James Truslow Adams’ definition of the American Dream



James Truslow Adams’ definition of the American Dream

The origin of the term “American Dream” appears to be from a history book by the American writer and historian James Truslow Adams (1878-1949) entitled “The Epic[1] of America” (1931)

Excerpt:

|If […] the things already listed were all we had to contribute, America would have made no distinctive and unique gift to mankind. But |

|there has been also the American Dream, the dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with |

|opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret |

|adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, |

|but a dream of a social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain[2] to the fullest statute of which they are |

|innately[3] capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous[4] circumstances of birth or position. |

|No, the American dream that has lured tens of millions of all nations to our shores[5] in the past century has not been a dream of |

|merely material plenty, although that has doubtless counted heavily. It has been much more than that. It has been a dream of being able |

|to grow to the fullest development as man and woman, unhampered[6] by the barriers which had slowly been erected in older civilizations,|

|unrepressed by social orders which had developed for the benefit of classes rather than for the simple human being of any and every |

|class. And that dream has been realized more fully in actual life here than anywhere else, though very imperfectly even among ourselves.|

(Adams, James Truslow (1931): The Epic of America. Boston, pp. 373-375)

☺ What – according to Adams – are the characteristics of the American Dream? ☺

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[1] epic: a book, poem, or film that tells a long story

[2] to attain: to succeed in reaching a particular level or in getting s.th. after trying for a long time

[3] innate: an innate qual؀࠶࠷࣮ࣘࣙ࣬ࣷिୣ୤஖஗௬௭౥౦൚൛ཛྷའ྄࿮࿰࿲쏕햷햧覛覛覛覛覛햛晹䙖ᘞ텨఺䌀ity has been part of your character since you were born

[4] fortuitous: happening by chance, esp. in a way that has a good result

[5] shore: the land along the edge of a large area of water, such as an ocean or a lake

[6] unhampered: German ungehindert

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