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Narrowly Speaking, the American Dream refers to everyone who work hard must get rich and lead a happy life in this promising country. American culture is rooted in the conviction of American Dream which is hopeful, optimistic, brave, adventurous, self-reliant and advocates personal struggle to promote good tradition. Americans convinced that only when people work hard can he become a successful person and achieve his own ideal. If he is not successful, the reason must be his personal problem. In American’s eyes, what is important is not a person’s birth or family background, but his ambition, talent and ability. What’s more, unruly, adventures and brave spirits are essential factors to achieve their ambition and show their abilities.
American Dream, also known as American Myth, is rooted in America’s unique cultural tradition. It is no exaggeration to say that America’s history is a history of the Americans pursuing their own dreams, and the dream of being success has been infiltrating into the American’s mind, which has become a kind of habits of heart. Therefore, it is important to grasp the meaning and the historical development of American Dream for learning American’s unique history and culture.
2.2The development of American Dream
2.2.1The original Dream of Land and Gold
In Europe of 18th century and 19th century, the aristocracy has not quit the stage of history of social hierarchy and inequitable distribution of wealth, at the same time, religious discrimination also existed. Montesquieu Descartes and other pioneer of the Enlightenment begun to give endless praise to the United States ,which also sparked the vulnerable groups of the American dream.
Immigrants to the United States of 18th century were vulnerable groups in Europe, the most typical were Puritan in England and the bankruptcy of farmers in German. When they came to colonies, the requirement of political equality was particularly strong. So the democracy was promoted. Thus, equal rights became the meaning of America dream.
Some people explained that everyone can succeed, as in the early American there were vast land and but sparsely populated at same time, immigrants could obtain large tracts of fertile land. The United States was still primarily an agricultural economy, so people understood that the land meant wealth, which means success. In 源Z自+优尔=文-论(文+网[www.youerw.com the late 18th century and early in 19th century, people found many gold in western United States, someone is lucky to start for the Nuggets and flourishes.This wave is of “gold rush” in legend, promoting the westward tide of immigration and also cast a deep golden color for the American dream. However, behind such a “dream”, there is a bloody history that is, the European immigrants’ large tracts of land is gained by killing millions of Indians and high-yield farmland cultivators mostly are Africa looting slaves; west Denver are Chinese hard labor with blood and tears. It can be said that the early American Dream is more of a dream of European immigrants. Some people noted that there are many people and contemporary scholars of American history face and reflect on this history. (Hou, 2000). All of this are unjust side of the American dream.