Blog buddy research...

American Dream...

"Our challenge is to create an America that lives up to the principles and ideals of our Founding Fathers."

The "Founding Fathers" being Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln & Theodore Roosevelt.

In the Declaration of Independence, America's Founding Fathers laid out very clearly for us the true meaning of the American Dream ...
"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"

It is clear that the "american dream" had become materialistic and there seems to be a "sign of moral decay"

Statistics:
90% feel uncertain about their future peace and security.
66% believe society is becoming much more materialistic.
50% believe Americans have lost the opportunity for the American Dream.
71% believe major change is necessary to regain American prosperity.

http://www.todaysamericandream.com/

Today the "American Dream" is often associated with immigrants as it is seen as the "land of oppurtunity" where people are able to make something of their lives. the immigrants are commonly from South Asia, and Latin America.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dream


Ronnys' Research:

American Dream: a cultural myth based on the belief that the USA is a land of promise and opportunity where anyone who works hard can achieve all the good things in life, notably love, esteem and wealth.

The origins of the myth lie with the American Declaration of Independence which emphasises the equality of all humanity and the right to ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’. At the time this document many wealthy American colonial citizens were slave owners.

Belief in the American Dream can leas to a conflict between the desire for wealth and material happiness and the means by which this ideal is achieved.
The realities of US society are far from those of the idealised version and are sometimes called the American nightmare.

The myth of the American Dream is important because it forms the background ideology of media products from across all genres but in particular of film and television productions.