Category: American Dream

The American Dream? More like the American Nightmare. It is described as “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”, the belief that anyone can gain success if they work hard enough. The American Dream was originally invented in 1931 by historian James Adams (Michael Leweyn, 2003). Adams referred to it as ‘That dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement.’ It is now 2019, and with the value, beliefs, and attitudes of society changing so often, how could this be applicable to today’s world, when it was created 88 years ago? The American Dream is not a dream, but a goal that is unobtainable because it makes women reliant on men for success, wealth, and happiness, is unavailable to lower classes, and it requires an obsession for materialistic items and money. These aspirations are set by the upper class in society and motivate people to work longer and harder and socialize less, therefore experiencing the opposite of ‘Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness’, because happiness cannot be achieved without socializing and creating relationships. This cultural hegemony simply cannot be enforced in today’s society because of the different job opportunities and pay rates. Buying a house and a car, and getting a steady job is not as easy as it was back in the 1930s-2000s. In fact, the majority of my generation will likely struggle to get a steady job, let alone a house and a car. These concepts of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness are not as undeniable and available as people believe and are sometimes challenged by texts such as The Great Gatsby (1925), or other sources such as the movie Little Miss Sunshine (2006). Both of these critique this view of a family, a house, and a car being the basis of everybody’s happiness. After all, this influence of the higher classes still occurs today, with so many celebrities manipulating audiences by either directly or indirectly informing them which practices and products are ‘more correct’ than others. As such, this gatekept American Dream itself is an idealized state of mind, not taking the same form as the higher class manipulates it to be.

The American Dream is a symbol of happiness. Guided by the need to fit in, millions of people go to work every day hoping that they will, in some part, get that bit closer to accessing the American Dream. However, due to the nature of the class structure, where it is increasingly problematic to move classes, and the capitalist foundations that underpin our society, people are not likely to access the Dream any time soon. This concept of The American Dream is clearly shown in the 1925 novel, ‘The Great Gatsby’ and also in the 2006 movie, ‘Little Miss Sunshine’. The American Dream is an idealized state of mind, which is set by the bourgeoisie and is reinforced through cultural hegemony. Therefore, leaving it inaccessible since the rich act as the gatekeepers.

Money doesn’t buy happiness. It’s a saying everyone has heard at least once in their lifetime. In “The Great Gatsby”, Jay Gatsby spent his whole life earning the wealth and reputation that he thought would win Daisy over, and get the connection they had before he went to war back. “He had come a long way to this blue lawn and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it”, was a quote spoken by Nick Carraway in the book. It portrays the impression that although Gatsby was rich and could afford anything, he would never be able to get the thing he wanted the most, Daisy. Daisy never wanted to admit to her husband, Tom, that she had feelings for Gatsby, no matter how much money Gatsby had, which meant he never got happiness. This situation shows that money doesn’t bring happiness, as Jay could buy anything he wanted, except for the person he wanted. Connections and relationships with people bring happiness, and they are not something you can buy. Gatsby died unhappy with no friends or family because of his money.

In the film “Little Miss Sunshine”, the family is trying to achieve the American Dream, which in their eyes is winning the beauty pageant. Winning the pageant, they think will fulfill the family. Near the end of the film, the family abandons the idea of winning, and it’s what makes them come together as a family and have true happiness. They abandoned the idea of achieving what they thought was the American Dream and came together as a family to achieve the REAL American Dream. The family is seen as one from a lower class; they don’t have a big house, a brand-new car, or expensive clothes. The beauty pageant was for “beautiful” children, and the parents of those children had a lot of money. Olive’s family never had a chance of winning the pageant, simply because they weren’t rich or from a high class. They never achieved the “American Dream”, because it was off-limits to them. The movie shows that lower classes or people without much money can’t achieve their Dream.

The American Dream is just an ideology that people wish would exist. People want to achieve happiness and fulfillment easily and quickly and thought the American Dream would be the key to earning it. In reality, it only causes more unhappiness for those who have it and is cut off by the majority of the population just because they don’t have enough money to gain access to it. If you think about it, people are basically paying money for happiness. That is all the American Dream is. Why would you do that if you could just gain happiness by developing close relationships with family and friends? “The Great Gatsby” and the “Little Miss Sunshine” film and novel prove my point, as none of the characters ever reached happiness in the novel, and in the film, the family realized how to get the real American Dream…by being with each other at the moment and staying close. Relationships matter more than money, and they are the definite way to achieve true happiness.

