Notes

Pick three of the people from the packet and respond to their comments on the American Dream. Do you agree or disagree with what they had to say? Explain.

One of the people cited in this article is Madeleine Albright, she says “The american dream means being part of a society that allows you to be or do whatever you want, and to have a sense that your individual optimism and hard work will be rewarded.” I agree with this statement, as the other people quoted in the article also attest to, the American dream is about working your way to self-made success. Another quote that’s included in this article is from Colin L. Powell, “The American Dream is something that every immigrant brought to this country, as my parents did, and that is the ability to go as far as you can in life, limited only by your own dreams and willingness to work hard.” This quote conveys the same idea as the one above it, The American dream is about working to accomplish what you want to, no matter where you come from, no matter who you are, and no matter what your end goal is. In the case of Tyra Banks, who wanted to become a talk show host, she said this about the American Dream, “The American dream is about fulfilling your potential to the max… it’s about learning what inspires you in life and creating a plan to turn into your life's work”. This is another statement I find easy to agree with. The American dream is about the pursuit of happiness, and self-fulfillment. I think the next quote from Chuck Norris encapsulates this idea best, “Notice in the Declaration that life and liberty are coupled with happiness, not money, status, or materialism”. This fits in with my point from before, the power of the American Dream is that you can make it whatever you want it to be. Overall, I agree with each of the people in the article, and each of them, in their own way, has created their own American dream.
Who is a person who you feel embodies the American Dream? This should be an American. Living or dead, who is not included in this packet. Why does this person embody the American Dream to you?

I feel that in 2020, there is no one who better embodies the American Dream than Jeff Bezos of Amazon. New Mexico isn’t really known for pumping out billionaires, like most places in the US, people live middle class lives, and so did Bezos growing up. Like the typical American he went to college to study what he loved:3 computers. Bezos went to work on Wall Street, and was eventually promoted to Senior Vice President at an investment firm called D.E. Shaw. Although Bezos was making money, the job he had, and the lifestyle he was living wasn’t his American Dream. So, Bezos decides to leave the firm to create his own dream. Bezos starts an online company called Amazon. He finally got to play with computers all day, and make money off of it. Through years of hard work, Bezos now is commonly referred to as “ The Richest Man in the World “. Although that is true, it’s important also to remember that he started without that money, and through his hard work, he accomplished his own American Dream.

What is your American Dream? Using your rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, what are three specific goals you plan to accomplish in life?
Personally, I’d like to set up passive income for myself, enough so that I don’t need to worry about a job, I can work for fun, and to stay occupied. In terms of material possessions, one day I’d like to own a ‘69 Datsun 240z, it’s not a particularly expensive or exotic car, but it really is beautiful. Also, someday in the future i’d like to have a house with a lot of windows, either in a forest, or on a beach.