The American Dream Philosophy Essay Example

The American Dream is the belief that through hard effort, dedication, and initiative, every citizen of the United States should have an equal opportunity to attain success and prosperity. Some people believe that everyone has an equal chance of becoming successful with hard work. Others believe that some people have an easier time achieving success compared to other people. The belief that the American Dream is still alive today has people divided because some believe it is still alive, while others believe it is not alive anymore.

Many people believe that the American Dream is still alive today and everyone has an equal chance at achieving it. The American Dream is whatever you want it to be whether that is having a lot of wealth, or having a loving family. The "American Dream" is a clear example of our common mentality. It is a shared goal that each American defines in their own way (Kelly). Since the American Dream is what you want it to be that means you are in control of if you achieve it or not. One of the main ideas in the American Dream is to live a better and more successful life than your parents. Eighty-six percent of those born into the poorest twenty percent have a higher income than their parents had at the same age (Strain). With the high numbers of people achieving a better life than their parents it proves that the American Dream could still exist. Many people have succeeded in owning their own small businesses in recent years, especially because of Covid. Between June and September of 2020, almost 1.4 million new companies were created in the United States, which is more than any other quarter in history (Kelly). Covid played a big part in this since many people had so much time on their hands, they were able to achieve the American Dream. Without the American Dream people wouldn’t be able to start their own businesses and have more success than their parents.

Other people believe that the American Dream is not alive today and not everyone has an equal chance at achieving it. A large part of the American Dream is that fact that it is equally attainable for everyone.  People who are born into rich families have an easier time at becoming successful and wealthy compared to people who weren’t as well off as children (Luntz). Due to the fact that it is harder for many people to achieve this for reasons they cannot help prove that not everyone has a fair chance. The U.S. government has also made it much more difficult for future generations to achieve wealth. Wasteful public spending, high taxes, and a growing federal deficit and national debt have led to preventing the future youth from achieving their goals. (Luntz). Because of the carless money habits of the government it costs more of the new generations causing them to not be able to attain the American Dream. Due to the unfair chance and irresponsible spending habits it is much more difficult for people to achieve their American Dream compared to past years, if not impossible.

The belief that the American Dream is still alive today has people divided because some believe it is still alive, while others believe it is not alive anymore. A large number of people have been able to start their own businesses and live a better life than their ancestors. However, many people have an unequal chance of success and with bad government spending habits, future generations have a harder time. The American Dream is whatever you want it to be and everyone has their own interpretation of what it is.