ABSTRACT

This project aims to provide an answer to the question, "Is the American Dream a fallacy?" The primary arguments for this proposal concern historical events in the United States, such as the slave trade, systemic racism in the United States, and the concept of an “old boys club,”. The view that the American Dream is dead for a variety of reasons are also discussed. Arguments which challenge the view of the American Dream being a fallacy include the following: it encourages aspiration and achievement, 70% of the wealthiest Americans are self-made, the American Dream is still considered attainable, and it promotes and grows the United States economy. The conclusion of my dissertation is that the American Dream is a fallacy, that it has been and will continue to be a fallacy for many individuals who are seeking for a better life.

 

INTRODUCTION

This project seeks to address the research question, “Is the American Dream a fallacy?” I chose this Project topic because I have always wondered what it means when the term 'American Dream' is used on television, with the most common perception of the American Dream being to achieve economic success and start a family. The majority of people think it is a simple phrase from rags to riches, but it has a more complex history. In the book ‘Epic of America’ (Adams, 1931), the American Dream is defined as “dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” A Fallacy is a misconception in people’s beliefs, it is a mistaken belief especially one based on an unsound argument. 

 

According to Adams, the American Dream is for everyone; however, we will find that the level of inequality in the United States only makes the American Dream available to a select few; this gives a false impression of wealth and opportunities to 'everyone'; therefore, the American Dream is a fallacy as it creates a fake vision upon ‘everyone’ that everyone can achieve wealth and prosperity.

 

This Project ties in with my other A Level subjects, Politics and Law, as we have studied the current state of the contemporary United States in Politics and Law. In Politics, we have studied current and past United States politics and the Constitution, and in Law, we discuss current and past law news such as the recent overturning of Roe v Wade and how the plantation owners’ families still benefit from the money, they made in the slave trade. As well as how the United States courts operate. Learning all of this has made me even more interested on what the American Dream is and how it has changed with the world changing. 

 

The United States has a very capitalist culture, which is ingrained in the American Dream. This raises the question on how fair and how equal the American Dream is.  This project relates to my future objectives since I want to work in real estate in New York, as my family is from New York, and I have done some work experience in Law and real estate in New York. It also relates to the broader context of real estate in the United States, where there are many challenges, and it is difficult for individuals to fulfill the "American Dream" by purchasing a home.

 

The aims of my project are to define what the concept of the American Dream is, to determine if it is an ideal which should be pursued it and if it’s dangerous to pursue it. Many would claim that it is still and ideal worthy of being striven for as it rewards innovation and facilitates rapid growth, but others would point out that offers out an empty promise and it distracts from it and create huge inequalities that can exist in American communities. It has been a concept of modern America forever and has brought people to America. Perhaps the best way to make the American Dream pursuable is to adapt it. 

 

In addition, I want to learn how to proofread and edit my work, as well as improve my English language skills. As I no longer take English classes, I aim to increase my vocabulary. In addition, I want to be able to distinguish between a reliable and unreliable source, and to ensure that the information comes from a credible source by examining aspects such as provenance and intent. I am also interested in learning how to properly cite sources, as I am aware that this is essential for undergraduate studies. I also want to learn how to monitor my progress by using the activity log and maintaining the focus to update the activity log and do the project overtime. 

 

RESEARCH REVIEWS

‘The American Dream Without Anti-Racism Is Just Another Nightmare’ is an article written by LaShyra Nolen and published in Harvard Crimson by Harvard which is a student newspaper written by students for Harvard and the public. This is a primary source and is open access. This source is relevant to my research question in that it brings an argument saying that the American Dream is racist and is reserved for the select few. From this research, I learnt that this is a very strong argument as it does seem that the American Dream is reserved for the select few. This source helps me place my research question into the wider context of the research area by confirming the argument and bringing an argument in favor for the question as the source mentions the American Dream bringing great economic courage. The source scores 12/15 using the CRAAP method because it was written in 2020, during time of a lot of discussion on race and it was recently to now. The source addresses my question and gives me useful information as it is a very strong argument and one that is very relevant in today’s time as we attempt to be more and more diverse as a society. The organization is well-known, and the author knows what she's talking about as she is writing from a first-hand point of view, meaning she has experienced this sort of behavior. When she says that her experiences serve as a reminder that luxuries are only available to a select few. Finally, the purpose of this source is to make people realize that in our society racism is still a thing and that is wrong and not everyone has the same chances in life. This means that LaShyra Nolen is more likely to have a positive viewpoint as she has overcome that racism. Overall, this is a reliable source for academic work because it is a very good source and that’s why I’ve awarded it 12/15 on the CRAAP score. (Nolen, 2020)

 

‘The Forbes 400 Self-Made Score 2021: From Silver Spooners To Bootstrappers’ is an article written by Rachel Sandler, Rachel Sandler studied at Syracuse University’s and was an editor at The Daily Orange, the university’s independent student newspaper. This article was published in Forbes by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Forbes is a popular Finance Magazine/Website telling the public all things Finance from its top 30 to its top 400. This is a secondary source and is open access. This source is relevant to my research question in that it proves the American Dream is still achievable and therefore is a good reason to still pursue the American Dream. From this research, I learnt that some of the richest in the United States are in fact self-made. This source helps me place my research question into the wider context of the research area by giving evidence of the American Dream still being alive as people are becoming successful by themselves more and more. The source scores 11/15 using the CRAAP method because it was written in October 2021 and it’s about the top 400 in 2021 so all the data is current and relevant. The source addresses my question and gives me useful information as it proves the Dream is still alive and if it’s still alive it may be worth pursuing. The organization is well-known for its comments on the rich and making lists of the richest, it has over 150 million readers every month therefore Forbes holds a lot of attention meaning they have to be careful with what they say and hopefully unbiased. Depending on the topics its authors write about and their level of subject matter experience, Forbes is 51% dependable (according to factual.com), according to factual.com, topics such as wealth are topics that Forbes authors are known for being more trustworthy on these topics. Every year, Forbes publishes one of the most thorough lists of the world's wealthiest people; as a result of their writers' knowledge, this list is especially trustworthy.  Finally, the purpose of this source is to make people know who the richest in the world are, and how they made their money, Forbes 400. Overall, this is a largely reliable source for academic work it does not fully mention the American Dream in the article, but it does mention the Americas top 400 and how many of them are self-made. (Rachel Sandler, 2021)

