American Dream

Extracted Attributes

• Popularized By

  James Truslow Adams

• Core Definition

  The belief that every individual has the freedom and opportunity to achieve a better life, characterized by prosperity, success, and upward social mobility.

• Recent Emphasis

  Material wealth and personal achievement

• Year Popularized

  1931

• Original Emphasis

  Democracy, liberty, and equality

• Primary Criticisms

  Focus on individualism and capitalism leading to materialism; overlooks systemic hardships like legacies of slavery and discrimination.

• Foundational Documents

  Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution

• Skepticism Demographics

  Younger generations, Black and Asian Americans, women

• Social Mobility Trend (US)

  Declined in recent decades

• Income Inequality Trend (US)

  Risen in recent decades

• Attainability Belief (2020 Poll)

  54% of American adults believed it was attainable

• US Global Social Mobility Index (2020)

  27th

Timeline

• The Declaration of Independence, a foundational document for the American Dream, was adopted. (Source: Wikipedia, DBPedia, Web Search)

  1776-07-04

• James Truslow Adams popularized the term "American Dream" in his book "Epic of America." (Source: Summary, Wikipedia, DBPedia, Web Search)

  1931

• Labor union membership in the US was 20% of American workers. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1983

• Labor union membership in the US was 10.5% of American workers. (Source: DBPedia)

  2015

• The US ranked 27th in the Global Social Mobility Index. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2020

• A poll found that 54% of American adults believed the American Dream was attainable for them. (Source: Wikipedia, DBPedia)

  2020

• Labor union membership in the US was 10% of American workers. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2024

• Social mobility in the United States has declined, and income inequality has risen. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia, DBPedia)

  Recent Decades

American Dream

The "American Dream" is a phrase referring to a purported national ethos of the United States: that every person has the freedom and opportunity to succeed and attain a better life. The phrase was popularized by James Truslow Adams during the Great Depression in 1931, and has had different meanings over time. Originally, the emphasis was on democracy, liberty, and equality, but more recently has been on achieving material wealth and upward social mobility. Adams defined it 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. [...] 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 The tenets of the American Dream originate from the Declaration of Independence, which states that "all men are created equal", and have an inalienable right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". The Preamble to the Constitution states similarly that the Constitution's purpose is to, in part, "secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity". It is said to be a set of ideals including representative democracy, rights, liberty, and equality, in which freedom is interpreted as the opportunity for individual prosperity and success, as well as the chance for upward social mobility for each according to ability and achievement through hard work in a capitalist society with many challenges but few formal barriers. Evidence indicates that in recent decades social mobility in the United States has declined, and income inequality has risen. Social mobility is lower in the US than in many European countries, especially the Nordic countries. Despite this, many Americans are likely to believe they have a better chance of social mobility than Europeans do. The US ranked 27th in the 2020 Global Social Mobility Index. A 2020 poll found 54% of American adults thought the American Dream was attainable for them, while 28% thought it was not. Black and Asian Americans, and younger generations were less likely to believe this than whites, Hispanics, Native Americans and older generations. Women are more skeptical of achieving the American Dream than men are. Belief in the American Dream is often inversely associated with rates of national disillusionment. Some critics have said that the dominant culture in America focuses on materialism and consumerism, or puts blame on the individual for failing to achieve success. Others have said that the labor movement is significant for delivering on the American Dream and building the middle class, yet in 2024 only 10% of American workers were members of a labor union, down from 20% in 1983. The American Dream has also been said to be tied to American exceptionalism, and does not acknowledge the hardships many Americans have faced in regards to American slavery, Native American genocide, their legacies, and other examples of discriminatory violence.

Web Search Results

• What Is the American Dream? Examples and How to Measure It

  The phrase “American dream” was often used by Progressive-era reformers of the 1900s. Rather than exalting the pursuit of wealth, they sought to tame monopoly capitalism and protect workers and communities from robber barons. This concept was popularized by writer and historian James Truslow Adams in his best-selling 1931 book "Epic of America." He described it as "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to [...] The term was coined by writer and historian James Truslow Adams in his best-selling 1931 book "Epic of America." He described it 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." [...] The American dream promises freedom and equality. It offers the freedom to make both the large and small decisions that affect one’s life, the freedom to aspire to bigger and better things and the possibility of achieving them, the freedom to accumulate wealth, the opportunity to lead a dignified life, and the freedom to live in accordance with one’s values—even if those values are not widely held or accepted.

