, for them, represents the ability to provide for themselves and their family as well as owning a house and a car (Henderson). The majority of young Americans do not own these items, instead being stuck in a perpetual debt starting from college. At the same time, companies and corporations utilize the labor of migrants or allocate overseas, to report staggering rates of growth. As always, the American dream has to come at someone’s expense.

Seeing that only 1 in 8 Americans is currently capable of attaining the American Dream, contemporary pundits tried to question the legitimacy of demands made by people who were denied it (Jenkins). The article published by the Daily Beast states that a good portion of young Americans are living alone, are child-free, or do not pursue successful career paths in search of a deeper meaning (Goff). Therefore, they should not be entitled to the “American Dream” of having a house, a car, a family, and two children.

However, this logic is based on the fact that the modern generation does not have the desire to fit into a traditional narrative. In modern America, having a car is often necessary just to get to work, and having a family with children while renting an apartment is difficult and expensive (Morello et al.). In other words, young Americans avoid starting families because they cannot support them, and not because they do not want to support them (Pinkster). “The American Dream” is not a desire for pointless consumerism but rather a need for the very basics for creating and sustaining a family. There is nothing “excessive” in wanting a job that pays well, a car to drive to that job, and to own a roof under one’s head.

The American Dream was never meant to be for everyone. The idyllic picture of the past is forever smeared by injustices that were dealt to the black population of the US left a terrible mark that will be felt for many generations to come in the form of crime, violence, lower living standards, unemployment, and shorter lifespans. Many years have passed since Langston Hughes wrote his poem about being an American, too. There has been progress, but the police, the country, and the state are still treating the majority of black individuals as second-class citizens. Modern generations, on the other hand, are suffering from issues that were not directly their fault, and are being blamed by older generations for not standing up to the task. Nowadays, the economy is based on offshore companies using Chinese and Indian workers, underpaid migrant labor, and the military complex. The truth of the world remains the same: for the majority to prosper, someone else has to pay for it.

Goff, Keli. “The American Dream is Dead, and Good Riddance.” The Daily Beast, 2014, Web.

Henderson, Samantha. “American Dreaming.” Scholastic Math, vol. 26, no. 1, 2005, p. 6.

Hughes, Langston. “I, Too.” Poets.org, Web.

Jenkins, Chris L. “Clinging to Dreams of a Better Life.” Washington Post, 2008, Web.

Lindert, Peter H., and Jeffrey G. Williamson. “Unequal gains: American growth and inequality since 1700.” Juncture, vol. 22, no. 4, 2016, pp. 276-283.

Morello, Carol, et al. “Achieving American Dream Fades as Certainty for Many.” The Washington Post, 2013, Web.

Pinkster, Joe. “Teenagers are Losing Confidence in the American Dream.” The Atlantic, 2015, Web.

Whitman, Walt. “I Hear America Singing.” Poets.org, Web.

The United States of America never did provide a chance to access the American Dream, as throughout its history, that dream was being achieved through suffering of the oppressed and enslaved.

Planning Page

• Opening Paragraph

Thesis: The United States of America never did provide a chance to access the American Dream, as throughout its history, that dream was being achieved through suffering of the oppressed and enslaved.

• Whitman describes an idyllic picture of America.
• The picture involves only whites.
• Hughes adds the portion not shown in Whitman’s song to America.
• Black people did work without payment or recognition.
• Black people still have trouble achieving the American Dream.
• 300 years of oppression cannot be undone by a few decades of support.
• White working class is suffering too.
• Teens lose hope in the American Dream.
• The King is Dead … Long Live the King.
• Only 1 out of 8 Americans can achieve the American Dream
• Contemporary pundits blame generational laziness rather than generational poverty.
• The American Dream contains the necessities needed for a healthy family structure.
• Teens adapt their expectations to realities, rather than have the realities adapt to their expectations.
• America never provided the American Dream for everyone.
• Exploitation moved overseas.
• Good life always is paid for by someone else.
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, March 22). The American Dream in the 21st Century. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-american-dream-in-the-21st-century/

"The American Dream in the 21st Century." IvyPanda , 22 Mar. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/the-american-dream-in-the-21st-century/.