Immigration shouldn’t be a direct implication for families to fear deportation. Immigration deals with low wages, labor exploitation, poverty and many disadvantages in their employment . Borders shouldn’t be barriers for families that have U.S citizen family members to be taken apart for indefinite periods of time and children being locked into cages, fosters or taken back to Mexico with no reason to forbid. The government is taking immigrants as a major problem to the economy and a threat giving them limited resources. The president has been dissing the immigrant community due to their ethnicity and reasons that totally don’t involve them. This case has outgrown dramatically over the past years affecting families with the reason of having a better life. Immigrants deal with discrimination where ever they go but still remain positive to not give up and get the “ American Dream” they promised themselves and their families.

Undocumented imigration is a big case worldwide where they’re classifide with tags where ever they step foot on. They are believed that immigrants are by perspective law breakers , commit numerous crimes , drug traffickers and many other things. A 2019 Pew Research Center Poll shows that 69% of U.S adults believe immigrants commit the same serious crimes as a U.S born citizen (UI 1). Another serious aspect is citizens complain they take away job opportunities that they have. Immigrants are willing to work low wages even though they get exploited by their bosses or fear that they might get deported and inputed in detention centers, something citizens aren’t willing to do for a low cost in a job. The 2019 Poll admits that 77% of the jobs aren’t taken by citizens due to being dangerous and hard, 73% are taken by immigrants because there are hardworking and honest employees ( UI 1). They have many disadvantages such as not being eligible for federal, state, local benefits for food, housing, and healthcare programs for their families and children.

The concerns that the United States was being overloaded with immigrants that are supposed to be murderers , kidnappers and other things made the agency ICE ( Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency) take extreme nonsense matters. ICE detained nearly 63% of people that didn’t have any crime as of Feb 9, 2019. They jailed 48,793 immigrants and only 18,124 had criminal records or charges against them ( Sacchetti). A deputy director of ICE, Matthew Albence gave his view on this problem saying “ Immigration enforcement is only effective against those individuals once they commit a subsequent crime to their initial immigration violation” making several detainees not applicable ( Sacchetti). President Trump involved an emergency declaration stating that this was becoming an invasion to the community and immigrants were “monsters” against U.S citizens. Trump’s administration during a House Democratic aide was asked for a breakdown of the criminals and non-criminals in detention centers and their budget increased daily by the number of beds in detention from 40,500 to more than 45,000 ( Sacchetti). The immigration officials have made their top priority to arrest and deport criminals due to having a wide latitude by Trump to arrest anyone in the United States that’s illegal whether there are criminals or not. The president has gone beyond the limits to overthrow immigrants in such a horrible way that many don’t feel safe at all they fear for their lives on a daily basis.

The United States has opened numerous amounts of Immigration prisons, making the federal government redirect billions of dollars such as 2.7 billion alone in 2017 for ICE’s detention system instead of directing it towards the navigation of legal processes ( Hernandez). Also those billions will help navigate high-stakes immigration court cases and for the need of lawyers, social workers and case managers. Many immigrants jailed can’t afford a lawyer even if it’s a government paid lawyer because of their families stability financially. The immigration court system handles 200,00 cases a year and some are bound to be some people who flout the rules while others get a court day to only lose and get two options of deportation or arresting them or look the other way(Hernandez). The bipartisan consensus asked: What good comes from locking up immigrants? And the answer of the democrats was that it helped keep our community safe when in detention centers(Hernandez). This status of just relying on prisons for immigrants won’t make a difference in the entire community because there’s always bad situations occurring and we don’t have to blame a certain group for it.

The issues that accuse immigrants are getting out of hand and the government as well as the president is having to make extreme matters to stop immigrants from entering the United States. In April 2018, the Trump’s administration along with the Department of Justice ( DOJ) adopted zero tolerance policy to those seeking asylum at the border even before their destination (Gale OPW). The policy required that those who attempted would be held in federal facilities before even hearing a federal judge. A result of this policy was to separate families and having children in detention centers while adults were held in federal facilities. The count for this act was over 5,400 children separated from their parents and siblings even after the president changed the policy by political pressure ( Gale OPW). The government extended that the reunification of these families would take many years. Families should not pass through this situation because it is a harsh thing to do because they suffer and the frustration is that they can’t do anything about it.

The fact that immigrant children are being kept in detention centers doesn’t mean they can get treated like animals. The U.S authorities are denying them their basic needs that forces the children to sleep on concrete floors covered only by aluminum blankets ( Flores). They make them go 90 days without bathing the toddler children and without diapers making them soil themselves. A report from the Associated press found out that teenage girls were to take care of scores of toddlers who have been sitting in clothes with mucus , tears and excrement while in a very crowded cage. There are still 2,300 children separated from their families and not yet returned and another 30,00 migrant youth being still detained(Flores). In the last two years there have been approximately 18 children as young as two that have died in custody due to the poor conditions offered. They are not even given a toothbrush or soap that are intended to be “luxury” for the needs of the children. A 2017 ruling found that the U.S government violates legal precedents when it fails to make such provision(Flores). The government has gotten to the extreme matters that intends to keep migrant children in a military base as a Japanese internment camp so it can be ordered and stabled.