 

“The Coronavirus was an Emergency until Trump found out who was drying” is an article written by Adam Serwer is a journalist that focuses on politics, race, and justice this means that Adam Serwer has plenty of prior knowledge and authority to write on this topic that has issues of race and politics in it, writing 21 articles in 2023 on politics and race. This article was published in The Atlantic. The Atlantic is a Magazine featuring articles from foreign affairs, politics, and business. This is a secondary source and is open access. This source is relevant to my research question in that it explains how during the pandemic Black Americans where basically being used as escape goats at the bottom of the job market and how they were being ‘sacrificed to fuel the engine’ From this research, I learnt that the number of Black Americans that have low-paying jobs is so disproportionate to the number of White Americans. This source helps me place my research question into the wider context of the research area by telling us, the reader, the facts. The source scores 9/15 using the CRAAP method because it was written in May 2020 which is very current to what Sewer was writing about as it was during Covid. The source addresses my question and gives me useful information as it tells us how Black Americans were being used for the benefit of White Americans again. The organization is well-known and has over 800,000 readers. The source is trustworthy in that The Atlantic has a 70% factual grade according to thefactual.com. Finally, the purpose of this source is to show Americans the disparity between who was being used as ‘fuel for the engine.’ Overall, this is a reliable source for academic work because it comments on the continued use of Black Americans in the US, existing from the Slave Trade. (Adam Serwer, 2020)

 

‘The Epic of America’ is a book written by James Truslow Adams and published in 1931 by Little, Brown and Company. This is the original source of the American Dream, effectively creating the American Dream. This is a primary source and is closed access. This source is relevant to my research question in that it created the idea of the American Dream. From this research, I learnt that Adams wanted everyone to achieve the American Dream, everyone. This source helps me place my research question into the wider context of the research area by using the word everyone, and then discussing the slave trade a systemic racism. The source scores 11/15 using the CRAAP method because it was written in 1931, which was 91 years ago, but this book created the American Dream and was very forward for the time as it let everyone into the idea of the American Dream. The source addresses my question and gives me useful information as it created the American Dream for everyone. The author is well-known and went to a number of high-ranking universities such as NYU and Yale, he also won awards for his writing such as the Pulitzer Prize for History. Therefore, James Truslow Adams has great amounts of knowledge and authority for writing on issues such as history, making him a very reliable source. Finally, the purpose of this source is to create the American Dream, and to fuel capitalism.  Overall, this is a reliable source for academic work because it created the American Dream, an idea created for everyone. (Adams, 1931)

 

‘Immigration: Dominican Republic to America in the 1960’s’ is an interview conducted by Lucas Baez and broadcast in James Madison University by Lucas Baez. This is a student made interview between a student and an immigrant that has come into America to experience the American Dream. This is a primary source and is open access. This source is relevant to my research question in that it gives a first-hand view of why people would immigrate into the US in the past.  From this research, I learnt that when people were immigrating in the 20th century, some would achieve their ‘American Dream’. This source helps me place my research question into the wider context of the research area by answering if the American Dream is achievable for people immigrating to the US or is it only viable for people born in the US. The source scores 12/15 using the CRAAP method because it was written in Spring 2017, this is a relevant time because of immigration rules changing in the US during these times. The source addresses my question and gives me useful information as it gives first-hand accounts and family accounts of immigrating to the US and achieving the ‘American Dream’. The organisation is well-known and has around 21,000 students throughout their school and educating them to be successful in life. The source is trustworthy in that it is a large organisation which charges thousands of dollars to go to, so they must know what they’re talking about for their student enrollment. Finally, the purpose of this source is to create awareness of immigration and give a first-hand account of it. Overall, this is a reliable source for academic work because it is an academic source, and it was written during a significant time in US politics for immigration. (Baez, 2017)

 

“The American dream while Black: ‘Locked in a vicious cycle” is an article written by Nigel Chiwaya & Janell Ross and published in NBC News by Comcast Corporation. NBC News is a US broadcaster and news website covering all things news. This is a secondary source and is open access. This source is relevant to my research question in that it tells the reader how Black Americans have been denied access to homeownership, which in the article is described as the ‘Gateway’ American Dream. From this research, I learnt that Black Americans where rejected mortgages at a rate of 17% more than White Americans. This source helps me place my research question into the wider context of the research area by giving context to the American Dream and why it’s only achievable for some. The source scores 13/15 using the CRAAP method because it was written in NBC News which is an American organization with a reliability rating of 44.64 according to adfontesmedia, a website that rates all news/media (scores above 40 are generally good). The source addresses my question and gives me useful information and actual data on how Black Americans are denied mortgages for homes. The organisation is well-known and 78.1million visits to their website every month. The source is trustworthy in that meaning that they have a large reader base, they must be accurate with their information in order to hold their reader base. Finally, the purpose of this source is to make the public aware, the privileged white public aware of the oppression of Black Americans in small areas such as mortgages. Overall, this is a reliable source for academic work because it is a factual, centre leaning source with a credited author using information provided by the government. (Ross, 2020)

 

‘Cornell research: Only 30% of New Yorkers make a living wage’ is an article written by Olivia Bensimon and published in Crain’s New York Business. Crain’s New York Business is a trusted business news outlet across the five boroughs of New York City. This is a secondary source and is closed access. This source is relevant to my research question in that it gives us statistics on how the American Dream could be a fallacy. From this research, I learnt that 70% of city residents are not marking a living wage. This source helps me place my research question into the wider context of the research area by statistically showing how the American Dream could be a fallacy. The source scores 10/15 using the CRAAP method because it was written in January of 2023, meaning it is relevant to this write-up because it was written very recently. The source addresses my question and gives me useful information as it gives statistical data that tells us about New York and how 70% of residents aren’t making a living wage. The organisation is well-known and has a large, wealthy readership. The source is trustworthy in that it is one of the most ‘trusted voice of New York business community’.  Finally, the purpose of this source is to spread awareness of the large numbers of New York City residents not making a living wage. Overall, this is a reliable source for academic work because it is a trustworthy source, with wealthy and large audience, and has 107 years in experience. (Bensimon, 2023)