• American Dream | Definition, Examples, & In Literature | Britannica

  “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 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.” To Adams, the American Dream is about aspiring to be one’s best self and to rise above the station one was born into. It is not about simply acquiring wealth and material possessions. [...] Encyclopedia Britannica Encyclopedia Britannica detail of the Statue of Liberty detail of the Statue of Liberty # American Dream Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. ## News • American Dream, ideal that the United States is a land of opportunity that allows the possibility of upward mobility, freedom, and equality for people of all classes who work hard and have the will to succeed. [...] The roots of the American Dream lie in the goals and aspirations of the first European settlers and colonizers. Most of these people came to the North American continent to escape tyranny, religious and political persecution, or poverty. In 1776 their reasons for coming were captured by the Founders in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among

• A Brief History of the American Dream | George W. Bush Presidential ...

  For Lippmann, the American dream was the idea that the common man is inherently good and a moral barometer of the nation, the belief that “if only you let men alone, they’ll be good.” For Lippmann, the American dream was a delusion not because upward social mobility was a myth, but because undisciplined goodness is: [...] American dream as “the ideal that every citizen of the United States should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.” [...] That is the American dream: what democracy can accomplish on its own behalf for its citizens. The first voices to speak of the “American dream” used it not as a promise, or a guarantee, but as an exhortation, urging all Americans to do better, to be fairer, to combat bigotry and inequality, to keep striving for a republic of equals. That is the American dream we need to revive: the dream of a social order defined by the American creed, a belief in the United States of America as a government

• The American Dream | Article - Denison University

  Ginny Sharkey '83 Sophia Raak '20 Winslow Homer, The Boston Common In the United States, we speak of the American Dream. We dream that, no matter where we start, any of us can reach soaring heights with appropriate effort. We are told stories of people who “pull themselves up by their bootstraps,” doing the impossible to climb the social ladder and land at the top. [...] The exhibition features artists such as Winslow Homer, John Sloan, and Jerome Myers, whose work idealized childhood or represented the childhood of the upper classes and erased the children working long hours, malnourished, across the country. They wore the rose-colored glasses of the wealthy, depicting leisurely scenes of well-dressed, happy children and their well-off families in the cities and the countryside. [...] The serenity in Homer’s print is emphasized by a girl’s ribbon floating in the breeze and the calm sea in the background. The young woman furthest left smiles softly as she bends over in the grass, piling sweet berries into her small bucket. This family sees berry picking as a vacation, as leisure.

• THE AMERICAN DREAM Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

  link icon link icon link icon Definition Definition # the American dream ## noun phrase ## Examples of the American dream in a Sentence ## Rhymes for the American dream ## Browse Nearby Words ## Cite this Entry “The American dream.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Accessed 22 Jul. 2025. ## Share Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! ## More from Merriam-Webster [...] Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word. Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points. Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing? a plate of arepas Learn a new word every day. Delivered to your inbox! [...] © 2025 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

• Instance Of

  Q4167410

The American Dream is the national ethos of the United States, a set of ideals including representative democracy, rights, liberty, and equality, in which freedom is interpreted as the opportunity for individual prosperity and success, as well as upward social mobility for oneself and their children, achieved through hard work in a capitalist society with few barriers. The term "American Dream" was coined by James Truslow Adams in 1931, saying that "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement" regardless of social class or circumstances of birth. Proponents of the American Dream often claim that its tenets originate from the United States Declaration of Independence, which states that "all men are created equal" with the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution is used similarly. It states that the Constitution's purpose is to, in part, "secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity". Throughout American history, there have been critics of its national ethos. Some critics point out that American focus on individualism and capital results in materialism, consumerism and a lack of worker solidarity. In 2015, only 10.5 percent of American workers were members of a labor union. The American Dream has also been criticized as a product of American exceptionalism, as it does not acknowledge the hardships many Americans face, namely in regards to the legacies of American slavery and Native American genocide, as well as other examples of discriminatory violence. Belief in the American Dream is often inversely associated with rates of national dissolutionment. Evidence indicates that upward economic mobility has declined and income inequality has risen in the United States in recent decades. In 2020, a poll found only 54 percent of US adults thought the American Dream was attainable for them, 28 percent believed it was unattainable for them personally, while 9 percent rejected the idea of the American Dream entirely. Younger generations were also less likely to believe in the American Dream than their older counterparts.