ICE is not just arresting or deporting, they have also denied health care to many immigrants that are in need or need it to survive. A report in January 2019 cited more than 14,000 deficiencies found during inspections of 106 immigrant detention facilities nationwide between October 2015 and June 30, 2018( Saadi). The poor conditions they stay in harm the individual health as some say they experienced sleep deprivation from the lights that are being kept 24 hours a day(Saadi). They also say that they have to wear dirty prison uniforms that cause urinary problems and vaginal infections for the female and they were not allowed to get any treatment for it. Meanwhile others complain there being served rotten inadequate food , violation of standards that has been repeatedly documented in inspection reports(Saadi). Other detainees reported that they got verbal and physical abuse by the guards that would worsen their mental health such as pre symptoms of depression or the attempt to kill themselves by the trauma. They also say that the staff would be frequently using racial epithets and referred to them as “crazies” , or “Looney Tunes”, or “Trash (Saadi). The government has to stop neglecting the resources and decrease the abuse that leads to serious health problems in detention centers because there are dangerous acts and not uncommon experiences.

The part of acclimation to a new place or home is very difficult especially for an immigrant child that has traveled thousands of miles in search of a better life and better education. Public schools have been open doors and are taking the responsibility to help the thousands of children. These children have fled from their origin country due to the desperation of poverty, violence and some even come with scars on their bodies leaving their families behind. The U.S schools already have strapped for resources and are trying to provide special services including English language instruction and mental -health care ( Brown). Sandra Jimenez, a principal of High Point High School in Prince George’s county,Md, in a Washington suburb where immigrants have rapidly increased, said “We have built an Oasis” where we support the children and make them feel safe at school ( Brown). She said that she and her team mates were scheduling their rooms to be able to have newcomers as the year begins to add the arriving children in classes as soon as possible. They help the parents as well by if a student needs housing or health care they connect them with a counselor that will connect them with community groups that can help with their situation. Jessica M. Vaughan from the center for Immigration studies told the House of Judiciary subcommittee in a Washington post that she bemoaned the effects, “ The cost of meeting educational needs for the arriving immigrants are part of of the surge is the main way that the administration policy is burdensome to state and local governments”(Brown). Staff members say that they get to meet the real person behind all the struggles certain students go through to consider themselves free and able to do what they really wish and support their families. Many say that they expect to see their parents soon in time but the consequences of not being able to get a type of Visa affects their daily lives here in the United States without their loved ones.

The families have several effects due to the deportacion of a family member as well as the community that knew that person was a good, kind hearted person with them and everyone else around them. In The past three decades 340,056 people have been deported from the country in 2017 to their origin country. The ICE agency doesn’t care if you have been living in the U.S for over a decade or are parents or caregivers of a U.S citizen child or member. Nearly 4 in 5 families have “ credible fear” of persecution to be forced into their country(Dreby). A total of 16.6 million people currently live in mixed status families with at least one unauthorized immigrant and a third of U.S children of immigrants live in mixed status families(Dreby). Many immigrants left their origin country due to horrible situations such as trauma, violence and abuse and get here to receive the same in detention centers. In 2011,alone for six months more than 46,000 parents of U.S citizens children were deported ( Dreby). There has been individual face threats of deportation from citizens that dislike immigrants due to the color of their skin. Nearly 10% of U.S families have at least one member without citizenship and 5.9 million have one caregiver ( Dreby). The parents are being shipped out of the country and leaving single mothers struggling to make ends meet while children are in foster care. The deportation of people who have committed certain serious crimes are a threat to our national security and will harm the people of the community.

Immigration has affected mental and economically numerous families that strive for the best only but as their status is illegal they can’t progress further. These impacts have negatively impacted childrens in the long term by providing them with “toxic-stress” due to the fear of a family member being deported. Between 2006 and 2009 a study of immigration enforcement in six locations in the U.S found families lost 40 to 90 percent of their income on average 70 percent within six months of a parents immigration related arrest, detention or an order of deportacion( America 2). An estimated 5,000 U.S citizen children in foster care had a detained or deported parent in 2011 according to a national study(America2). There has been limited mechanism to safeguard the parent’s right will in custody with the government. A federal law mandates that parental rights be terminated if a child has been out of parent’s custody for 15 of the past 22 months ( America2). If the parental rights remain intact with the parent deportacion they can make custody arrangements for their children to stay in the United States or ICE is supposed to “accommodate, to the extent practicable” to make effort of guardianship or travel arrangements for the child prior to the deportacion ( America2). After all, the government takes away their children and then makes it almost impossible to get their child back by saying to them that they have to prove they can have kept the child stable and in a safe environment when the parents have barely been deported.

