Jul. 2005, Volume 3, No.7 (Serial No.

22) US-China Foreign Language, ISSN1539-8080, USA

The History of the American Dream

Ping Wang* Wuhan University

Abstract: This paper is designed to disclose the history of the American Dream: the two versions of the
American Dream initiated by the early immigrants, that is: the religious version of the Dream and the quest for
wealth; the legacy of the Enlightenment movement and the two great architects of American culture produced by
the movement: Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, who initiated respectively the pragmatism and the
democratic ideal of the Dream; the devotion of transcendentalism headed by the chief spokesman of
transcendentalism---Ralph Waldo Emerson to the American Dream and the final withering of the Dream.
Key words: the American dream the secular dream the political ideal transcendentalism

“The American Dream”is one of the essential elements for people to know the American culture and the
American people. This paper is designed to disclose the history of the American Dream.
What’ s “the American Dream”? There is no definite definition. Different people have different understanding
and interpretation. In the broad sense, it refers to the ideal of a nation such as democracy, equality and freedom;
while in the narrow sense, it refers to the pursuit of individuals to obtain success of life on their own initiative.
“The American Dream” embraces nearly all higher American ideals: the religious ideal of a model nation, the
secular desire for affluence, the political ideal of a democratic country and the dream of both material and spiritual
advancement. In real life, it includes everything that is related to a happy life---a good education, a happy
marriage, lovely children, good health, an expensive car and an extravagant house, etc. A song named “The
American Dream” gives vivid expression of the Dream. It goes like this: “The American Dream, sweet as a
millionaire”, “the American Dream, busboys can buy the hotels”and “the American Dream, come and get more
than your share”. According to the song, success is within the reach of everyone who strives for it. Essentially,
“the American Dream”is a confident belief as well as an optimistic desire for perfection by means of progress.
Since the first settlers landed on the new continent, this idealized land has been characterized with dreams.
The newly discovered world entitled a Carnival of European fantasies which meant the fabled land of gold. “The
infant world”also represented another chance, perhaps the last one, to lay the foundation of a better society, to
build anew the new city of man, and to fulfill what the old civilization had failed to accomplish.
The American Dream embodies the American spirit. The early immigrants, who risked their lives in crossing
the dangerous ocean and settling down on a savage land, sought for nothing but either of the two versions of the
American Dream: the religious freedom and the secular dream of wealth. The dream seekers included the first
group of English religious dissidents---Puritans, who came to America to escape the religious persecution from the
Church of England. The intact New World seemed to them an ideal place to enjoy freedom of worship, to realize
the religious dream and to fulfill the holy mission assigned by God. The puritans, represented by Winthrop,
regarded themselves as God’ s “peculiar people”and felt a compelling obligation to battle with the impurities of
*
Ping Wang, M.A., lecturer of College of Foreign Languages, Wuhan University; Research field: English language and literature;
Address: College of Foreign Languages and Literature, Wuhan University, Hubei Province, P.R.China; Postcode: 430072; Tel:
027-68775700(H), 027-62270684(M); E-mail: wangping1013@126.com.

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 The History of the American Dream

