The American Dream and Great Depression free essay sample

The American dream what is the American Dream? The American Dream is the traditional social idea of the United States, such as equality, democracy, and material prosperity. Where did the concept of the American Dream derive from? The dream of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness originated with the declaration of independence and still continues today almost unchanged except more people are now included in it. What are some key aspects which relate to living a life which aspires to the American Dream? Give details. iberty, equality, and economic opportunity. These concepts were put in place for everyone to live a better, richer and fuller life, with opportunities for each according to their ability of achievement Was ‘success’ an important value in relation to the concept of the American Dream? Yes, The Dream implies that there is an opportunity for Americans to achieve prosperity through hard work. It is an opportunity to make individual choices without the prior res trictions that limited people according to their class, caste, religion, race, or ethnicity. We will write a custom essay sample on The American Dream and Great Depression or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Has the concept of the American Dream changed over time? Explain. The meaning of the American Dream has changed over the course of history, and includes both personal components.. As the Royal Governor of Virginia noted in 1774, the Americans for ever imagine the Lands further off are still better than those upon which they are already settled. He added that, if they attained Paradise, they would move on if they heard of a better place farther west. The ethos today implies an opportunity for Americans to achieve prosperity through hard work. According to The Dream, this includes the opportunity for ones children to grow up and receive a good education and career without artificial barriers. It is the opportunity to make individual choices without the prior restrictions that limited people according to their class, caste, religion, race, or ethnicity. Immigrants to the United States sponsored ethnic newspapers in their own language; the editors typically promoted the American Dream. The Great Depression America had gone through many hard times during the 1800’s with bank panics, depression and other economic issues, but never did it suffer an economic illness so deep and so long as the Great depression of the 1930’s. Economist have argued as to what had caused the Great Depression and had come to the conclusion that there were many factors which contributed to this. Some include * The stock market crash * Bank failures * Too many poor people * Farm Failures * Environmental disasters * Government inaction All these factors are what is thought to have causes the Great Depression, and the consequences of the Great Depression were horrible. * Thousands of people were left jobless and would roam the streets looking for work. * More than a million families lost their houses * Bread lines were established to prevent people from starvation * Thousands of farmers left their homes and headed to the west, especially California, but found that the crisis was just following them there. World War 2 was what gave people jobs and boosted the economy out of the depression. The depression produced lasting effects on the United States that are still apparent. It led to the election of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who created the programs known as the New Deal to overcome the effects of the Great Depression. These programs expanded government intervention into new areas of social and economic concerns and created social-assistance. The Great Depression changed the relationship between the government and the people, who came to expect and accept a larger federal role in their lives and the economy. * Bibliography THE AMERICAN DREAM: Internet – Early To Rise http://www. earlytorise. com/american-dream/ Internet- Sparknotes http://www. sparknotes. com/drama/americandream/ Book extracts – Board Questions- http://theboard. byu. edu/questions/31269/ THE GREAT DEPRESSION: Internet- For Dummies- http://www. dummies. com/how-to/content/causes-and-consequences-of-the-great-depression. html Internet- Skwirk, interactive schooling- http://www. skwirk. com. au/p-c_s-14_u-418_t-1062_c-4091/vic/history/australia-between-the-wars/the-great-depression/america-and-the-wall-street-crash By Megan Scott