As an immigrant there’s not many choices to choose out from when it comes to jobs, living conditions, education range and so much more because doors close right in front due to having the “illegal” tag. In 2012, a Gallup survey regarding immigration found that 640 million people would move to a different country if given the opportunity and a top destination was the United States with 23 percent of people choosing it as their top destination ( Chief). Immigrants bring new experiences and perspectives to the communities they settle in by the way they are, traditions, and the strength to never give up on what you want in life. In the United States about 800,000 people become naturalized U.S citizens after being legalized to bring more knowledge and wisdom and increase the cultural awareness of everyone in a community(Chief). If they have the opportunities to pursue an advanced education or higher employment skilled job they can later go to their origin country and make it improve its status with their skills. The “American Dream” is not present in every country and only 33 out of 200 nations are considered to be a developing country ( Chief ). Illegal immigrants make up more than 6 percent of the state’s population and 69% are less likely to be imprisoned when compared to native citizens ( Chief).

In conclusion, immigrants aren’t as substandard as the society sees it. It’s just a matter of fact to give an opportunity to those in need of it. They show that diversity is a good thing and that if local communities help out and get to know their cases they would change their perspective towards them. Negativity of the president towards the immigrants leads to the citizens to bash them and treat them like animals and downgrade them in front of others. Immigrants are looking for a place that’s full of opportunities to make them prosper and become a better person but if we close doors on them how are they going to achieve their goals.

America still provides access to the American Dream. Some people might agree with this, but I am not one of those people. In past America probably did provide access to the American Dream. But that was the past, things were different then. Now it’s hard to reach the American Dream, and America isn’t making it any easier.

The American Dream was to be able to live comfortably, even as a middle-class family. Even if you are in the middle class, you still struggle. It used to be lower class, middle class, and upper class. Now it’s more like lower class, upper class, and upper upper class. Why do we have to sacrifice so much just to achieve and live comfortably? In the article ‘Is the American Dream Still Possible’ by David Wallechinsky, Simone and Miguel’s story has a part that says: “The words retirement and vacation are not in our vocabulary you know that old Tennessee Ernie Ford song: ‘I owe my soul to the company store we don’t think about retirement they’ll have to take me out of here with my high-top tennies on’”. Some people don’t even see retirement as an option. There’s another part: “The American Dream is just a bygone”. They don’t see the American Dream as something achievable in this period.

People used to believe that they could achieve the American Dream by working hard and doing everything they could, but that’s changed in the past years. The American Dream is something that we wish for and hopes that we can achieve one day, but it’s not as easy to achieve it anymore. This is one of the reasons I feel like America does not still offer the American Dream.

Education is the foundation of a free society. This is true education is the foundation of a free society. Getting a good education is hard. In a speech by Barack Obama in 2004, he says that “young women in East St. Louis and thousands more like her who have the grades, have the drive, have the will, but doesn’t have the money to go to college”. There are so many kids like this, not just females. Barack Obama also says that “people don’t expect the government to solve all their problems, but they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a slight change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all”. Yes, we don’t expect the government to fix all our problems, but we do wish they would help us with the ones we can’t fix ourselves. Not every child has doors of opportunities open for them. It’s not fair why should some kids be able to get ahead in life just because they have more money or because their family is better off. Why can’t every child have an opportunity to do great things even if they don’t have a lot of money? America wants to offer the American Dream still, but we can’t do that when we can’t offer the simplest things, like giving every child a fair shot at a bright future.

Human beings are basically good and getting better. This isn’t true in all cases. Yes, in some ways we are good and we’re getting better at it, but this is not true in all cases. William Zinsser is right in ‘The Right to Fail’. “Who is there to say then if there is any right path to the top or even to say what the top consists of? Obviously, the colleges don’t have more than a partial answer otherwise the young would not be so disaffected with an education that they considered vapid”. We are willing to go to another school for more time to get a degree or something else, why do we have to take classes did it not what we need? Will major in one thing, but we have to minor in so many more. We have to pay money to take these classes that we really don’t want to take, but we have to do to get the credits to graduate. How is that fair how is this living the American Dream paying for things that we don’t want and didn’t ask for? William also says: “Maybe we are learning again to cherish the right of every person to succeed on his own terms and to fail as often as necessary along the way”. Maybe we are accepting that people will succeed in their own way. They might fail many times, but what matters is that we help them get back up and keep trying. The American Dream is meant to offer stability and freedom to learn what you want to learn and the way you want to, but if that were the case, we wouldn’t make dropping out an insult. William says: “I like ‘dropout’ as an addition to the American language because it’s brief and it’s clear what I don’t like is that we use it almost entirely as a dirty word”. And it’s true, we use ‘dropout’ as a dirty word to teach children that bad things will happen if they don’t go to school. That they automatically will be failures. But what we don’t tell them is that a lot of brilliant people actually dropped out when they were younger to pursue their dreams. We don’t want to tell them that there is a chance that they will succeed if they drop out. If America still truly provides the American Dream, we wouldn’t make ‘dropout’ a dirty word and make it seem like the worst thing someone can do.