the world. They believed that they were new breed of humans, destined “to begin the world over again”and “to
build a land here that will be for all mankind a shining city on a hill”(Winthrop: 88). By migrating to America,
they sought to fulfill their holy mission which is to create a model nation for the rest of the world to follow.
Puritans worked very hard, not only for profit or social betterment, but at God’ s “calling”. They thought the great
sin in their society was to live without a “calling”, without being industrious at anything. They emphasized
self-improvement. To them, the achievement of material success is one of the most widely accepted forms of
self-improvement in America. Puritans drove themselves and their society to tremendous height of achievement
both materially and spiritually. They made lasting contribution to the American Dream. First of all, they invented
the myth of America. Puritans raised America as the youngest and loveliest of Christ’s brides---the last, best hope
of mankind. It was to be a model nation, “a city upon a hill”, and a beacon to illustrate the darkness of the old
world. Puritans also initiated the tradition of freedom, individualism and democracy in the American Dream. Their
immigration to America was essentially motivated by the pursuit of religious freedom.
Apart from Puritans, many other early immigrants came to America with the motivation of economic reasons.
Most of them exerted themselves in the struggle of conquering the wilderness merely to raise the material
standard of living and improve their economic positions in life. By migrating to the New World, the poor found
their situation totally changed. Good fertile land seemed limitless and almost free for taking. With such plenty of
land and few people, there was unlimited opportunity. As settlements developed, people soon became aware of the
money to be made on speculation on land. To posses more land, many people plunged into the backwoods to
become the great pioneering race.
The pioneers forever marched toward new territories, with the belief that there were always plenty of gold
and golden opportunities ahead to better their lives. Such a quest for affluence has since become a tradition and
the secular connotation of the American Dream. Americans have joked about it, saying that “Money isn’t
everything, it can’t buy happiness, but it certainly can finance the search for it”.
The westward movement, lasted more than two centuries, helped to shape the American values. The
pioneering spirit has been continuously sharpened and become a distinctive character of the nation. Besides, the
golden-motivated migration to America has helped the growth of American beliefs such as individualism,
self-reliance and equality of opportunity.
Many of the early immigrants found that they had a better chance to succeed in America than in their native
countries. American literature were full of convincing examples of self-made man such as Benjamin Franklin,
John D Rockfeller, etc, it made the Americans believe in the potential of their country and the final realization of
their dreams. “The generosity of nature”of North America inevitably contributed a lot to the material affluence
and the consequent optimism and confidence of the early immigrants.
Till then, the American Dream gave people great satisfaction both materially and spiritually.
In the late 17th and 18th centuries, the pattern of thought known as the Enlightenment became dominant in
Europe. The apostles of the Enlightenment believed in science and reason and the perfection of man and the world.
They no longer viewed the universe as a mystery only partially explained by divine revelation. They held that
human nature was the result of environment rather than the predetermination of an arbitrary deity. To make it
accord with reason and natural law, man could improve his own nature by improving his environment through
science and education. Thus the pessimistic belief in man’ s total depravity and predestination was replaced by an
optimistic new thought of man as capable of infinite perfectibility.
The spirit of the Enlightenment came to America in the late half of the 18th century. It received a warm public

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recognition. People had come to America to be free from the authority and to realize a fuller life as individuals.
They would rather believe that the New World has a future which human effort might shape. The Enlightenment,
with its emphasis on reason rather than authority, its encouragement of science inquiry, and its almost childlike
belief in the perfectibility of man and the world, to some extent, destroyed the Calvinistic conception of the earth
as a vale of tears and suffering, and convinced people that they were the master to the physical and spiritual needs
of the colony. What’ s more, the development of the new continent provided fertile soil for the growth of the ideas.
Thomas Jefferson, an outstanding representative of the Enlightenment, established the political ideal of the
American Dream. His democratic thought, best expressed in his “Declaration of Independence”and “The Bill of
Rights” has profound and lasting influence on the American people and it has become the tradition and the
national dream for the following generations. “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”(Thomas Jefferson: 45)
of each individual, these are well-known words from his “Declaration of Independence”. He insisted that “all men
are created equal”(Thomas Jefferson: 45) and that all qualified citizens have equal opportunity for material gain
and political influence. Jefferson’ s democratic thought was based on his belief that “the government governed
least governed best”and his belief on the innate goodness of human nature. His democratic thought has profound
and lasting influence on the American people and it has become the tradition and the national dream for the
following generations. Among many of his doctrines, the most prominent are the principle of democracy, liberty
and equality.
The American Enlightenment, as the overwhelming spiritual movement in the 18th century, has strongly
influenced the national culture; the most persistent legacy of it is the optimism of progress. Americans have a tendency
to believe in progress, and they like to make changes and believe that changes tend to be good. For the purpose of
making changes and advancing themselves, they never fear of taking chances or staking out what they have.
The Enlightenment has made great contribution to the American Dream. Many of its ideals are still cherished
by the people of today. With its emphasis on rationality, its strong demand for equality based on human rights, its
faith in human progress, its belief in the goodness and perfectibility of man and its desire for social improvement,
the Enlightenment has set a pattern for the world in the future.
In the 1830’ s and 40’ s, industrialism grew vigorously in the United States. Opposing to the consequent
materialism and worldliness that was transforming the nation, idealists launched the movement of
transcendentalism.
Transcendentalism glorifies the consciousness and will, encourages individualism and self- reliance, and
advocates the democratic ideal of life. Born into America at the moment of an awakening of national
consciousness, transcendentalism also assumes an ardent nationalism.
The chief spokesman of American transcendentalism was Ralph Waldo Emerson. Taking “the infinitude of
the private man”(qtd. in Marr41) as his lifelong motto, he glorified individual in respect to nature and redefined
the American Dream in moral and spiritual senses through his advocacy of self-reliance, oversoul and
transcendental individualism
Strongly opposed to the material and undemocratic aspects of the American life, Transcendentalism played an
important role in rescuing human spirit and mind from materialism and inequality and fostering a unique national
culture. Emerson’ s oversoul, self-reliance and transcendental individualism have been quite influential to the
American way of life. Stimulated by the creed of “the infinitude of the private man”, Americans have worked very
hard to go forward and upward, with incredible confidence in their potentiality and naï ve optimism towards future.
The movement of the Enlightenment and Transcendentalism has great influence on the American culture. All