 

‘Mexico’s Long War: Drugs, Crime, and the Cartels’ is an article written by CFR.org Editors and published in Council on Foreign Relation. CFR.org is an independent publisher. CFR is an independent, nonpartisan membership organisation. CFR takes no institutional positions on matters of policy, making them a unbiased source. This is a secondary source and is open access. This source is relevant to my research question in that it tells the reader what exactly is happening in Mexico and why some may want to flee from dangerous situations. From this research, I learnt that there is an alarming amount of crime happening in Mexico and this is a large reason why people, especially families, want to flee Mexico. This source helps me place my research question into the wider context of the research area by giving reason as to why people want to flee South America, especially Mexico. The source scores 14/15 using the CRAAP method. The source addresses my question and gives me useful information such as what the Cartels in Mexico do and which are the largest ones, giving a good reason as to why people are immigrating to other countries such as the US, to achieve a better life for their family, ‘The American Dream’. The organisation is well-known and is an international relations think tank in the United States specializing in US foreign policy. The source is trustworthy in that it is a nonprofit organisation and think tank, bringing together the best in sectors such as international relations therefore, the most knowledgeable on this subject are writing for CFR. Finally, the purpose of this source is to spread awareness to everyone in South and North America as to what is happening in Mexico and the dangers presented in Mexico. Overall, this is a reliable source for academic work because it is a well-known source with revenue from funding in 2017 reaching $94,000,000. (CFR.org Editors, 2022)

 

‘Angela Davis: We can’t eradicate racism without eradicating racial capitalism’ is an interview conducted by Amy Goodman (interviewer) and broadcasted in ‘Democracy Now!’. Angela Davis is a political activist and feminist she is a professor at the University of California therefore, she is a credible source as she is teaching at one of the most prestigious schools in the world and is teaching the ‘next generation’. This is a primary source and is open access. This source is relevant to my research question in that it gives a reason as to why there is still racism in the US and why the American Dream may not be viable for all. From this research, I learnt how much systemic racism exists in the American Dream and the capitalistic past of the US. This source helps me place my research question into the wider context of the research area by explaining historic racism with capitalistic ideology. The source scores 14/15 using the CRAAP method because it conducted in June of 2020, which is very current to the topic at conversation, as there were large discussions on racism around this time. The source addresses my question and gives me useful information as it gives the educationally recognized theory of racial capitalism. The organisation is well-known and has over 1.3million subscribers on YouTube and has a viewership of 390,000 viewers. The source is trustworthy in that it is an independent media nonprofit, so it doesn’t profit if they do a specific story, so they focus on spreading the truth. Finally, the purpose of this source is to educate the viewers on what racial capitalism is and how its tied in with the American Dream and the long capitalistic past of the US. Overall, this is a reliable source for academic work because it has a large viewership and is a nonprofit independent source. (Davis, 2020)

 

‘Oprah Winfrey’ is an article written by Forbes and published in Forbes. This is a secondary source and is open access. Forbes is a popular Finance Magazine/Website telling the public all things Finance from its top 30 to its top 400. This source is relevant to my research question in that gives an example of a successful woman of color achieving the American Dream. From this research, I learnt that Oprah Winfrey is not only a very successful TV personality, but she is also a very successful businesswoman. This source helps me place my research question into the wider context of the research area by giving figures on how people of color can achieve the American Dream. The source scores 7/15 using the CRAAP method because it is written in real time and is updated daily.  The source addresses my question and gives me useful information such as net worth figures and Ms. Winfrey’s wealth history. The organisation is well-known for giving profiles on the world’s richest people and is a leader in business news. The source is trustworthy in that it is a trusted source in economics and business with over a 150million people being reached every month. Finally, the purpose of this source is to show the world’s richest people’s wealth. Overall, this is a reliable source for academic work because it is a trusted source recognized by large organizations around the world. (Forbes, 2023)

 

‘How are immigration and GDP growth connected’ is an article written by Phillip Conor and published in fwd.us. Fwd.us is a group focused on fixing the failing immigration and criminal justice systems. This is a secondary source and is open access. This source is relevant to my research question in that it shows growth of gross domestic product compared with immigration with statistics. From this research, I learnt that the higher the immigration, the higher the GDP of the country. This source helps me place my research question into the wider context of the research area by showing that the American Dream, if it were available to everyone and there weren’t issues with immigration, then the GDP of the country would be higher. The source scores 11/15 using the CRAAP method because it was written in June of 2021, making it relevant to this piece as it was current with the most recent presidency in the US and the most recent reform for immigration, that has happened in the US, happened before this article was written. The source addresses my question and gives me useful information to my dissertation because it gives statistical information behind allowing more immigration, such as if immigration were to boost in the US GDP would boost by $2,500 per capita and would raise the standard of living for Americans. The organisation is well-known as it is known for pro-immigration lobbying group. The source is trustworthy in that it is an immigration lobbying group, so when discussing immigration, it knows what it is talking about. However, this source may be one that is pushing for more immigration and is writing this to only get more immigration. However, the real purpose of this source is to spread awareness that immigration is good, as many Americans think otherwise. Overall, this is a reliable source for academic work because it is a reliable source, and is known for immigration, a key topic in my dissertation. (fwd.us, 2021)

 

‘Elites Have Made the American Dream a Nightmare for Black People. Who’s Next?’ is an article written by Lynn Paramore and published in Institute for New Economic Thinking. The Institute for New Economic Thinking is a nonprofit think tank founded as a result of the 2008 economic crash, it has connections to the University of Cambridge therefore, this source can be considered credible as Cambridge University is the third best university in the world. This is a secondary source and is open access. This source is relevant to my research question in that it has useful information on the historic racist past of America and how it is still a present issue. From this research, I learnt that capitalist ideology is a way to suppress people and America has used capitalism against Black Americans. This source helps me place my research question into the wider context of the research area by giving me useful statistics such as in Detroit with the automobile industry. The source scores 13/15 using the CRAAP method because it was written in July 2020, a very prevalent time in racism for America and worldwide. The source addresses my question and gives me useful information as it tells me exactly how Black Americans have been suppressed by capitalism. The organisation is well-known for its comments on finance as it is a think tank founded due to the 2008 financial crisis. The source is trustworthy in that it has links to large institutes such as Cambridge-INET and University of Cambridge. Finally, the purpose of this source is to spread awareness to Americans that the capitalistic ideology of America may be the reason there is so much racism in America. Overall, this is a reliable source for academic work because of the strong ties it has to large institutes and the way it was started, as a result of the 2008 financial crisis. (Hamilton, 2020)

