American Dream Essay

Symantha Clarke

AP Language

Ms.Brannon

7 March 2017

The American Dream: A Reality or an Illusion?

At the beginning of the Great Depression, James Truslow Adams defined the American Dream as “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” Today, the new American Dream has encompassed a variety of different ideals and values as newer generations have transformed the Dream into something of their own. Many argue that the American Dream is an illusion for minorities, however, ultimately the American Dream is a vision that can be accomplished by people of all races.

Some may say that the American Dream is an illusion that cannot be achieved particularly when it comes to race. According to an article from the Washington Post, a graph created by Georgetown revealed that whites were more likely to attend top colleges and universities in comparison to their minority counterparts who seem to cluster in open access two- and four-year colleges.  The article went on to say that based on the graph, “higher education is doing more to replicate inequality than to eliminate it.” While this may be true, success in higher education for minorities overall has increased drastically. In 2015, the percentage of African-Americans 25 and over who had gained a bachelor’s or higher rose to 20.2 after it being 19.7% in 2014. This reveals that the American Dream is attainable because African-Americans have been able to receive an education and have to the opportunity to gain degrees without the color of their skin completely excluding them from being able to do so. At one point there was no hope for minorities ever being able to get a higher education. However, now they are living this dream now more than ever.

There is also the claim that the American Dream cannot be achieved by minorities because of the gaps between socioeconomic statuses.  According to statistics the median household income for Blacks was 36,544 in comparison to the nation’s 55,775 in 2015. This may be valid, however, this does not inhibit African-Americans from achieving the American Dream. A poll done by CNN showed that 55 percent of Black and 52 percent of Hispanics believe that the American Dream is easier for them to achieve than it was for the parents. This can most likely be associated with the significant increase of opportunities for minorities that are available now and which may not have been for the previous generation. Along with the poll CNN talked about the stories of several minorities who have felt they have achieved the American Dream. 22- year old Breionne Carter lives in a suburb of Austin, Texas and attends a community college. With her dream of becoming an entrepreneur feels that she faces less discrimination because of her race and has more opportunities to chose from. “The world is changing”, she says. “I have the opportunity to do things [my mother] couldn't do." This shows that the American Dream is achievable for minorities in relation to Adams’ definition because they have accessible opportunities available to them based on achievement and their ability--not only because of the color of their skin.

Finally, another claim that argues that the American Dream is unattainable for minorities is because they are unable to get into better jobs like those of their white counterparts. However, Iman Worsham is living proof that minorities can achieve better jobs in the workfield. For her, living in Birmingham, Alabama is much easier than it was for her elders. Just as Breionne Carter stated, she feels as though there is less discrimination and more programs to help minorities like herself. She has a master’s in health services administration, is a case manager for the company Humana and is also studying to be a nurse. Through this, Worsham represents the American Dream for minorities who may feel as though there is not enough representation and shows that it can be achieved by all races.

Overall, the American Dream cannot possibly be an illusion for minorities when so many of them aspire to it and might have already made it reality. Instead, it is a source of motivation for them to do better and achieve more than their predecessors.