IvyPanda . (2024) 'The American Dream in the 21st Century'. 22 March.

IvyPanda . 2024. "The American Dream in the 21st Century." March 22, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-american-dream-in-the-21st-century/.

1. IvyPanda . "The American Dream in the 21st Century." March 22, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-american-dream-in-the-21st-century/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "The American Dream in the 21st Century." March 22, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-american-dream-in-the-21st-century/.

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American Dream Essay: Structure, Outline, Sample, and Topics

11 December 2023

last updated

The American Dream is a recurring controversial topic in modern society. Individuals have developed different arguments to deconstruct what is the American Dream essay in the context of day-to-day life. In the academic setting, learners that engage in this discourse hold the weight of the proper expression of their arguments. A structured essay is analyzed with a focus on the introduction, main body, and conclusion of the five-paragraph essay. The process of topic selection, outline development, and structured writing is exemplified using an essay titled, “The Promise of the American Dream.” Recommendations for narrow scoped topics for exploring the concept are provided as a starting point for students.

In contemporary discourse, there is much controversy over the meaning of the American Dream. Basically, people hold different positions on multiple aspects of the concept in their essays and research papers. During the schooling years, it is important to acquire knowledge. Also, young minds benefit significantly from reflecting on the influence of their recently acquired knowledge on their position regarding controversial topics. Upon completing the reflection essay process, the expression of one’s newly defined position is the next step. An essay on the American Dream is presented to introduce the readers to the basic principles behind the concept. Moreover, the structure of a five-paragraph essay is explored with the support of an outline and a sample essay.

What Is the American Dream Essay?

1. general description.

The American Dream is a widely known concept, but there is no definition that can be identified as a correct, comprehensive, and precise. Basically, freedom and opportunity are the most critical aspects of the essay on the American Dream. In this case, freedoms are essential to the idea of achieving goals. It because these freedoms provide an individual with the space to live freely without any oppression from their peers or the government. Moreover, equal access to opportunity allows each individual to pursue happiness and prosperity regardless of the social class, gender, race, and other social or cultural factors that stratify society. Therefore, this concept may be defined as a set of beliefs that explain the experience of life that many people are expected to have in an ideal situation, where their freedoms are protected, and no opportunity barriers exist.

2. Unique Experiences

People are born into families that provide them with a unique starting point for their pursuit of desired goals. For example, the financial capability, level of education, and cultural beliefs of an individual’s parents define the foundation on which a person begins to achieve desired goals. As a result, all people may be pursuing the same ideas when writing essays. In turn, it is not a level playing field because some individuals may find themselves in better circumstances than others. Furthermore, it is differentiated at a personal level because individuals with relatively similar starting points may have distinct outcomes. Based on this perspective, it is highly unlikely that any two individuals can attest to going through identical experiences when writing an essay.

3. Belief Systems

Besides the circumstances of the starting points, an individual’s belief system plays a significant role in their strategy of achieving desired goals. For instance, happiness and prosperity are broad terms that have contrasting meanings for individuals because there is no standardized scale for measuring happiness or prosperity. Moreover, one person may consider owning a car and house to be a sign of prosperity. In contrast, another person may believe that providing his or her children with a college education to be prosperity. Hence, these beliefs are imposed on desires goals, which results in variations in the meaning of the concept for each individual to be covered in an essay. In turn, desires goals affected to a large extent by an individual’s beliefs regarding the things that make them happy or prosperous.

Topic Selection for American Dream Essays

1. challenges of topic selection.

The American Dream is a concept that people can examine from a variety of perspectives, which makes the selection of an essay topic for an American Dream paper quite challenging. During the selection of an essay topic, it is essential to remember that no point of view is more superior or correct than another. In this case, the weight of the claim proposed in the American Dream argumentative essay is dependent on the writer’s ability to explain a position logically and convincingly. Moreover, in the presentation of the argument in the essay, it is important to adequately consider competing counterarguments that may arise in the audience’s minds when writing essays. In turn, the failure to evaluate counterarguments critically may undercut the authority of the author, especially when writing for an academic audience.