 

‘Over 5,000 migrant deaths recorded in Central, North America, the Caribbean since 2014 as number of lives lost continues to grow in 2021’ is an article written by Jorge Galindo, Jorge Galindo is an experienced source on migration as he has been working at that IOM for over nine years. This article was published in International Organization for Migration. The International Organization for Migration is a United Nations agency that provides services and advice concerning migration to governments and migrants therefore, the organization knows how good or bad a countries immigration is as it works front lines. This is a primary source and is open access. This source is relevant to my research question in that it tells the reader how dangerous the United States and Mexico border is, with people attempting to get into the US via the border. From this research, I learnt that over 5,000 people have died from 2014-2021. This source helps me place my research question into the wider context of the research area by exhibiting that people are willing to go to huge lengths to achieve the American Dream. The source scores 12/15 using the CRAAP method because it was written in December of 2021, this means that the data for this specific topic is somewhat out of date, as figures now have risen, but it still tells us what’s happened in recent times. The source addresses my question and gives me useful information as it gives me statistics of how many people died on the bored from 2014 to 2021. The organisation is well-known and is a part of the United Nations system, giving it huge credibility. The source is trustworthy in that it has been a part of the United Nations system since September 2016, and has no reason to be bias. Finally, the purpose of this source is to give Americans and people around the world statistics of what is happening on the US and Mexico border. Overall, this is a reliable source for academic work because of the affiliations with the UN and the use of statistics. (IOM UN Migration, 2021)

 

‘America from an Immigrant’s Perspective’ is an interview done by Vibha A (a high school student in Michigan). and the interviewee is Michelle Kang, published in American Creed. This is a primary source and is open access. This source is relevant to my research question in that it shows a successful persecution of the American Dream. From this research, I learnt that the American Dream is still achievable in today’s culture from coming outside of the United States into it. This source helps me place my research question into the wider context of the research area by giving an actual person who has ‘1000%’ achieved their American dream. The source scores 13/15 using the CRAAP method because it was recorded in 2019 which is still recent to the time writing this piece. The source addresses my question and gives me useful information as it is a human example of who has achieved the American Dream The source is trustworthy in that it is a first-hand account of her life. Finally, the purpose of this source is to show the reader about the ability to achieve the American Dream. Overall, this is a reliable source for academic work because it is a first-hand account about achieving their American Dream. (Kang, 2018)

 

‘What It Costs to Be Smuggled Across the U.S. Border’ is an article written by Nicholas Kulish and published in The New York Times. The New York Times is a daily newspaper based in New York City with 8.6million paid digital subscribers and the newspaper company founded in 1851. Therefore, it has been a trusted news source enough for over 150 years of operation, meaning that the New York Times is a trustworthy source. This is a secondary source and is closed access. This source is relevant to my research question in that it explains how much specifically people have paid to get into the US. From this research, I learnt that it is not only dangerous to be foreign to get into the US to achieve the American Dream it is also costly, especially to those who have nothing. This source helps me place my research question into the wider context of the research area by giving specific examples of people with specified amounts. The source scores 13/15 using the CRAAP method because it was written in June 2018, making it recent for this piece, but prices people have paid have probably risen since. The source addresses my question and gives me useful information as it gives me specific examples. The organisation is well-known and has a membership of 9million+ people. The source is trustworthy in that it is one of the most factual news sources in the US. Finally, the purpose of this source is to explain how expensive and dangerous it is to get into the US via the Mexico border. Overall, this is a reliable source for academic work because it is a reliable news outlet, reporting on specific figures from specific examples of people. (Kulish, 2018)

 

‘Silicon Valley’s vast wealth disparity deepens as poverty increased’ is an article written by Alejandro Lazo and published in Cal Matters. Cal Matters is the leading nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom committed to explaining California politics and policy. This is a secondary source and is open access. This source is relevant to my research question in that it illustrates the riches that have come from people achieving the American Dream. From this research, I learnt that most people in tech aren’t American, and instead they have ethnic, diverse backgrounds. This source helps me place my research question into the wider context of the research area by giving me a geographical location for wealth and ethnic backgrounds. The source scores 10/15 using the CRAAP method because it was written in February 2023, very relevant for this piece, written alongside this piece. The source addresses my question and gives me useful information as is shows the American Dream in a geographical location. The organisation is well-known and is a nonprofit explaining California politics and policy. The source is trustworthy in that it is a nonprofit and is funded mainly by donations and grants. Finally, the purpose of this source is to show the divide in wealth across the country. Overall, this is a reliable source for academic work because it is a nonprofit and is known for its reliable righting on California state. (Lazo, 2023)

 

‘Orpah Winfrey: A Self-Made Woman by Andrea Morales’ is an article written by Hilary Lowe and published in Temple University. Temple University is a University in Pennsylvania and is ranked 121 in the Best Colleges in the United States. This is a secondary source and is open access. This source is relevant to my research question in that it further shows how Oprah Winfrey has achieved the American Dream. From this research, I learnt that Oprah Winfrey started from a poverty ridden background and became a successful billionaire. This source helps me place my research question into the wider context of the research area by giving an example of a Black American who achieved the American Dream. The source scores 9/15 using the CRAAP method because it was written in February 2018, which is relevant to Oprah Winfrey as she made an empowering speech at the Golden Globes about inequality that year. The source addresses my question and gives me useful information on Oprah Winfrey’s life. The organisation is well-known and public University founded in 1884. The source is trustworthy in that it is a well-known educational institute with a 72% graduation rate.  Finally, the purpose of this source is to give a profile on success in America. Overall, this is a reliable source for academic work because it is an academic source, a university. (Lowe, 2018)

 

