The phrase “American Dream” will be 100 years old in 2031. It is attributed to a 1931 quote by John Truslow Adams’ book, The Epic of America: “That American dream of a better, richer, and happier life for all our citizens of every rank, which is the greatest contribution we have made to the thought and welfare of the world.”
Although coined at the start of the 20th century, the sentiment has been present since the discovery/colonization of the “New World” (i.e., North America, South America, and the Caribbean) in the late 15th and early 16th centuries and has since defined much of United States’ history. The notion of a physical place promising a better individual place is at the heart of the American Dream; simply that one’s life will be better, by the mere fact of being within the geographic, political, or cultural confines of the United States. For over 500 years, this ideology has inspired people inside and outside of the United States, inspiring millions of immigrants to brave global travel and millions more citizens and residents to their own individual aspirations.
Since Fall 2020, Newhouse students have been conversing across categories about the American Dream, interviewing someone someone is demographically different on at least four categories (e.g., race, ethnicity gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status, ability, generation). Interviewees were diverse, and encompassed a wider range of age, gender, race, and socioeconomic status. Students then created brief media artifacts inspired by their conversation that invited the audience to consider the meaning of the American Dream at the start of the 21st century.
This resource is an ongoing space for understanding the evolving American Dream by inviting stories from people worldwide.