2. Solution

Equally important, writers should select a topic that has a link with their personal experiences. For instance, an argument concerning the essay about the American Dream gains a sense of authenticity when writers discuss an issue that resonates with their beliefs. It is essential because some passion is embedded in the essay. In this case, as a starting point for identifying the essay topic, writers may identify a “main concept” under review, for example, equal opportunity. Based on the main concept, writers can think through their life experiences and single out events that they consider invaluable in the position taken concerning the main concept (see the example of a simple brainstorming template). Finally, writers should settle on the essay topic that is specific and can be argued out entirely within the constraints of the essay requirements.

3. Example of a Simple Brainstorming Template

• State the main concept.
• How has it affected you?
• How has it affected other people in your life?
• Do you think the events mentioned above are in line with the American Dream?
• Specify the issue.
• Describe the ideal situation.
• Can the situation be improved?

American Dream Essay Outline

Introduction (approximately 10% of the word count).

• It is the first statement in the introductory paragraph.
• The statement should capture the attention of the reader, for example, a unique fact about the topic.

2. Overview of the Topic

• It comprises of two or more sentences.
• The statements should contain adequate detail for the reader to understand the thesis statement.

3. Thesis Statement

• It is a single statement that appears at the end of the introductory paragraph.
• The statement provides an answer to the essay prompt in the form of a single argument, which summarises the main evidence or rationale presented in the main body.

Main Body (Approximately 80% of the Word Count)

The creation of paragraphs in this section is based on the separation of ideas to ensure that each paragraph presents one original idea. In this case, each paragraph in this section must follow the sandwich rule, which dictates the organization of paragraph elements:

• Topic sentence – States the main idea for that paragraph.
• Evidence – Provides the information that is crucial to the paragraph’s idea.
• Evaluation of evidence – Explains the relevance of the evidence and offers an interpretation of the evidence.
• Transition statement – Summarises the paragraph and links it to the thesis statement or the next paragraph.

Conclusion (Approximately 10% of the Word Count)

1. Restating the Main Argument

• The first statement in the paragraph should repeat the main argument presented in the thesis statement.
• It should not contain the same words as the thesis statement, but keywords can be reused.
• Provide a detailed overview of the main points of the essay logically.
• Demonstrate the value of the main points in answering the essay prompt.

Five-Paragraph American Dream Essay Outline Sample

Introduction/Paragraph 1

Hook: Besides the differences in the American populations, they are similar because they pursue the same dream.

Overview of the topic: Outline some of the differences in the American population.

Thesis statement: Creating equal opportunities allows individuals to achieve upward mobility.

Paragraph 2 :

Topic sentence: Breaking down social mobility and its quantification.

Evidence: Definition and measures of social mobility.

Evaluation of evidence: Illustrate how upward social mobility is achieved while referring to the measures.

Transition statement: Introduces the need for self-improvement for social mobility to occur.

Paragraph 3 :

Topic sentence: Opportunity is a requirement for social mobility.

Evidence: The role of education in equipping an individual to utilize opportunities.

Evaluation of evidence: Demonstrate the link between education, access to jobs, and the ability to improve an individual’s quality of life.

Transition statement: Recognise that there are socially constructed limitations on the accessibility of opportunities.

Paragraph 4 :

Topic sentence: Discriminative practices affect an individual’s access to opportunities for social mobility.

Evidence: Identify some forms of discrimination and explain the occurrence of discriminative practices.

Evaluation of evidence: Describe the value of government and organization’s role in managing discriminative practices using policies that uphold equality.

Transition statement: Stress the centrality of equality in the argument for opportunity access and upward mobility.

Conclusion/Paragraph 5 :

Restating the main argument: Emphasise the importance of equality in securing opportunities for upward mobility and the attainment of the American Dream.

Summary: Allude to the measures of social mobility, the interaction between discriminative practices and opportunities, and the relief provided by policies on equality.

Sample of Five-Paragraph American Dream Essay

Topic: The Promise of the American Dream

Introduction

Although we are different, we share a single dream. In this case, the American population is composed of people of different genders, races, education levels, religions, and disability statuses. Nonetheless, each American is entitled to the opportunity to make themselves better regardless of the underlying differences. Thus, the American Dream thesis statement is that it is founded on the promise of equal opportunity for upward social mobility.

