The American Dream

What exactly is the American Dream? I think that there are many different interpretations to it. My interpretation is immigrants coming to America, to live the free and amazing life they are told occurs. The immigrants usually don't have the best circumstances in their country, and want to come to America to start their life over. They want to make their lives productive, and live a life full of pleasure.

The American Dream started during the late 19th century and early 20th century. America just finished its civil war, and everyone was starting to agree with each other more. Fighting occurred much less often, and everyone loved America. During this time, there were still many countries around the world that still didn't have their freedom. The citizens would be very mad at their country, and would want to move elsewhere. America was the place they went. Also, many soldiers or indentured servants from around the world would try to escape their country and find a way to come to America. Back then, it was much easier to enter the United States then it is now. The immigrants would have to pass a simple test to just become a citizen. They would have the same right that the whites have. I find this very interesting because many blacks who have lived in America, and helped out, couldn't even get their "freedom." One would think that it would be a little harder for any random immigrant to become a citizen of America.

One main theme that I have already hinted at, that describes the American Dream, is immigration. Immigration is a major thing for a country, because when new people come, they bring new ideas, techniques and methods with them. In addition, they also bring diversity. Immigration during that time period, was very different than immigration of today's. Today, we are constantly hearing about illegal immigrants. They are usually from Mexico or somewhere else near there. This was not nearly as common then.

Overall, the American Dream is a vision that people have of America. They think it is the best place on earth, where everybody gets an equal opportunity. They think it is a place to restart your life, without anybody accusing you of your previous actions. And because of these reasons, many people wanted, want and are going to want, to come to the United States to experience this.