Before looking at what the American Dream is today, we need to look at its roots. It has always said that the government will protect your opportunity to improve your life, no matter who you are.
That was established by the Declaration of Independence. It boldly proclaimed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
The Founding Fathers stated the revolutionary idea that each person's desire to pursue their idea of happiness was not self-indulgence, but a necessary driver of a prosperous society. They agreed to set up a government to defend that right for everyone. The pursuit of happiness became the driver of the entrepreneurial spirit that defines the American free market economy.
Of course, at that time "everyone" only meant white property-owners. Over time, it was extended to slaves, women, and non-property owners. President Lincoln first extended the Dream to Negro slaves. President Wilson extended it to women by supporting the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote. President Johnson promoted Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, extending the dream by desegregating schools, and protecting workers from discrimination by race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), or national origin. In 1967, those rights were extended to those over 40. President Obama extended the right to the pursuit of happiness through marriage regardless of sexual orientation, which was supported by the Supreme Court in 2015.
Today.htmhttp://useconomy.about.com/od/grossdomesticproduct/fl/What-Is-the-American-Dream-Today.htm .Loucks.
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