Social Mobility

Social mobility is a multidimensional concept. It can be assessed using a variety of measures that attempt to quantify the change occurring in an individual’s life. For example, the ability of an individual to move along the social hierarchy may be described as social mobility. In turn, there are different measures of social mobility. However, each one is focused on a specific aspect of average Americans’ livelihood:

• health status – the susceptibility of an individual to diseases,
• education – an individual’s highest level of education,
• homeownership – the capability of an individual to acquire permanent housing.

Upward social mobility implies that an individual can improve their position in the social hierarchy through improving their performance on any of the measures of social mobility. Therefore, upward social mobility is the desired outcome of a successful pursuit of desired goals because it suggests some form of self-improvement.

Opportunity

The opportunity for upward mobility is vital in pursuing the desired goals. Basically, access to opportunity is facilitated by some factors, for example, access to quality education. In this case, an individual that has attended school and acquired the necessary skills has a higher likelihood of securing a job. If individuals acquire jobs, it becomes easier to secure health insurance, buy homes, and improve the quality of life for their families. Moreover, individuals can only attain what they want if they are provided access to basic education, which prepares them to maximize any opportunities. However, it is difficult for an average individual to pursue opportunities without the government’s efforts to increase the ease of access to basic needs.

Equality Policies

Many barriers affect an average American’s ability to access positive opportunities, and it manifests in the form of discriminative practices in society. In this case, discrimination in society may occur based on a variety of issues, for example, gender, disability, religion, and race. Basically, personal biases create ideological differences regarding superiority in the social hierarchy. It pushes individuals to deny others access to opportunities and the necessary skills to exploit those opportunities. Moreover, state and organizational policies against discrimination are created and enforced to maintain equality among Americans. These laws serve to eliminate the barriers that exist between hardworking people and the American Dream. Consequently, equality among individuals ensures that all individuals can take advantage of opportunities regardless of their gender, disability status, religion, race, and other social differences that tend to create boundaries between social groups.

Equality is crucial in the pursuit of the American Dream because it provides each individual with the opportunity to move up the social hierarchy. In this case, people can access upward social mobility by using various measures, which quantify an individual’s quality of life. Moreover, opportunities may exist, but individuals need to be assisted in developing themselves to a level where they can utilize the available opportunities. Hence, equality policies are useful in curtailing the power of discriminative practices in reinforcing social mobility barriers.

American Dream Essay Topics

• The origin of the American Dream.
• Intergenerational differences in the definition of the American Dream.
• The American Dream in contemporary music.
• Does society still believe in the American Dream?
• Defining the American Dream through the racial lens.
• Individualism and the American Dream.
• The influence of unrestricted surveillance on the American Dream.
• Health care policies and the American Dream.
• The impacts of globalization on the American Dream.
• The rise of right-wing populism and the future of the American Dream.

Summing up on the American Dream Essay

The capacity of a person to participate in the discourse on the controversial essay topic nurtured through the continuous practice of structured essay writing. Basically, the concept may be approached from a different perspective, depending on the individual’s beliefs and personal experiences. Nonetheless, the written presentation of these points of view is achieved through the use of structured essays. The five-paragraph American Dream essay examined in this paper is a useful tool for the expression of any argument on the topic.

To Learn More, Read Relevant Articles

Essay example of the great gatsby book review, how to write a well-developed poem analysis essay.

Chasing the Dream: Researching the Meaning of the American Dream

• Resources & Preparation
• Instructional Plan
• Related Resources

In “ Paradox and Dream ,” a 1966 essay on the American Dream, John Steinbeck writes, “For Americans too the wide and general dream has a name.  It is called ‘the American Way of Life.'  No one can define it or point to any one person or group who lives it, but it is very real nevertheless.”  Yet a recent cover of Time Magazine reads “The History of the American Dream – Is It Real?”  Here, students explore the meaning of the American Dream by conducting interviews, sharing and assessing data, and writing papers based on their research to draw their own conclusions.

