Evolution of the American Dream

Evolution of the American Dream


	The American Dream portrayed in Early American Literature has proven to be a set of ambitious goals. Some of our early ideals and values have flourished, but most have fallen by the wayside. "Letters from an American Farmer" by J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur, poses this question in Letter III: What Is an American?  Crevecoeur, through the perspective of a fictional farmer, James, answers the question.  Published in 1780, "Letters from an American Farmer" was written to appeal to a European audience painting a positive picture of the fledgling American nation.
     In the beginning of the letter, the author describes the America one hundred years after the land was mere wilderness. At the time of the writing, there were houses, roads, fields, and small towns sprouting up from Charleston to Boston. The rich and poor lived in close proximity and there was no royalty.  "We are a people of cultivators scattered over an immense territory, communicating with each other by means of good roads and navigable rivers, united by the silken bands of mild government, all respecting the laws" Crevecoeur states. In the remainder of the letter, the author outlines what he believes it means to be an American and closes with an account of an encounter with friendly natives.
     "There are a mixture of English, Scotch, Irish, French, Dutch, Germans, and Swedes" Crevecoeur describes what is to become known as the Melting Pot. The multiple national backgrounds of early Americans played a role in initiating the Revolutionary War as Thomas Paine explains in "Common Sense". In this pamphlet, Paine maintains there are so many other parent countries; it is only common sense that we should not be subjects of England. While the United States is far from perfect on treatment of those who are different, some of our greatest achievements have been in civil liberties.
     Less than thirty years after Crevecoeur’s publication, Washington Irving published "A History of New York" which described a different narrative of early American diversity. In Chapter 5, the Native Americans are driven from their land by overwhelming force from the Colonies. The story ends with a hypothetical account of an army from the moon destroying earthy armies with a quantum technological advantage, much like the advantage Europeans had over the primitive defenses of the Native Americans.
     Today America is inhabited with a countless combinations of national heritage. Nearly every country and combination is represented by the ethnicity of American citizens. While we still struggle with racism and other forms of prejudice, Americans have overcome the obstacles in the past and hopefully will continue to improve on the treatment of those different from ourselves.
     The American ideal that if you work hard you will succeed was made evident in “Letters from an American Farmer”.  Shining cities on a hill to the romanticism of a colonial farmer, all dreams were possible.  Americans are conditioned to believe, through hard work, success and happiness is not only attainable, but likely.  This ideal may have held true in early America, however it is far from truth today.
     An early American needed just a bit of wit and a good work ethic to financially succeed. Until around 1970 all that was needed for financial stability was a good work ethic and a high school education. In the 1980’s, a college degree and a good work ethic could propel you to a comfortable middle-class standing. Through the 1990’s this trend continued to progress rapidly. Today not only would the average family require two bread winners to obtain middle-class standing, but they would both need advanced degrees in order to maintain financial stability. Education and work ethic are not the only obstacles in today’s world, there are health and family issues that can cripple what was a successful family financial situation. The ideal of work ethic directly relating to wealth is far from true today.
     “Urged by a variety of motives, here they came. Everything has tended to regenerate them: new laws, a new mode of living, a new social system… they have taken root and flourished! Formerly they were not numbered in any civil lists of their country, except in those of the poor; here they rank as citizens” writes Crevecoeur.  Not only were they new Americans citizens, they had the right to own property and generate generational wealth, only allowed by the wealthiest of Europeans. At this time in history, this particular ideal attracted the masses to stake a claim in the vast new territory. In the New World anything was possible, all part of the American Dream. The American Dream still exists today, however it is reserved mostly for those who have already obtained it. Although there are still the natural aristocrats as Thomas Jefferson wrote of in his letters to John Adams, the financial institutions and corporations have gained more control over our government than any voter could possibly hold.
	The principles portrayed in “Letters from an American Farmer” greatly influenced the way American’s see themselves throughout our young county’s existence.  Writings like this created a sense on nationalism that carries over still today. It is most evident with Americans from the depression generation. This patriotic belief system was ingrained into every American from the time of the Revolutionary War till the end of World War II. While still prevalent today, those ideals are rapidly diminishing among the majority of Americans.
	As Irving brought to light in “A History of new York”, American’s often only see the good we do while turning a blind eye to the costs of our decisions as a nation. This narrative, while unpopular and mostly ignored, has had a profound impact on the world view of America. As a nation, we have been able to justify our military conquest of groups of the native inhabitants of our land. This concept eventually evolved into the Monroe Doctrine. Isolationism may have ended American involvement in European wars, but left open the interpretation of protecting our global economic interest by force. This policy remained in place until 2001, when the Preemptive Strike doctrine was adopted. This policy led to the Iraqi invasion and the subsequent occupation.
	The melting pot is not only one of our nations prize assets, our diversity is the shining star of our past. While we have not always had open arms and the sentiments of some today resist those who are different, it is important, as a society, to keep working towards a more diverse and open way of thinking.
	At this point in history we have fallen short of many ideals brought to us by early American writers. In the time perspective of empires, we are but an adolescent country. The test that counts is time; and the United States of America is a young nation. Our character will be more evident as history forges itself. We have made our way through adversity before, how we recover is how we will be judged.  It is impossible for us to go back in time and change the past, so we have no choice but to move steadily toward the future and start making changes in our individual lives today.










Works Cited

Warren, Elizabeth. "The Coming Collapse of the Middle Class: Higher Risks, Lower Rewards, and a   	Shrinking  Safety Net - UCTV - University of California Television." The Coming Collapse of 	the Middle 	Class: Higher Risks, Lower Rewards, and a Shrinking Safety Net - UCTV - 	University of California Television. UNCTV, 25 Sept. 2005. Web. 26 Oct. 2012. <Works 	Citedhttp://www.uctv.tv/shows/The-Coming-	Collapse-of-the-	Middle-Class-Higher-	Risks-Lower-Rewards-and-a-Shrinking-Safety-Net-12620>.
Crevecoeur,, J, Hector. "Letters from an American Farmer." Heath Anthology of American 	Literature I. Paul Lauter, USA: Patricia Coreal, Year. 835-1005. Print.