‘Disparities in Wealth by Race and Ethnicity in the 2019 Survey of Consumer Finances’ is an article written by Neil Bhutta, Andrew Chang, Lisa Dettling, and Joanne Hsu and published in Economic Research by The Federal Reserve System. The Federal Reserve System is the central banking system in the United States and was created in 1913. This is a primary source and is open access. This source is relevant to my research question in that it shows the median net worth for all ethnicities within the US. From this research, I learnt that Black Americans have the lowest median net worth of all, and White Americans net worth being almost 10x the number of Black Americans. This source helps me place my research question into the wider context of the research area by statistically showing the differences in net worth by race. The source scores 14/15 using the CRAAP method because it was written in September 2020, which is current as the survey before this one was 2016, so the next one will be in late 2024. The source addresses my question and gives me useful information such as the difference in net worth by race and this overtime. The organisation is well-known and is a government source made by taxpayers’ money. The source is trustworthy in that it is a government source and uses things such as taxes to figure this information out. Finally, the purpose of this source is to show the data from the 2019 survey of consumer finances. Overall, this is a reliable source for academic work because it is a reliable source, government, and has statistics that are reliable due to the government’s knowledge. (Neil Bhutta, 2020)

 

‘Find a new job in 60 days: tech layoffs put immigrant workers on a ticking clock’ is an article written by Stacey Vanek Smith and published in National Public Radio. National Public Radio or NPR is an American nonprofit radio headquartered in Washington D.C. and it serves the entire United States. This is a secondary source and is open access. This source is relevant to my research question in that it gave me a statistic on how many immigrants worked in Silicon Valley. From this research, I learnt that 70% of the wealthiest workforce in America are immigrants. This source helps me place my research question into the wider context of the research area by giving a statistic to my point. The source scores 8/15 using the CRAAP method because it was written in December of 2022, which is very recent. The source addresses my question and gives me useful information as it gives me statistics of who works one of the richest areas in the United States. The organisation is well-known and have over 1,000 public radio stations in the United States. The source is trustworthy in that it has highly educated listeners and revenue of over $300million in 2021. Finally, the purpose of this source is to spread large news stories from politics to culture. Overall, this is a reliable source for academic work because it is a nonprofit news station that gives information across the United States to all Americans, making it a reliable and trustworthy source. (Smith, 2022)

 

‘These 8 billionaires have more combined wealth than half of Silicon Valley’s residents’ is an article written by Levi Sumagaysay and published in Market Watch. Market Watch is a website providing financial information alongside the Wall Street Journal and Barron’s. This is a secondary source and is open access. This source is relevant to my research question in that it tells the reader the statistics for Silicon Valley. From this research, I learnt that there are 85 billionaires in Silicon Valley. This source helps me place my research question into the wider context of the research area by using the previous knowledge finding out how many immigrants live in Silicon Valley. The source scores 11/15 using the CRAAP method because it was written in February 2023, very recent to my righting.  The source addresses my question and gives me useful information and gives me further discussion to my point. The organisation is well-known, and it provides financial information and knows along with the Wall Street Journal, and it is a subsidiary of the ever-famous Dow Jones & Company. The source is trustworthy in that it is a subsidiary of one of the largest business and financial news companies in the world. Finally, the purpose of this source is to show the statistics of wealth within Silicon Valley. Overall, this is a reliable source for academic work because it is a subsidiary of a huge new company. (Sumagaysay, 2023)

 

‘There are 614 billionaires in the United States, and only 7 of them are Black’ is an article written by Taylor Nichole Rogers and published in Insider. Insider is an online news website valued at $442m with 213m readers worldwide. This is a secondary source and is open access. This source is relevant to my research question in that it adds more background to my point.  From this research, I learnt that there are only 7 Black American billionaires This source helps me place my research question into the wider context of the research area by adding statistics to my point. The source scores 11/15 using the CRAAP method because it was written in September 2020. The source addresses my question and gives me useful information such as how all 7 Black billionaires in the United States are self-made. The organisation is well-known and has 250million readers. The source is trustworthy in that it has a large reader base and highly educated writers. Finally, the purpose of this source is to exhibit how suppressed Black Americans are compared to the white population. Overall, this is a reliable source for academic work because it is read by a large audience and has 8 million subscribers on YouTube. (Taylor Nicole Rogers, 2020)

 

“American Dream’ quickly becoming an ‘illusion,’ says UN human rights expert’ is an article written by the United Nations and published in the United Nations Human Rights. United Nations Human Rights is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. This is a primary source and is closed access. This source is relevant to my research question in that it gave me the point to make. From this research, I learnt that the ‘social mobility’ is becoming less and less in the United States. This source helps me place my research question into the wider context of the research area by creating a point and saying that the American Dream is becoming an illusion to basically trap people in. The source scores 13/15 using the CRAAP method because it was written in December 2017, which is recent enough, this piece was written during the presidency of the last president, so it is still recent as not much has changed since, economically, except for Covid, which has only worsened this ‘illusion’. The source addresses my question and gives me useful information as it gives a UN professionals personal opinion on the American Dream. The organisation is well-known, and the UN’s job is to maintain international peace. The source is trustworthy in that it is a collective of nations across the world to maintain peace. Finally, the purpose of this source is to spread awareness of issues and solve issues across the world. Overall, this is a reliable source for academic work because it is the only truly global organization and has become the foremost forum to address issues that transcend national boundaries.  (United Nations, 2017)

 

‘How the American Dream died on the world’s busiest border’ is’ an article written by Ed Vulliamy and published in The Guardian. The Guardian is a British daily newspaper founded in 1821, with a circulation of 111,155 in October 2022. This is a secondary source and is open access. This source is relevant to my research question in that it shows a story of someone who crossed the Mexico/United States border. From this research, I learnt that people could spend as much as 2 years to cross the border. This source helps me place my research question into the wider context of the research area by giving my main point more detail. The source scores 13/15 using the CRAAP method because it was written in February 2020, very recent to my righting. The source addresses my question and gives me useful information such as specific examples of people crossing the border. The organisation is well-known and was founded in 1821. The source is trustworthy in that it has 18.2 million monthly readers digitally. Finally, the purpose of this source is to tell people the lengths people will go through to get into the United States. Overall, this is a reliable source for academic work because it has a large readership and gives statistics that are true and useful. (Vulliamy, 2020)