Featured Resources

• The American Dream Project : This assignment sheet, which is directed to students, explains the three-part nature of this project and paper.
• Steinbeck John. American and American and Selected Nonfiction . Susan Shillinglaw and Jackson J. Benson, eds.  New York: Penguin Books, 2012: In this 1966 essay, Steinbeck presents a picture of Americans as paradoxical and asks if the American Dream is even possible.  An edited version of this essay can be found at http://politicalsystems.homestead.com/ParadoxAndDream.html
• Sidel, Ruth. On Her Own: Growing Up in the Shadow of the American Dream .  New York: Viking, 1990: Sidel explores the impact of the American Dream on young women in the 1980’s and 1990s.

From Theory to Practice

In her book Genre Theory:  Teaching, Writing, and Being , Deborah Dean describes writing “mini-ethnographies,” saying, “Ethnography is a way to look at a culture; Wendy Bishop describes it as ‘a representation of the lived experience of a convened culture’ (3).  Reiff, citing Beverly Moss, explains that ‘the main purpose of the ethnographic genre is ‘to gain a comprehensive view of the social interactions, behaviors, and beliefs of a community or a social group’’”(“Meditating” 42).  This lesson allows students to explore this idea of shared beliefs within a culture and to then use genuine research (one-on-one interviews) to produce a paper that examines the shared belief in the American Dream.  As Dean states, “…conducting research for ethnography requires students to use genres for authentic purposes, which provides them with clear connections between genres and contexts and helps them see genres as actions more than forms.”

Further Reading

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

• 1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
• 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
• 4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
• 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
• 6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
• 7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
• 9. Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.
• 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Materials and Technology

• “Paradox and Dream” in America and Americans by John Steinbeck
• “The New American Dreamers” (particularly pp. 15-25) in On Her Own – Growing Up in the Shadow of the American Dream by Ruth Sidel
• " Keeping the Dream Alive – The American Dream: A Biography ” by Jon Meacham
• “ The American Dream: Is it slipping away? ” (September 27, 2010): This article examines the results of an ABC News Poll on the validity of the idea of the American Dream today.
• “ Waking Up From American Dreams ” (February 12, 2010): This short article explores contemporary cultural connections to the American Dream and the effect of class on the Dream.
• “ In a Sour Economy, What Happens to the American Dream? ” (May 7, 2009): This article explores how the definition of the America Dream changes in the time of a recession.
• A sample student paper and a sample student interview (audio) are included for teacher reference.
• “ The American Dream Project ” assignment sheet for students
• Discussion starters - sample questions for “The New American Dreamers”
• Sample Interview Questions
• Sample Student Paper

This website, The Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies, is a university archive focusing on Steinbeck’s life and work and offering a variety of materials for teacher interesting in teaching Steinbeck’s work .

This article discusses how the idea of the American Dream has changed society and  traces the history of the American Dream.

Preparation

• Familiarize yourself with the concept of the American Dream and its history.  An excellent resource is “ Keeping the Dream Alive ” by Jon Meacham ( Time , July 2, 2012 Vol. 180  No.1).
• Prepare student copies or plan access to the two readings listed above by Steinbeck and Sidel and prepare discussion starters.  ( Sample starters for the Sidel reading are included.)
• Make class copies of the assignment sheet The American Dream Project .
• Determine the appropriate number of groups to divide the class into.  ( Note: there should be a minimum of 4 students per group, but 5-7 is optimal.  If class size is too small to allow for six groups, one for each decade 1950 – present, it is best to omit the most recent decade where interviewees often offer less material.)

Student Objectives

Students will:

• develop an understanding of the meaning of the concept the American Dream through readings, discussion, and authentic research.
• practice interviewing skills, including formulation of questions, listening and response skills, and notetaking.
• learn to work cooperatively with other students to pool data and draw conclusions.
• demonstrate the ability to present thoughtful and well-documented conclusions in a formal paper.