Can America still offer the American Dream? Yes, in some ways America can still offer the American Dream. I witnessed this firsthand as a child. From a young age, I was in and out of shelters with my mom and my brothers. Without the help of these government-funded and charity-funded shelters, I and my brothers would have grown up on the streets. America offers a lot of things to help you achieve your American Dream. When I live too far away from my school and any other elementary school, they provided me with a taxi ride from the shelter I lived in at the time to my school. Even now that I’m older, I still have things provided to me by the state. I have basic health insurance that is provided to me by the state. I also have a therapist provided to me by the state. There are a lot of things to state for us, you just have to look for them, but it’s not always easy to find them. Without all of the help I got from the state as a child and even as a team, I don’t think I would be alive today or anywhere near where I am right now. So yes, I do believe America still provides the American Dream in some ways. I still do firmly believe America does not provide the American Dream like it said it would. People sacrifice and give up things every day just to achieve something they were promised years ago. But that’s the thing it was years ago, times have changed, things are different, and nothing is the same as it was 50 or 60 years ago. I’ve heard so many stories growing up of things that happened in the past, and back then America really provided the American Dream. That was in the past, we live in the present. From everything I’ve read, I firmly believe that America does not still provide access to the American Dream.

Most people, if not most of the US, always want to measure the dream at some point in their lives. But the question is, what is the meaning of aspiration, and how can people achieve this vague and illusory realization? The ambition could be a national philosophy or a belief that specifies the best factors like democracy, freedom, rights, and equality that accords every citizen’s civil right to prosper and achieve their set goals. The inspiration for the American Dream is deeply rooted in the Declaration of Independence, which asserts that “all men are created equal”. In simple terms, the dream eliminates the unreal barriers to prosperity and promotes upward social mobility for everyone within the US, reckoning on their diligence no matter their, social, religious, historical, and racial background. The dream could be a slogan that is selling across the world and up to this point, we see immeasurable people crossing America’s borders as immigrants in search of this dream that cannot rather be achieved in their homelands. The ambition may be a reality as we see it through how different people within the US have developed and better their ingenuity and achieve their goals through their best efforts. Making this dream a reality is not a straight path, because it is all about overcoming the challenges that differentiate a resilient individual from the remainder. All in all, it is the perfect life that individuals want to attain in this country.

In my opinion, ambition may be a bit different from that. The best life for the citizens of the land of the free consists of three main subjects. The primary one is the ability and right to chase one’s dream. The second is the right to be accepted as a private. The third one is freedom from oppression. The subsequent essay will discuss these characteristics of the dream through examples and ideas from famous readings about the United States of America.

The first characteristic of the aspiration, that individuals should be ready to pursue their dreams, is one of the foremost basic concepts that built up the culture of the US because it is always the ethos of Americans to figure hard to be ready to get what they need and achieve success. People are encouraged to follow their dreams and take a look at their best to create them and come true. As commonly seen today, people, especially youngsters, have a passion for something. This passion will be anything and they are encouraged by their family, their friends, and folks around them to travel ahead and check out to try their best to form them come true. As commonly seen within society, many clubs and institutions are created in response to people’s need for places to further participate in their hobbies and interests. The world of study in universities is additionally very large. It allows students to pursue any academic field that they require to find out near to satisfy their thirst for knowledge in those fields. Since the start of America, many races and ethnicities of individuals have flowed into the newly emerging nation. Even though it’s not become the USA yet, people came to hunt for better lives and opportunities.

The second characteristic is the right to be accepted and revered as a private. The perfect society for America is a society in which different people can live together harmonized. In other words, people should be unified, but embrace the differences between each other. These differences may be anything. They’ll be an enormous topic like races, ethnicities, religions, ideas, languages, or small things like hobbies or interests. Equality, despite differences, could be a very desirable thing. History has shown that accepting differences and acknowledging others can result in prosperity. Schlesinger clearly stated this time of view in his article, ‘The Cult of Ethnicity’. In the 20th century, new immigration laws altered the composition of the American people, and the cult of ethnicity erupted both among non-Anglo whites and nonwhite minorities. This had many healthy consequences. The American culture finally began to offer shamefully overdue recognition to achievements of groups subordinated and spurned during the noon of Anglo dominance, and it began to acknowledge the nice swirling world beyond Europe. Americans acquired a more complex and invigorating sense of their world, and of themselves.