 

‘Safest Countries in the World 2023’ is an article written by World Population Review.  World Population Review is a website that turns complex demographic information into easy-to-read articles on the population and countries. This is a secondary source and is open access. This source is relevant to my research question in that it adds critical information to my point. From this research, I learnt that Mexico and the USA are similar in how safe they are. This source helps me place my research question into the wider context of the research area by giving statistics such as Mexico being the 137th safest country in the world. The source scores 7/15 using the CRAAP method because it was written in 2023, most up to date source I have used as it is updated regularly.  The source addresses my question and gives me useful information as it gave background as to why people were moving from Mexico to the United Sates, for example. The organisation is well-known and is solely known for their population reviews.  The source is trustworthy in that its sources are such as Global Peace Index. Finally, the purpose of this source is to show populations what their country ranks such as how safe they are or how rich the country is. Overall, this is a reliable source for academic work because it uses statistical information from a number of sources to compile these lists. (World Population Review, 2023)

 

DISCUSSION

THE DREAM HAS DIED

One of the issues created by the concept of the American Dream is that its accomplishment appears to be reserved for the white, affluent population, and not for persons from minority background.  throughout its history America has been a hotbed for racism, as seen by the slave trade that occurred between the 16th and 19th century 1600 and 1800 and, more recently, the large-scale protests for equal treatment in America. This historic racism and suppression of black Americans in the United States makes it so much harder to succeed and it continues into today. According to the economist Darrick Hamilton (Hamilton, 2020) “there really isn’t a Black middle class if it’s defined by wealth, because Black people, do not have wealth.” And this dates back to historical repression and the slave trade. There is substantial evidence to support this, since the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reports that black Americans were rejected mortgages at a rate 17.4% higher in 2018 than white Americans (7.9%) were, according to the NBC News article "The American Dream while Black.” (Ross, 2020) Moreover, this isn’t only recognized by news outlets, its recognized by the US government, the Federal Reserve notes, (Neil Bhutta, 2020), ‘White families have the highest level of both median and mean family wealth: $188,200 and $983,400. Black and Hispanic families have considerably less wealth than White families. Black families' median and mean wealth is less than 15 percent that of White families, at $24,100 and $142,500.’ while it has been contended that this is because people of color are lesser educated or unwilling to work, this is simply untrue as we have seen it is twice as hard to get a high paying job as a black American because of the systemic racism that exists in the US and that is brought into the workplace. This leads to the systemic racism that exists in the American Dream. The Jim Crow laws where ones that enforced racial segregation in the southern of the United States, the laws were an effort to prevent any contact between black and white Americans as equals. These laws excluded Black Americans from high education, these laws lasted from 1877 to 1950, meaning just generation ago was affected by these laws. This argument brings up the idea of ‘Racial Capitalism.’ Racial capitalism is this concept is the concept that capitalism could not succeed without the original capital, ‘Original capital was provided by the labour of slaves.’ And the industrial revolution in the US was ‘enabled by slave labour in the US’ (Davis, 2020). And one view is that the only way to eradicate racial capitalism is to get rid of capitalism as a whole a move to a ‘more socialist organization’ getting rid of the American Dream idea as it stands today. However, there isn’t much support in the United States for as the support for a capitalist society has only grown and benefited the majority of Americans, white Americans. 

 

The slave trade, made black people slaves to white people, making the white rich and people of color poor. The white money was inherited, giving the white people a better chance in education and getting good jobs, and this has lasted and in the last 200 years, since the slave trade, we have seen some advances for the black community in getting into the workforce, but there still lies the fact that white people have and continue to benefit from the historic slave trade within the United States. We can see how the wealth and power of the Slave owners’ families live on today. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell’s ancestors owned slaves, this remains a fundamental way of prosperity and we can see how white, elite, families have continued to benefit from the Slave Trade today. Slave owners remain to be powerful and influential, politically and in terms of wealth. 

 

LaShyra Nolen, (Nolen, 2020), was the first black women to become class president of the Harvard Medical School. She says that ‘The American Dream without anti-racism is just another nightmare.’ She continues to say, ‘We shouldn’t strive for the current American dream though as it is intertwined with racism’, as only lately the United States have started working for more equality. As one of the most liberal states, California prohibited the University of California and other state agencies from considering race, ethnicity, or sex as factors in public employment, public contracting, and public education as late as 1996. This demonstrates America's racist past as it has only changed recently, as recent as a past generation. The American Dream was something that many individuals in the 20th century were unable to attain due to their ethnicity or appearance. In LaShyra's piece, she states that her experiences as a Black woman serve as "poignant reminders that such luxuries were and continue to be reserved for a select few." The things that some take for granted may not be attainable based on their ethnic origins. The proof resides in the number of persons of color employed in low-paying occupations, such as grocery store clerks and transportation employees. As in the Atlantic they say, “The lives of disproportionately black and brown workers are being sacrificed to fuel the engine” (Adam Serwer, 2020). This is evidence that the minority population is being sacrificed in the current economy, the American Dream economy. The lives of minorities are being sacrificed for the majorities, the people who already have it better off for them to achieve the American Dream, not the majorities. Almost making it impossible for people of color to even reach for the American Dream then achieve it.

 

To conclude it can be argued the American Dream is intertwined with racism, it is not accessible as it cuts allthe minorities, such as ethnic groups like Black Americans, out and diminishes all their hopes of them becoming successful as they are essentially forced into these lower ranked jobs. But they are kept working for the richer majority population, which is something nobody should pursue as we should all strive for equality. Another factor to specify on is that there are 614 billionaires in the United States (Taylor Nicole Rogers, 2020), but only 7 of those billionaires are people of color. 

 

Frequently, the term "old boys club" is used to refer to activities that are exclusive to older white men who ‘play golf’. In fact, this is shorthand for the classical idea of the white, elite, old man who sits at the country club, creating the idea that 'it's not what you know, it's who you know.'