Session One

• Ask students to define “the American Dream.”  Brainstorm as a class, listing on the board all ideas, words, and phrases that students offer. (Examples: financial security; a home, a job, two kids and a dog; happiness; freedom to do and be what you want; being better off than your parents; a house with a white picket fence; being able to pursue your dreams, the chance to succeed, etc.)
• Is the idea of the American Dream unique to Americans, or is it a “Human” Dream?
• Do you believe the American Dream has changed over time?  If so, how?
• Do all US citizens have equal opportunities to achieve the American Dream?  What do you based your opinion on?
• Is the belief in the American Dream necessary to society?  Why/why not?
• How do you personally define the American Dream?
• Read aloud in class Steinbeck’s “ Paradox and Dream ” from America and Americans .
• Immediately after the reading, ask students to freewrite briefly about their reactions to the piece, focusing in particular on what Steinbeck says about the American Dream.
• Ask students to share their freewrites.  Use their responses to refine the definition and meaning of the American Dream on the board.  (Note: The term “The America Dream” was first coined by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America in 1931.)  Although there is no one definition of the American Dream, students often come to the conclusion that it is the freedom and opportunity to achieve one’s goals through hard work.
• Ask students to read Ruth Sidel’s “The New American Dreamers” before the next session.

Session Two

• If students were able to read the Sidel piece for homework, begin class with a discussion of “The New American Dreamers”  (see attached discussion starters ).  If students were not able to read the piece for homework, share it with them in class.
• “Professional success is important to women today.”
• “The old dream of a husband and a family isn’t important to all women anymore.”
• “If I ever do get married, I want my relationship to be 50-50.  I don’t want to be the only one responsible for taking care of the house and kids.”
• “Money and independence are really important to women now.”
• “Women can do and have whatever they want, just like men."
• “…she is convinced that if she plans carefully, works hard and makes the right decisions, she will have success in her chosen field; have the material goods she desires; in time marry if she wishes; and, in all probability, have children.  She plans, as the expression goes, to ‘have it all.’”  (p.15)
• “No matter what class they come from, their fantasies are of upward mobility, a comfortable life filled with personal choice and material possessions.” (p. 18)
• “A key message that the New American Dreamers are both receiving and sending is one of optimism—the sense that they can do whatever they want with their lives.” (p. 24)
• “To many of them, an affluent life-style is central to their dreams; they often describe their goals in terms of cars, homes, travel to Europe.” (p. 27)
• Invite students to share their freewrites.  Use their responses to continue to refine the definition and meaning of the American Dream.  Ask students to compare Sidel’s conclusions with Steinbeck’s comments on the American Dream
• Discuss the format and voice of the Sidel piece.  Ask students to point out how she uses specific data from interviewees to draw her conclusions.  Have students note how she implements direct quotations from the interviews to illustrate specific points.
• Introduce students to the idea that they will be conducting their own interviews on the meaning of the American Dream.  Explain to them that they will be choosing interview subjects who represent particular decades from the 1950’s to the present.
• Pass out The American Dream Project assignment sheet and read it aloud with students.  Note in particular the three stages of the paper: interview summary, conclusions on a decade, and personal reflection.
• Discuss the idea of coming of age (i.e. the time when a person becomes independent of his/her parents) to make sure that students understand the concept.
• For homework, ask students to make a brief list of people they know who came of age in each particular decade (1950’s to the present).  These should be people they would be able to interview, preferably in person though possibly in a phone conversation.  Students may not be able to come up with a person(s) for each decade; however, this list will help to expedite student choices in the next class session.

Session Three

• Choose decade groups, using the lists of potential interviewees which students created for homework.  This works best if students have input into choosing which decade they will interview a person from.  Remind students that they do not have to know their interviewee well, and that in fact, in most interview situations, the interviewer does not know the interviewee.   Be sure to have an equal number of people in each decade group so that they all have roughly the same amount of material to work with.
• Brainstorm a short list of possible interview questions (see attached sample list ), and discuss strengths and weakness of potential questions.  (Note:  Remind students that, when interviewing, they should not follow the list precisely but instead allow the interview to “take on a life of its own.”  This is a reason for creating a fairly short list of questions so that students have to take the initiative to come up with questions suitable for their particular subject.)
• If necessary, suggest that students refer back to “The New American Dreamers” to see questions Sidel asked interviewees and how questions built upon one another.
• Review with students general guidelines for conducting an interview (i.e. courtesy, concerns about confidentiality/anonymity, use of tape recorders, etc.).  If necessary, allow students to “practice” mock interviews with one another.  Addtionally, you may choose to share the sample student interview (audio) with the class so that students have a better understanding.
• Remind students of the specific date when the two-page interview must be completed and brought to class (see assignment sheet ).  Emphasize the importance of having the paper in class on that day since students will be sharing their data.