The final characteristic that defines the American Dream is freedom from oppression, because the nickname of this country already says quite clearly, America’s ideal environment is where freedom is given to every single citizen. Oppression will not be tolerated in this land of the free. As John F. Kennedy said in his inaugural: “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and therefore the success of liberty”. The US also clarified its stand since the first times of the state that it will pursue the proper of individuals and cannot let tyranny be in power over the people. An instance of this can be stated in the Declaration of Independence by Jefferson. We hold these truths to be self-evident: that everyone man is created equal; that they’re endowed by their Creator with inherent and unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and also the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, the government is instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever when any type of government becomes destructive of those ends, it’s proper of individuals to change or abolish it and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, on them shall seem presumable to affect their safety and happiness.

In conclusion, though aspiration is also defined differently, in my point of view, it consists of a collection of rights. First, people should be able to pursue their dreams and do things they require to. Second, people should be accepted as there, and they should cooperate with others peacefully. Third, all people should be considered equals and be free from unjustified oppression. The aspiration is the ideal society and concept that individuals of the planet, not just Americans, should achieve through cooperation and understanding of others.

The U.S. Supreme Court is currently examining its fundamental status of being a nation built by immigrants while maintaining the laws and ideals it upholds as a democratic nation (Jawetz, 2019). Immigration policy, which is fair to existing citizens, must uphold the rule of law while remaining functional and humane (Shachar, 2011). Upholding the law entails clear procedures and manageable pathways for immigration, yet just punishment for those who violate the laws (Motomura, 2020). The emotional pleas from undocumented young adults caught in legal limbo are difficult to witness. They were smuggled into the U.S. by their families as children and now they fear deportation to countries unknown to them (Gonzales, Brant, & Roth, 2019). The ethics of this dispute compete in a society where economic considerations and laws most often prevail (Hing, 2015). Yet sympathies reach widely, as most Americans are supportive of those affected to remain in the U.S. (Wilkinson, 2018). It is imperative to uphold and honor the law to remain a civilized society, although laws must evolve to accommodate societal issues and a continuous assimilation of cultures (Alba, 2020). This paper seeks to explore changes in immigration policy made by the Trump administration and its effects on both citizens and undocumented immigrants. Also considered is whether aiding undocumented youth is an asset or a detriment to the U.S. Finally, recommendations for this specific immigration policy are considered.

Illegal Immigration

Illegal immigration is often the only path for individuals who feel forced to escape the adverse living conditions of their homelands. Yet it places individuals in vulnerable living and working conditions in the U.S. The process of illegal immigration creates cheap workers who must tread carefully through their everyday lives under the fear and threat of deportation (Chiswick & Miller, 2014). The election of President Trump and his anti-immigrant rhetoric has furthered the public notion undocumented migrants are most often hardened criminals, although the U.S.-born population is more likely to commit crimes or be incarcerated (Landgrave & Nowrasteh, 2017).

Undocumented migrants cannot access basic social entitlements; they lack fundamental rights and have little to no recourse for legal protections. The status of undocumented immigrants forces them to face several levels of social inequalities (Chavez, 1998). Undocumented workers are unable to enter the formal workforce and must remain in low-wage jobs with little opportunity for advancement, career changes, or development of their employment skills (Waters & Pineau, 2016).

Inclusion of Undocumented Children in the U.S. Public Educational System

Fortunately, there is a legal right for undocumented immigrants to education, promoting the inclusion of undocumented children in U.S. public schools. Ruling children are “persons” under the 14th Amendment in 1982, the Supreme Court made it unconstitutional for states to deny children access to public education in Plyler v. Doe (Soltero, 2009). Although education is not a fundamental human right, the court ruled denying a K-12 education to undocumented children created a “lifetime of hardship” and put them on a trajectory of becoming permanent “underclass” individuals. Undocumented youth, brought here at an early age are not U.S. citizens, but they grow up identifying with the American culture. The ruling in Plyler v. Doe gave undocumented children the same constitutional rights as native-born children in the K-12 educational system (Menjivar, 2008). The rationale at the time was the perceived cost to the nation and to the undocumented children, in denying education versus the actual educational costs needed (Yates, 2004). Since the passage of this law, nearly 40 years ago, the attainment of a college education has become increasingly instrumental in accessing the job market and securing a sustainable salary. These students eventually face higher educational barriers, social and emotional implications, and legal and economic hardship because of their immigration status (Waters & Pineau, 2016).

