There have been numerous renditions as to the meaning of the ‘American Dream’. Some are incredibly broad, others are more linear and focus on one aspect. However; there are always these main aspects, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. For as long as America has existed, this belief system has persisted throughout the short time that this country has existed. However; this term still remains something almost everyone can recognize, with the meaning never being the same between two people. The American Dream is not something that can truly be defined, but is a collective thought shared, something that everyone contributes, and nobody can dispute what is ‘correct’ about the American dream or what is ‘false’ about it. The American dream
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The disparity is always argued, as the rich need to be taxed more, among other punishments for being wealthy. Which begs the question, how is there equality, when there is such a massive disparity? In Alm’s book, he states, “Some amassed enormous fortunes - the Rockefellers, the Carnegies, the DuPonts, the Fords, the Vanderbilts, to name a few. Even today America’s opportunity is always on display.” (Alm 87). These families, some immigrants, some natural born like John D. Rockefeller, some immigrant, like Andrew Carnegie, all had the same opportunity to succeed, they simply capitalized upon those opportunities more than other citizens whom seized the chance. These people built enormous empires, showing their neighbors that they could achieve similar feats. Even now, with the legacy Steve Jobs left after his death with Apple, Bill Gates still moving forward with Microsoft, and the numerous celebrities that have spawned from humble beginnings. These people, these inspirations that many Americans seem to needlessly get ‘hyped’ about, were also within similar positions as the rest of us. Unknown to the rest of the world until their time came, the opportunity flew by, and they caught it within their grasp to become the next ‘big’ thing. The American disparity and gap is easily closed, as soon as the time is just correct for it to
The disparity is always argued, as the rich need to be taxed more, among other punishments for being wealthy. Which begs the question, how is there equality, when there is such a massive disparity? In Alm’s book, he states, “Some amassed enormous fortunes - the Rockefellers, the Carnegies, the DuPonts, the Fords, the Vanderbilts, to name a few. Even today America’s opportunity is always on display.” (Alm 87). These families, some immigrants, some natural born like John D. Rockefeller, some immigrant, like Andrew Carnegie, all had the same opportunity to succeed, they simply capitalized upon those opportunities more than other citizens whom seized the chance. These people built enormous empires, showing their neighbors that they could achieve similar feats. Even now, with the legacy Steve Jobs left after his death with Apple, Bill Gates still moving forward with Microsoft, and the numerous celebrities that have spawned from humble beginnings. These people, these inspirations that many Americans seem to needlessly get ‘hyped’ about, were also within similar positions as the rest of us. Unknown to the rest of the world until their time came, the opportunity flew by, and they caught it within their grasp to become the next ‘big’ thing. The American disparity and gap is easily closed, as soon as the time is just correct for it to