Introduction: Whither the “American Dream”?

Authors : Laurence RAW

Pages : 5-8

View : 9 | Download : 7

Publication Date : 2004-04-01

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :The phrase, “The American Dream” was coined by James Truslow Adams in his extremely popular 1931 book The Epic of America, and entered the language almost immediately – especially in political rhetoric.* Nowadays it is likely to be used in acceptance speeches, inaugural speeches; but it also appears frequently in book titles. Anthony Brandt has suggested that the phrase represents an American ideal of a happy and successful life to which all may aspire; coined during the Depression, the idea “represented a reaffirmation of traditional American hopes” Brandt . However, the idea if the not the phrase dates back to a much earlier period in American history – as witnessed, for instance, in De Tocqueville’s locution: “the charm of anticipated success”.
Keywords :