Higher Educational Opportunities for the Undocumented in California

California state legislation has attempted to be responsive to these changes in the economy. Assembly Bill 540 helped college students who graduated from Californian high schools become exempt from paying out-of-state tuition (Rico & CSU Fresno, 2012). Expansions to the availability of education are evidence immigrants have received additional rights, but they are ultimately bound to their lack of citizenship. Their lack of inclusion in American political and civil society extends beyond the attainment of education, as students face the lack of judicial and social rights upon graduation (Gandara & Contreras, 2009). Unlike their parents who never experienced rights as citizens, undocumented children have access to the U.S. educational system; and those who excel are welcomed into the collegiate system. However, once finished with the educational system, these individuals are unable to utilize their talents due to their immigration status (Garcia, 2010). This immigration policy subsidizes a significant investment in developing a trained workforce of immigrants who are at risk of exploitation in the U.S. labor market (Bansak, 2016). Ultimately, these students will join their undocumented parents, lacking legal access to all rights granted to Americans, after experiencing education and socialization in the U.S. This represents a restrictive immigration system working against the increasingly well-intended civil rights benefits for undocumented children (Jawetz, 2019). All children eventually become adults and ultimately face being unable to legally able to work in the nation. High-achieving students who may have benefited from college opportunities in progressive states with sanctuary cities face dead-ends in the labor market, causing psychological distress (Cebula, 2016).

Undocumented Immigrants and the Need for Immigration Legislation

Government officials now recognize providing education without a path toward legalization left children unprepared for undocumented life as adults. One measure toward rectification of these policies is the failed DREAM ACT (short for Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors), which first originated in 2001 (Coronado, 2012). This legislation would have granted unauthorized immigrants who met certain eligibility criteria a conditional resident status, followed by permanent residency after six years. The DREAM Act was inactive for several years due to the subsequent terrorist acts of 9/11 (Swain, 2007). Since 2007, multiple versions of the bill failed to pass in Congress, including the failure of the DREAM Act of 2010 in the Senate. The bill cleared the House of Representatives but was five votes short in the Senate, despite bipartisan support. In his remarks to the media in 2011, the Obama administration stated there was nothing he could do and urged Congress to come up with a solution for the “DREAMers” (those who would meet the criteria of the DREAM Act) (Batzke, (2018).

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act

With the DREAM Act legislation seemingly in a perpetual uncertain state for many years while in Congress, the Obama administration turned toward efforts to legalize DREAMers brought to the U.S. by their undocumented parents. In 2012, the administration utilized its prosecutorial discretion of the executive authority to implement a policy called the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) (Olivas, 2012). DACA granted DREAMers a two-year, renewable period of deferred action from deportation, as well as temporary work authorization.

DREAMers brought to the U.S. before age 16 were entitled to remain in the U.S. legally without fear of deportation. DACA did not provide DREAMers with a path to U.S. citizenship or legal permanent residence, inciting criticism from immigrant rights advocates. DACA provided undocumented students the right to access public universities across the nation, along with legal work authorization permits, helping to ensure the financial ability to pursue higher education. Additionally, DREAMers could access educational grants and loans, qualify for state-subsidized health care, and obtain government-issued I.D. or driver’s licenses. This provided recipients the opportunity to legally drive to work or school, open bank accounts, apply for housing, and access a variety of other tasks requiring a government-issued I.D. DACA recipients, on a case-by-case basis, also could leave the U.S. and reenter lawfully, unlike undocumented immigrants. To qualify for DACA, applicants must have lived in the U.S. for at least five years, be under the age of 31, and file an application and pay a fee of $500.

Demographics of DACA Recipients

DACA recipients are on average 25 years old and although some were born in Central and South America, Asia, and the Caribbean, the majority were born in Mexico (Batalova, Hooker, Capps, & Bachmeier, 2014). To qualify for DACA, recipients must be in high school or already hold a high school diploma or G.E.D. If there is proof of service in the military, they are exempt from the education requirement. Anyone with a serious misdemeanor conviction, a criminal history, or a felony record is ineligible for the program. A 2010 report by the UCLA North American Integration and Development Center focused on the potential earnings of DREAMers over their lives, refuting the public notion they would be a burden on the economy with an estimate of the $1.4 trillion dollars of potential economic contribution to the nation.

The DACA Controversy

Shortly after DACA began, a group of states filed a lawsuit to block DACA, arguing a president lacks the legal authority to enforce immigrant legislation and those states would suffer a financial strain to implement the program. A federal district judge did side with the states, issuing a temporary block against Obama’s actions. The administration appealed the decision, but a three-judge panel voted 2 to 1 to uphold the lower court’s decision to block Obama’s actions. This led the Obama Administration to appeal to the Supreme Court. The court issued a stalemate leaving the lower court’s ruling in place, permanently blocking the president’s immigration actions. The Supreme Court’s decision does not impact the initial DACA program applicants but denies protections for the more than four million undocumented immigrants who could have qualified for Obama’s programs, leaving them at risk of deportation and unable to obtain work permits. Deporting all DACA immigrants would require extreme financial expansions in immigration enforcement operations and estimates suggest the US economy would suffer a $1 trillion loss (Gitis, 2016).

