The history of the American Dream dates back to the 17th century when the Puritans came to America and attempted to gain their religious freedom. In 1630, a speech known as the "City on a Hill" sermon was delivered by John Winthrop to the other Puritan settlers traveling with him to Massachusetts. It is true that he did not describe his conviction as a “dream”, he still spoke of an ideal nation which gives everyone the same chances of succeeding by deploying all their efforts. Over time, the American dream has slowly changed in the minds of North Americans. During the American Revolution, America's founding fathers believed that the American dream should be described as a natural right that everyone should have. The history of the American dream dates back to the 17th century, when the Puritans came to America and attempted to gain their religious freedom. In 1630, a speech known as the "City on a Hill" sermon was delivered by John Winthrop to the other Puritan settlers traveling with him to Massachusetts. It is true that he did not describe his belief as a “dream”, he still spoke of an ideal nation which gives everyone the same chance of succeeding by deploying all their efforts. Over time, the American dream has slowly changed in the minds of North Americans. During the American Revolution, America's founding fathers believed that the American dream should be described as a natural right that everyone should have. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay So, in 1776, Thomas Jefferson and other authors of the Declaration of Independence defined the American dream as “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” ". In the 20th century, the booming economy of this new country strengthened the impact of the American dream on people's minds. Americans and other foreigners began to view the United States as "a land of unprecedented opportunity." Since this country was so young and free, people were able to discover millions of business ideas and ways to take them to the next level. No matter what people did, it was entirely possible for them to work hard and. to succeed both financially and socially. Thus, after traveling to the United States in the early 1800s, Alexis De Tocqueville called this American spirit "the charm of expected success". These economic opportunities in this country greatly boosted the morale of Americans and made them believe that they could accomplish anything and succeed through hard work. Henry David Thoreau, a great American thinker and writer, described economic opportunity and America's belief in Walden: "If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and strives to live the life he has imagined , he will meet with unexpected success. at common hours". From Thoreau's words we can learn that the idea of ​​the American dream became very widespread and widespread in this new nation, even though the words "American dream" had not yet been coined. Between the In the mid-to-late 1800s, American news and literature began to use the "American dream" widely. These two words were generally associated with ambitious Americans settling in the West and Europeans coming to the United States. United in pursuit of better living conditions Before the early 1900s, the American dream was also widely used to describe the advancement of social classes and the idea of ​​becoming rich. In 1931, Adams published his Epic of America, and. The American Dream continued to flourish into the early 1900s. However, the "Great Depression" destroyed the American Dream in the early 1930sby depriving Americans of their wealth and making them homeless. Many Americans were forced from their homes and could only make a living by begging. With such a pessimistic economic situation, the American people were unable to regain their American dream until Franklin D. Roosevelt took power and tried to save the country through the New Deal. He believed the American dream could be saved with government support and increased job opportunities. With the increase in the working population, the American economy began to recover from the crisis, and so did the American dream. Besides high employment, Franklin D. Roosevelt also tried to save the American economy and improve people's lives by passing the National Housing Act of 1934, which increased home construction. As a result, owning a home also later became an essential part of the modern American dream. After World War II, the American dream was fully restored, as the United States became the strongest and most successful nation in the world. According to an American Public Media website, "In 1960, about 60 percent of Americans owned a home, double the percentage in the 1930s. Unemployment was low and the economy was booming." The United States had much to hope for in its material domain. future". Even though the American population was only 6% of the world's total population, it used a third of all Earth's resources and products. People did not worry about their future and were confident that their diligence would bring them more wealth and happiness With the economy booming, the American dream was also exuberant and unquestionable in people's minds. Thus, the typical American dream of the 1960s was generally described as money, l. job, a happy family, and a decent home with the stereotypical "white picket fences." In the 1990s, the definition of the American dream changed again, as the government attempted to increase purchases of real estate. buying homes was the best method to maintain the value of their money, and home ownership became the new addition to the original American dream. It is obvious that people were desperate in the face of inflation, and investing more. money in buying houses was one of the only solutions to maintain their indulgent lifestyle. However, the “Great Recession” of 2009 caused huge problems for banks and caused stock prices to drop significantly. Thus, Americans who bet their money on both the real estate sector and the financial sector lost terribly, and the country's morale was once again brought to an all-time low. At the same time, the belief in the American dream has also been questioned and discussed by people. Does the American dream still exist? How to revive the American dream? These questions have sparked much discussion and people are still looking for a path to this American spirit. Thus, in 1776, Thomas Jefferson and other authors of the Declaration of Independence defined the American dream as “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” ". In the 20th century, the booming economy of this new country strengthened the impact of the American dream on people's minds. Americans and other foreigners began to view the United States as "a land of unprecedented opportunity." Since this country was so young and free, people were able to discover millions of business ideas and ways to take them to the next level. No matter what people did, it was entirely possible for them to work hard and. to be so financially successful..