American Dream
Bootstraps-to-prosperity ideal
The American Dream is the belief that anyone in the United States can achieve prosperity and success through hard work and determination, regardless of birth or social class.
The phrase often implies homeownership, financial security, and upward mobility: My grandparents came here with nothing and built their American Dream.
It can be used sincerely or skeptically, depending on whether the speaker believes the promise remains achievable.
Desire for achievement
- pursuitAct of chasing something
- upward mobilityRising social or economic status
- self-improvementEnhancing oneself deliberately
- determinationFirmness of purpose
perseverance · hard work · motivation · vision · goals · dreaming · drive · striving
Absence of unjust constraint
- independenceFreedom from external control
- democracyRule by the people
- self-determinationControl over one's fate
- rightsJustified claims to freedoms
constitution · civil liberties · equality · opportunity · choice · emancipation · bill of rights · unalienable rights
Abundance of valuable resources
- homeownershipLegally possessing residential property
- middle classIntermediate socioeconomic group
- financial securityReliable access to funds
- affluenceAbundance of money
economic growth · white picket fence · suburb · car ownership · retirement · savings · investment · consumer goods
Creating and managing ventures
- meritocracyAdvancement through demonstrated ability
- educationSystematic development of mind
- career advancementProfessional upward mobility
- job marketEmployment availability collectively
startups · innovation · scholarships · immigration · diversity visa · networking · small business · venture capital
Accomplished goal or deed
- wealthAbundance of valuable resources
- statusOne's relative position
- self-madeSuccessful through own efforts
- accomplishmentSuccessful completion of aim
fortune · tycoon · mogul · celebrity · fame · recognition · corporate ladder · executive
Traditional explanatory tale
- illusionMisleading sensory impression
- inequalityUnequal distribution of resources
- disillusionmentBitter loss of faith
- broken promiseCommitment not honored
exclusion · unattainable · gatekeeping · wealth gap · exploitation · debt · burnout · precarity
ambition
Desire for achievement
- pursuitAct of chasing something
- upward mobilityRising social or economic status
- self-improvementEnhancing oneself deliberately
determination · perseverance · hard work · motivation · vision · goals · dreaming · drive · striving · bootstrapping
liberty
Absence of unjust constraint
- independenceFreedom from external control
- democracyRule by the people
- self-determinationControl over one's fate
rights · constitution · civil liberties · equality · opportunity · choice · emancipation · bill of rights · unalienable rights · free enterprise
wealth
Abundance of valuable resources
- homeownershipLegally possessing residential property
- middle classIntermediate socioeconomic group
- financial securityReliable access to funds
affluence · economic growth · white picket fence · suburb · car ownership · retirement · savings · investment · consumer goods · standard of living
entrepreneurship
Creating and managing ventures
- meritocracyAdvancement through demonstrated ability
- educationSystematic development of mind
- career advancementProfessional upward mobility
job market · startups · innovation · scholarships · immigration · diversity visa · networking · small business · venture capital · internships
achievement
Accomplished goal or deed
- wealthAbundance of valuable resources
- statusOne's relative position
- self-madeSuccessful through own efforts
accomplishment · fortune · tycoon · mogul · celebrity · fame · recognition · corporate ladder · executive · millionaire
myth
Traditional explanatory tale
- illusionMisleading sensory impression
- inequalityUnequal distribution of resources
- disillusionmentBitter loss of faith
broken promise · exclusion · unattainable · gatekeeping · wealth gap · exploitation · debt · burnout · precarity · gentrification
- American Ideastranscendentalism, manifest destiny, self-reliance, rugged individualism, Puritanism
- national mythsfounding myth, founding myths, national origin, origin story, origin stories
- AmericanaFourth of July, bald eagle, Thanksgiving, apple pie, baseball
- 1950s AmericaEisenhower, McCarthy, McCarthyism, suburbs, Korean War
- Shopping MallsWestfield, Galleria
- Suburban Themessuburban life, consumer culture, domesticity, home ownership, neighborhood
American Dreamdownward mobility
Drop in socioeconomic status
poverty trap · rat race · dead end · glass ceiling · caste system
American Dreampoverty
Severe lack of resources
destitution · financial ruin · bankruptcy · homelessness · precarity
American Dreamfalse promise
Pledge made insincerely
broken promise · bootstrap myth · rigged system · systemic failure · disillusionment
dream, America, American, Americans, Americana, Americanize, Americanized, Americanizing, Americanism