American Dream Education

Improved Essays
“ 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 these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. This quote is a direct excerpt from the United States’ Declaration of Independence from Britain, which established principles of equality in America. The ideology that Americans were created equal and had the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” generated the American dream. According to the American dream, all United States citizens should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and affluence depending upon their work ethic. Though it once supported the success of United States citizens through hard work and …show more content…
Education is one of the keys to unlocking American dream, yet its importance is continuously declining in the United States. Education permits United States’ citizens to be competitive both in the United States and in the world. Competition in job markets is more intense than ever before. Most job seekers no longer have to compete with only their fellow United States citizens, now they must compete with other potential employees worldwide. That’s why education is so important, because it separates mediocre people from very proficient individuals. The United States used to be one of the leading countries in terms of education, but is continuing to sink lower in its ranking.According to sociologist Nicholas Kristof “"As recently as 2000, the United States still ranked second in the share of the population with a college degree. Now we have dropped to fifth” . This alone shows that fewer United States citizens are receiving college degrees than before . Without a college degree it is almost impossible to be successful in life and make any positive movements toward obtaining the American …show more content…
Younger generations are often deprived of opportunities to advance in today’s society. Debt is a big issue among the younger generations, because it prevents them from being able to go out and purchase things, or build up debt like the American dream permits. Many young people are burdened down with trying to manage small children, repay student loans and credit card debt, as well as repaying debt from previous generations. It is very difficult for the millennials specifically to build wealth to one day be able to achieve the American dream. Often time government assistance programs are the only option for citizens who are in this

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