Since times have changed and this generation is vastly different than the last, the American dream has entirely become something different. The American dream was at one point something that immigrants and even those native to the United States pictured as being a life that with hard work would become easier and one that would become comfortable. A life that they thought would mean wealth based solely on hard work and dedication and that is a perspective that has since changed completely. In this quote said by Jesse Jackson he asks, “What is the American dream? The American dream is one big tent. One big tent. And on that big tent you have four basic promises: equal protection under the law, equal opportunity, equal access, and fair share.”
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In Heather Wyatt-Nichol’s “The Enduring Myth of the American Dream Mobility, Marginalization and Hope” she is talking about how the value of the American-– dream has decreased and how it is both based off of truth and lies. She states “There are anecdotal rags-to-riches stories of the American Dream we are less inclines to challenge it because it reinforces the protestant work ethic and perception of meritocracy…” (Wyatt-Nichol) this just goes to show that we have already been forced to think a certain way about how it is supposed to work and what “American dream” we as a society are meant to strive …show more content…
This quote in specific is important because it shows that history has repeated itself and it seems as if we have yet to learn from it. This can directly apply to the events currently happening in Ferguson, Missouri. In Missouri it is starting to look like the LA Riots that occurred in the 1960’s this shows that history has repeated itself and the thing that makes it so that it is evident that we have yet to learn. The LA riots began because there was an altercation between an African American male and a police officer which sounds exactly like what happened between Michael Brown and Officer Darren Wilson. President Obama makes a valid point in saying that we have yet to understand if we have learned from history and if it will repeat itself and clearly that is what happening and is what is starting to directly affect this already predetermined sight of what the American dream
In Heather Wyatt-Nichol’s “The Enduring Myth of the American Dream Mobility, Marginalization and Hope” she is talking about how the value of the American-– dream has decreased and how it is both based off of truth and lies. She states “There are anecdotal rags-to-riches stories of the American Dream we are less inclines to challenge it because it reinforces the protestant work ethic and perception of meritocracy…” (Wyatt-Nichol) this just goes to show that we have already been forced to think a certain way about how it is supposed to work and what “American dream” we as a society are meant to strive …show more content…
This quote in specific is important because it shows that history has repeated itself and it seems as if we have yet to learn from it. This can directly apply to the events currently happening in Ferguson, Missouri. In Missouri it is starting to look like the LA Riots that occurred in the 1960’s this shows that history has repeated itself and the thing that makes it so that it is evident that we have yet to learn. The LA riots began because there was an altercation between an African American male and a police officer which sounds exactly like what happened between Michael Brown and Officer Darren Wilson. President Obama makes a valid point in saying that we have yet to understand if we have learned from history and if it will repeat itself and clearly that is what happening and is what is starting to directly affect this already predetermined sight of what the American dream