 

According to the United Nations, this trend is more common than ever before. According to a leading United Nations expert on human rights, the 'American Dream' is quickly becoming an 'illusion'. This is largely attributable to a lack of 'social Mobility,' According to a UN expert, (United Nations, 2017), the United States has the lowest rate of social mobility among developed economies. This means that everyone is born into a class and remains in that class. The UN expert also mentions that “Instead of realizing its founders”, today’s United States has proved itself to be exceptional in far more problematic ways that are shockingly at odds with its immense wealth and its founding commitment to human rights,” it seems as if the United States is more concerned with some individuals making an immense amount of wealth instead of everyone at least having the ability to eat. This is seen in places such as New York City where the population is around 8.5 million and there are 80,000 homeless people that equates to every 6 in 600 people are homeless, which is quite a large amount, especially when you consider in 2019 London had a population just shy of 9 million at 8.982 million, and the homeless population was 10,726 that’s 1 in every 600 people. (Statista, 2023) The greed of the ‘Boys club’ is also seen by the ‘living wage’ in New York City being $25.65 and the minimum wage is $14.20, and according to Cornell University (Bensimon, 2023) “More than 70% of city residents are not making a living wage.” This is crucial since over 6 million individuals out of 9 million cannot afford to live. This is when the American Dream becomes a fallacy, since people believe, they can come to America and achieve the American Dream immediately, which is a problem because it leads to homelessness and poverty.

 

Those who question the notion of the American Dream would argue that not only are people unable to climb the career ladder, but the American Dream as a means for the poor immigrant to make it rich is effectively dead. Some consider the Statue of Liberty an icon of America, on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty is a poem call ‘The New Colossus’ written by Emma Lazarus. (Lazarus, 1903) the poem mentions how the statue of liberty is a woman who is welcoming all those in need of a home. This implies that she thought that the statue of liberty was welcoming everyone in the world and hoping they should get the chance to achieve The American Dream. This is what is happening in modern day though, America borders two countries Mexico and Canada. Canada is one of the safest countries in the world, (World Population Review, 2023), coming in at 12th place behind countries such as Switzerland and Singapore, whereas Mexico ranks at 137th behind countries like Chad and the United States. This high crime ranking is due to Drug Trafficking and organized crime, (CFR.org Editors, 2022). This high crime figure is one of a number of reasons why hundreds of thousands try and migrate to the United States, to have a taste of the American Dream. But at the US/Mexico Border, the American Dream is quickly becoming a far-fetched theory, (Vulliamy, 2020), with people such as Olivér who spent two years travelling from El Salvador and seven months in Tijuana, giving up on trying to cross the border saying “We’ve abandoned the American Dream as a nightmare.” People are giving up on the American Dream and saying its instead a ‘Nightmare’. Tijuana is the most crossed border in the world and is known as the gateway to the American Dream and it is now twisting into a ‘Nightmare’ and this is what the American Dream is being branded as at the Mexico/US border. The journey of getting to the Mexico/US border is no easy task, it is completely opposite of what the American Dream stands for, as Truslow Adams said “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone”. For people in undeveloped countries, who are unprivileged and not born ‘rich’ getting to America is a ‘Nightmare’ this is because of the dangerous journey people must go through, sailing on boats filled with people or camping in dangerously hot environment. From 2014 to 2021 there were over 3,500 migrant deaths according to (IOM UN Migration, 2021), ‘3,575 deaths documented on the United States-Mexico border since 2014 make up the largest death toll on any single border in the Missing Migrants Project database.’ Migrants who are concerned about these high death rates may consider being smuggled into the US, this comes at a cost, the New York Times, (Kulish, 2018), says people can pay thousands of dollars, such as Kirstjen Nielsen telling lawmakers, ‘migrants paid $500 million a year to groups fueling violence and instability in the region. A decade ago, Mexicans and Central Americans paid between $1,000 and $3,000 for clandestine passage into the United States. Now they hand over up to $9,200 for the same journey.’ This is a huge upfront cost per person, to even get a chance of making it into America alive.

 

Not only the huge treacherous journey was ahead of these immigrants to achieve the American Dream, but there is also the Government, between 2017 and July of 2020 the Trump administration had made over 400 executive orders to essentially close the United States doors on those trying to achieve the American Dream, especially those coming from South America. Even when these immigrants get to the United States it may not be what they were hoping for when they were thinking of the American Dream, as there has been a sharp increase of prejudice towards immigrants since the controversial language that Trump (One of the most litigious and controversial Presidents in the history of the United States) used towards immigrants since the start of his campaign, such as “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” or “Why do we need more Haitians?... Take them out.” This has incited a large number of Trumps followers to have a prejudice towards immigrants, this may affect their place in the economy, and they will most likely feel unwelcome if people are being prejudice towards them. 

 

 

THE DREAM LIVES ON

The American Dream, is still alive as an astonishing 70% of the top 400 people in the United States are self-made (Rachel Sandler, 2021),they didn’t have a huge family fortune they worked hard for that money reaching for the American Dream. may bring more inequality into the United States The writer of the book, ‘The Epic of America’ (Adams, 1931) which brought the idea of the American Dream said, “The American dream that lured tens of millions of all nations to our shores in the past century has not been a dream of merely material plenty, though that doubtless counted heavily,” This may have been Adams, writer, way of saying that people from all across the world, from all backgrounds can come to America to work and be successful, this was written in 1931 after all when the world was not a place of much equality. However, if we look at this imbalance and try to turn it on its head, we find that 70 percent of those on the Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest people in the United States in 2021 ‘earned their riches totally from scratch’. It's possible that this won't affect the racial aspect of the problem we're talking about, but it does ensure that the concept of the American Dream lives on, especially considering that an astounding 70 percent of the top 400 individuals in the United States are self-made. Oprah Winfrey, best known for her daytime TV. Oprah has fulfilled the American Dream, (Lowe, 2018), Oprah was raised in a poor household, living with her grandmother and working as a grocery clerk; she won a beauty pageant and was noticed by a local radio show; she rose through the ranks, becoming the first black female news anchor at a Nashville station; she worked extensively in the entertainment industry before landing her own show, "The Oprah Winfrey Show," which drew in an average of 12-13 million viewers per weekday; she has fulfilled the American Dream, having a total net worth of $2.7 billion. This shows that not only is the American Dream still achievable, but it is also a reminder that a black American can achieve the American Dream.

