Is the American Dream attainable for all Americans?
“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”, wrote by the founding fathers who put the foundation of this growing country into writing 142 years ago ( source 1).The “American Dream” is a dream that was once something everyone reached for and over the years that dream has dwindled away because of the facts that not everyone reaches for that dream anymore. The American dream is by every means attainable to anyone who chooses to live in the states for two main reasons; for one, they work for what they want, and for two they don't let their background determine where their future lies.
“ A dream of a society in which each man and each woman could reach the highest place that their abilities enabled regardless of where they started in life” ( source 1). The people who choose to use their color or history as an excuse to be just given things or to not have to work for anything are the ones who won't get the American dream that they imagined because they don't try for themselves. These people will use the excuse that because their "families were denied a mortgage in the 1930s or 1950s, or the 1970s, [that they] may not have the means to become homeowners". People of the same gender, race, and class can achieve homeownership, high-level jobs, and high levels of education it all depends on their drive, motivation, and willingness to push through to achieve those goals. People who allow their past to control their future will always fail. “ Highly successful entrepreneurs have come to America as penniless immigrants” and they obviously worked very hard to get the American Dream they came to America for without letting their color or ethnicity get in their way ( source 1).
Many will argue that getting the American dream is not as easy as it may sound. A lot of people actually find that the American dream is harder because it means you need to till you achieve the dream you strive for. So many try for the easy way out like Myrtle did through her affair with Tom Buchanan, and Gatsby through his crime which he worked very hard at but he worked hard going the wrong way leading him to riches but also leading him to his own death. In the novel "The Great Gatsby" we learn that the strivers for the American dream that cheated their way to a better life ended up dying (source 3). Not saying you're going to die just because you cheat your way through life, just saying the way to ultimately get what you are striving for, which is the American Dream, is through blood, sweat, and tears. It's how this country was built. Its how a lot of people would say that working as hard as you can to end up where you want to be is the best way to a successful life.
The American Dream is attainable to any American no matter what the past has to say about them. "Horatio Alger, Jr.'s 19th-century novels embodied the American Ideal that hard work and determination would eventually be rewarded. The young protagonists of his books " pulled themselves up by their bootstraps" and proved America to be the land of opportunity ( source 1). Just think about this we've had 45 presidents and most of them started out in log cabins, you see what people can achieve when they strive and work hard ( source 1).
Source (2) - Redlining prevents minority families from becoming homeowners
Source (3) - Great Gatsby
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