Session Four

• Ask students to sit in small groups according to decade (i.e. the 1950’s group includes those students who interviewed someone who came of age in the 1950’s).
• Ask each student to read the interview portion of the paper aloud to the group while other group members take notes on what they hear.  After each group member has read his/her interview, students may decide that they need to hear parts of the papers again.  Allow sufficient time for this reading and for students to ask questions of one another.
• When all interviews have been presented, tell students to discuss the data and begin to draw conclusions about the meaning of the American Dream for that particular decade.  Encourage lively and thoughtful discussion, and remind students to not settle for easy conclusions but to think deeply about the data.  Students may find the Venn Diagram tool helpful to use to see similarities and differences in their subjects’ responses.
• Explain to students that not everyone in the group will necessarily draw the same conclusions, and that that is a function of interpretation of data.  Depending on the size of the groups, note that students may focus their conclusions on different “sub-groups” (i.e. gender, class, region, etc.) within their larger group.
• While students are working in groups, circulate the classroom to help guide student discussion and to assure that the interview pieces are written in the correct style and format.
• If, at the conclusion of class, students feel they need more data, allow time for them to reconnect with their interviewees and then share that additional material with their group during another class session.
• Remind students of the due date for the entire paper (all three sections) as noted on the assignment sheet .

Session Five

(Note : This is the session during which the students will hand in their completed papers, so this session might be a week or so after Session Four.)

• Ask students to again meet in their small groups according to decade and share their final conclusions as presented in their papers.
• Give each group a piece of chart/poster paper on which to list the key points they agree on that would define the meaning of the American Dream for their particular decade.
• Hang the posters and ask each group to present their findings to the entire class. Encourage them to support their findings with data from their interviews.
• Conduct a class discussion on how the American Dream has or has not changed throughout the decades from 1950 to the present. Ask students to consider the Time Magazine questions: “Is It Real?”
• Encourage students to share their own definition of the American Dream as expressed in the final page of their papers.  Ask them to compare and contrast their responses.
• At the conclusion of the class discussion, collect all student papers (all three parts).
• If time and technology allows, students may be interested in viewing the powerful 1988 documentary American Dream at Groton which focuses on the challenges eighteen-year-old Jo Vega faces as a scholarship student at Groton Academy, a Massachusetts prep school. Vega was born in Spanish Harlem and struggles in her pursuit of the American Dream in a very different social milieu.
• Students interested in music might want to explore music that focuses on the American Dream.  An excellent selection of songs can be found on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website .
• In an abbreviated form, this lesson might be used in connection with literature that explores the American Dream such as The Great Gatsby , A Raisin in the Sun , and Death of a Salesman.

Student Assessment / Reflections

• The complete, three-part paper can be graded as any other research type paper.  The requirements for each section are outlined in the assignment sheet and can be graded accordingly.  (A teacher might choose to weight the three sections as follows: Interview - 40%, Conclusions drawn from data - 40%, Personal statement on the American Dream – 20%. )  Emphasis should be placed on use of solid and specific data that support the writer’s conclusions.
• Students might also write a short reflection discussing their reaction to the design of the project in terms of conducting interviews, collaborating in small groups, and using authentic research to draw conclusions.
• Professional Library
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• Student Interactives

This interactive tool allows students to create Venn diagrams that contain two or three overlapping circles, enabling them to organize their information logically.

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Home — Essay Samples — Economics — American Dream — Synthesizing the American Dream

Synthesizing The American Dream

• Categories: American Culture American Dream

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Words: 629 |

Published: Sep 12, 2023

Words: 629 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

Table of contents

The historical roots of the american dream, contemporary interpretations of the american dream, the american dream in the 21st century, the american dream and individual lives, conclusion: synthesizing the american dream.

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