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the ideas and aspirations have become the tradition, belief and pursuit of the American people and made up the
integrated national ideal---the American Dream. It also has great influence on the American society and life. The
westward expansion, the gold rush in California, the anti-slavery and the civil rights movements are all attempts to
realize the Dream. With an unprecedented optimism and firm belief in the ultimate happiness, the Americans have
engaged themselves vehemently in the strife for progress. Generations of Americans have contributed to the
establishment of a new culture, and have continuously added their beliefs, desires, wishes and aspirations into the
pursuit of the nation and thus come into the integrated national ideal and a distinctive culture---the American
Dream.
Aiming at those high ideals, Americans have worked very hard to make social progress and have become a
wealthy nation. However, with the development of industry and the formation of capitalist monopoly, the tradition,
the past, the mannered society and the uniqueness had all turned into bygones and capitalism became the
American way. As the byproduct of industrial development and booming business, evils gradually appeared and
plagued all the Europe. The untrammed pursuit of wealth, regardless of social justice, is destroying the fabric of a
democratic society; political scandals and the growing spiritual poverty have made people increasingly aware of
the disillusionment of the American Dream. The humiliating discrimination against blacks in America made a
mockery of the so-called equality. Blacks “are still sadly crippled by the chain of discrimination”. Martin Luther
King’ s dream is still a dream. The American society seemed to be daily rising in material, but the people were
daily sinking into the abyss of spiritual poverty. Just as Richard Nixon said in his Inaugural Address “We find
ourselves rich in goods, but ragged in spirit.”
With a system of capitalism, the opportunity for the rise of the self-made man became less and less. In the
Capitalist market, some firms are bound to fail and “success often means stepping over others”. In the fierce
competition for success, winners were few. As opportunities were insufficient to satisfy all dreamers, the problem
of scarcity is sometimes devastating. As people living in American culture always believe that success is within
the reach of every one who strives for it, their expectations have been raised too high for them to endure the
despair of disillusionment. Some, especially young people, were destroyed by their pursuit of the Dream. A case
in point is Clyde in Theodore Dresier’ s novel The American Tragedy. Indeed, Clyde’ s tragedy is not only a
personal one, but an American one.
As many people became disillusioned, the Dream itself was withered. Being pursued, it was very likely to be
dominated by materialism and therefore lost its original vitality. The gap between the American Dream and reality
became intolerable.
Great changes took place during the 20th century. The two world wars inflicted a mortal blow upon people
and plunged the American youth into the pessimism and despair of the Roaring Twenties. The slaughter and the
war left people spiritually numbed. It was an age that people found “all gods dead, all wars fought, all faith in men
shaken”. Then came the Great Depression of the 1930s. The defeat in the Vietnam War in 1960s made many
Americans doubted the strength of the country. The shortage of some essential resources and dangers of air and
water pollution and many problems pointed to a decline in the material abundance that America had enjoyed
throughout its history
Essentially, “the American Dream”is a confident belief as well as an optimistic desire for perfection by means
of progress. The very spirit of the American Dream is a kind of optimism and confidence. But by the end of the 20th
century, people were not so confident and the belief of the American Dream reached a crossroad. The history and
the reality of the United States have proved that the American Dream is, to some extent, a kind of illusion.

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6. Jefferson, Thomas. The Declaration of Independence, Soul of America, Documenting Our Past, Vol.1. Robert C. Baron (ed.).
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(Edited by Junping He, Anli Zhu, Jianshan Cheng and Thelma)

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