 

This was significant to many in the 20th century, as Lucas Baez discovered while interviewing Freddy Baez (Baez, 2017), Freddy Baez was living in the Dominican Republic in the 1960’s when his family decided to move to America to live a better life, as Baez’s family was poor eating around only one meal a day. Baez says what his expectations of America were before moving, “We were expecting to have a better life and more opportunity, and it happened”. This is just what most people envisioned when they considered relocating to America. This is the same story for many, Michelle Kang was a daughter of Korean immigrants and attended higher education at prestigious Harvard, which is another part of America which is a part of the American Dream, in an ‘National Writing Project, American Creed’ interview (Kang, 2018) Michelle Kang says, ‘I feel like I have achieved my American dream by 1000%. My definition of American is doing what’s right and being successful. Also, owning a home and making a good living is part of my American dream.’  This is the type of success story that inspires others to make the difficult but ultimately rewarding journey to the United States. This is a success story that people looking to achieve the American Dream can look up to, to strive and achieve the American Dream. People moved to America hoping to find work, this is the foundation of the American Dream, the reason why people would move to America is because of the American Dream and what people where told and what they read, the capitalistic economy of America made people want to move their purely to find work and have a better life. Today it’s mostly the same story, people move to America for employment opportunities, to escape violent conflict, or for better education.

 

Another reason why people from around the world should still strive to achieve the American Dream and Americans should promote it, is because it promotes the United States. The American Dream is not a fallacy and is still regarded attainable. When you think of the American Dream, you may picture large cities or famous buildings such as the Statue of Liberty. Many Americans believe that the current state of the United States is due to the privileges granted by the American Dream. It has been argued that migration to the United States is good for the economy and the people, and it doesn't mean that new arrivals are taking jobs away from native-born Americans. There will be more opportunities for both new arrivals and native-born Americans to find work as a direct result of the country's growing population. More people means a greater demand for goods and services across the board, this could be shown by GDP, (fwd.us, 2021), fwd.us says “2 million new immigrants to come each year could help reverse downward demographic and economic trends, and would increase U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) to $47 trillion in today’s dollars by 2050.” This is because more people means more demand for things such as food to banking. This is because there is a greater demand than before because there are more people living in the country, requiring the need for more workers. This is shown in places like California, specifically the tech hub of the world, Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley is home to large companies such as Apple, Meta, Alphabet (Google). These large technology companies are worth billions if not trillions of dollars, Apple alone being worth $2.349 Trillion (Companies Market Cap, 2023). This leads to people that work for these large tech companies becoming wealthy, with Silicon Valley’s aggregate household wealth at nearly $1.1 Trillion (Lazo, 2023) and there being “85 billionaires in Silicon Valley, which is the third largest concentration in the world behind New York and Hong Kong” (Sumagaysay, 2023), this means that Silicon Valley has more billionaires than places like London and Paris. This is important to share because, as stated by npr.org, (Smith, 2022), “that workforce is made up of immigrants. A 2018 report found more than 70% of tech workers in Silicon Valley were born in another country.” This amplifies the American Dream as a modern dream rather than an outdated dream that was created in the 19th century. 

 

CONCLUSION

In response to the question, "Is the American Dream a fallacy?" My opinion the American Dream is a fallacy,because it is entire history is entangled in systemic racism, but it is more complicated than that; the current American Dream as it stands needs to be modified; it must be inclusive and not an exclusive club for the white, rich, men of the world; and it must be accessible to everyone. This could be accomplished through more economic reform, such as enacting more laws requiring a diverse workforce and removing racist politicians from office, as well as imposing age limits on those in positions of power. This may eradicate the harmful dream that is being portrayed of America and make a new, better, and more achievable one, rather than one that is a fallacy, that is being imposed on the rest of the world. This could mean that thousands a week are taking the dangerous journey to achieve something that is not viable due to being essentially brainwashed from the American Dream. 

 

This project might be expanded by performing additional study on the background of capitalism in other societies around the world, such as the United Kingdom with the historic capitalistic of colonization in the United Kingdom and how that could’ve translated into the American Dream’s ideologies. There isn’t much appetite for change in the United States of the Capitalist system which imposes the Dream onto the world, however more and more American’s each year say they have a more socialist view than they did previously. This means that the United States may not see a full annihilation of the Capitalist state, but they may see small changes to help show the real ‘Dream’.

 

EVALUATION

While undertaking this Project, I have learned a great lot about how many people from disadvantaged beginnings have accomplished the American Dream and how successful they have become, I have also learnt further about the historic racism that has taken place in the United States. My original aims and objectives, as set out in Section 1 of my Project Proposal Form, were to determine if the American Dream is still achievable and pursuable, I have moved on from this however and rather answered the question ‘Is the American Dream a fallacy?’. I feel I have accomplished these objectives because I have examined the history and background of the American Dream, as well as the reality of pursuing the American Dream by providing statistics such as the top 400 rags-to-riches achievers in America, providing a total of 25 in depth sources to help my dissertation. I have learnt a great deal about the research process, in particular finding reliable sources. I was unaware of how many sources were unreliable and contained false information in their articles. I discovered this about  an article, from Fox News talking about how the American Dream is better than ever, after reading it and adding it to my table of arguments; but, after researching the company and its history, I removed it from my table of arguments because it was completely unreliable, meaning I was unable to use it in my research. There were some limitations to my methodology which included grasping I would find in research. Also, on my plan and log that I would have set myself a lot of work to complete, but it turned out to be far more work than I anticipated, but in the end, I got the work done due to my determination and using extra time to complete these tasks. In hindsight, I should’ve stuck to the plan and logs suggestions each week at the start due to me planning a lot of stuff to get done on top of the suggestions, without realizing how much was suggested, therefore I should’ve known it would be a substantial amount of work, however, I have learnt skills such as time management as correct researching which will help me in the future due to my future prospects in real estate which at times can be freelancing work, so time management is key, making time management a good skill to learn now. What I could’ve done differently is at the start I had no direction for what question I should attempt to answer, so I think at the start I should’ve given myself more opportunity to research and find something that I was interested enough to write about. 

 

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