James Truslow Adams’ definition of the American Dream

The origin of the term “American Dream” appears to be from a history book by the American writer and
historian James Truslow Adams (1878-1949) entitled “The Epic1 of America” (1931)

Excerpt:
If […] the things already listed were all we had to contribute, America would have made no distinctive
and unique gift to mankind. But there has been also the American Dream, the dream of a land in which
life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability
or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too
many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high
wages merely, but a dream of a social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain 2 to
the fullest statute of which they are innately 3 capable, and be recognized by others for what they are,
regardless of the fortuitous4 circumstances of birth or position. No, the American dream that has lured
tens of millions of all nations to our shores5 in the past century has not been a dream of merely material
plenty, although that has doubtless counted heavily. It has been much more than that. It has been a dream
of being able to grow to the fullest development as man and woman, unhampered 6 by the barriers which
had slowly been erected in older civilizations, unrepressed by social orders which had developed for the
benefit of classes rather than for the simple human being of any and every class. And that dream has been
realized more fully in actual life here than anywhere else, though very imperfectly even among ourselves.
(Adams, James Truslow (1931): The Epic of America. Boston, pp. 373-375)

The American Dream Is Dead, and Good Riddance

Keli Goff- The Daily Beast 7/7/14

1
epic: a book, poem, or film that tells a long story
2
to attain: to succeed in reaching a particular level or in getting s.th. after trying for a long time
3
innate: an innate quality has been part of your character since you were born
4
fortuitous: happening by chance, esp. in a way that has a good result
5
shore: the land along the edge of a large area of water, such as an ocean or a lake
6
unhampered: German ungehindert
It’s time to redefine what it means to be successful in America.

New analysis confirms what many already assumed to be true: a sizable number of Americans can no longer afford the
American Dream. Inspired by the new book, Chasing the American Dream, USA Today calculated that subsidizing the
American Dream costs approximately $130,000 annually, meaning the dream is only within reach for about 1 in 8 American
families.

The shocking six-figure price tag generated international headlines. But instead of inspiring handwringing about how to
make the American Dream more affordable, I hope these numbers show us something else: the American Dream as we
know it is dead, and good riddance.

Perhaps nothing is more responsible for the lack of contentment plaguing some Americans today than the outdated notion of
the American Dream that has been peddled to all of us for as long as we can remember. I’m referring to the version that
usually involves some mention of a white picket fence.

As part of its calculation USA Today cited certain key benchmarks for achieving the American Dream, notably home
ownership, educating two children, as well as owning a good car. But for many of us our American Dream doesn’t involve
all of the above, and in some cases any of the above.

Adults living alone are currently one of the fastest growing demographics in America. Nearly a third of households now
consist of one person, and the number of Americans living alone has doubled in the last fifty years. According to a piece in
Fortune, this demographic wields notable spending power. Many of them can splurge regularly on things that traditional
families sometimes cannot, such as theater tickets. Is it possible some of these people are killing time until they transition
into a more traditional definition of the American Dream via marriage? Sure, but a lot of these so-called “singletons” are
already living their own version of the dream.

Moreover, the number of childfree adults—including couples—is also on the rise. Despite the fact that anyone with
common sense will tell you not everyone is meant to be a parent, and that some people are not cut out for marriage, that has
not stopped marriage and parenthood from being central to the most common contemporary definition of the American
Dream.

But even as more Americans are beginning to challenge these ideas, there is still very potent societal pressure on Americans
to chase some version of a dream many may not even want, but have simply been told to pursue their whole lives.

Similarly, while USA Today writes, “Home ownership is central to the American dream,” I know of plenty of New Yorkers
who might argue that a reasonable rent is. It’s also hard not to wonder if the mortgage meltdown would have happened if so
many Americans had not bought into the idea that their American Dream would not be complete without buying a house,
specifically a house they could not really afford.

When historian James Truslow Adams coined the phrase “The American Dream” in 1931, he called it “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.” He added, “It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each
man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by
others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.”

But over the years this definition of the American Dream has been lost. Instead, when we talk about the American Dream,
we often find ourselves talking about marriage, children, mortgage debt, student loan debt, stuff, more stuff, and even more
stuff (to fill up the house you owe the mortgage debt on).

Thankfully, the tide appears to be turning back in favor of Adams’ definition of the American Dream. A 2011 study found
“a sense of meaning” to be the most important factor for Millennials in defining a successful career, even though “meaning”
is not the kind of thing that always helps with a mortgage. Perhaps now that the American Dream as we have long known it
is now out of financial reach for an increasing number of Americans, more will take the time to reflect on what the
American Dream means for them personally, and maybe for our country as a whole in the 21st century.

Your Assignment:
1. Identify the characteristics of the American Dream according to Adams.
2. Compare Adams’ characteristics with those discussed in the article by Goff.
3. Respond to Goff’s article. Do you agree with her conclusions or disagree? Why?