DACA and the Trump Administration

The Trump administration is grappling with an overabundance of immigration challenges as migrants inundate the U.S. borders seeking legalized asylum. Meanwhile, the children of undocumented migrants await their fates. The Supreme Court heard arguments last November, concerning the Trump administration’s claim that Obama’s immigration policy reflects a separation of powers and is against constitutional authority. The nation awaits a Supreme Court decision while the Trump administration emphasizes the criminalization of people who migrate illegally. DACA supporters claim, despite the legality of Obama’s policy, the incorporation of the labor efforts of undocumented migrants factors into the U.S. economy.

Immigrants came to America with the intention to live a better life, but they did not get to pursue their dreams. The reason why most dreams were either not pursued or deferred was that they came to America less fortunate than those who were already here. Those who were already in America, aka the ‘Americans’, looked at the immigrants as peasants or just poor individuals altogether.

Most people in America do not still provide access to the American Dream for the ‘tired, the poor, and the huddled masses’, through the ideals of having no freedom, and not having opportunities or equal rights. The American Dream doesn’t provide access to freedom because not everyone feels free. A famous poet/rapper quote states, “The American Dream wasn’t meant for me, ’cause lady liberty’s a hypocrite, she lied to me, promised me freedom, education, and equality, never gave me nothing but slavery, but now look at how dangerous you made me callin’ me a madman because I’m strong and bold” (Tupac Shakur). This shows that not everyone feels that freedom was made for them when misjudged or perceived as a bad person by others looking in but not actually being in their shoes. For example, Tupac was a rapper who talked about his personal life and those whom he was surrounded by, but was getting arrested for being a ‘thug’. That proves that my argument is valid. Not saying that the American Dream does not still provide access to Americans, because it could have been for him, but his choices were to rap about the things he felt harmed the black community, and other people didn’t like that he was what they call today ‘woke’. Just because it’s not fair or freedom isn’t given to one person doesn’t mean it’s not given to others. As his eyes were open to things going on around him and his music was a way for him to speak up about it because no one else would.

In the American Dream, the ‘tired, the poor, and the huddled masses’ don’t have the same opportunities as the wealthy people and luxury homes when they are way wealthier and more accomplished than the people who are just less fortunate. A famous quote states, “No person can maximize the American Dream on the minimum wage” (Benjamin Todd Jealous). This shows that without money it is impossible to live the American Dream. Because in this world nothing is free or just handed to you. Not saying that the American Dream does not provide opportunity because that doesn’t apply to all people. Opportunity comes with success, not failure. If you aren’t successful then the opportunity wouldn’t apply for you as it would for others. The American Dream does not provide access to equal rights. A famous poet once stated: “Let America be America again, let it be the dream it used to be” (Langston Hughes). This shows that nothing in America is the same as nobody shares the same rights as another individual. Back then only a selection of people had fair rights and the others didn’t. The laws changed, and people thought it would be different. But now today were dealing with poverty, poor, homeless, rich, and wealthy folks. Nobody’s the same, not saying everyone can’t have equal rights, but everyone isn’t financially or mentally on the same level as one another.

In conclusion, I still believe that America does not still provide access to the American Dream. But after writing this paper, a part of me feels like they do. Everyone isn’t given the same everything, sometimes people have to work harder than others saying that life isn’t fair. But nothing is fair: those who have access to the American Dream might have earned it, and those who didn’t just didn’t earn those same rights. I still agree with my thesis but I feel that both sides of the argument are true after research.

Maya Lin, an adored architect, once said, “The American Dream is being able to follow your own personal calling. To be able to do what you want to do is incredible freedom.” Lin implies the idea that the American Dream is what you envision it to be. She alludes that one’s aspirations should not be defined by society or others. If one is willing to follow their dream without influence, the American Dream is attainable by anyone.

In a meeting with Gerrick Gonzales, on November 10th, 2019, he discussed his life’s ambitions and purpose considering the American Dream. American Dreams were viewed as a requirement for many people because it motivates themselves to live a successful, fulfilling life while earning achievements. Gerrick Gonzales shares how he migrated to America and embraced all the challenges. When asked what his greatest achievement is, he responds with, “Over the years, I have achieved many things in life both in business and personal. However, my greatest achievement is meeting and marrying my wife that truly loves and cares for me as well as my three lovely and beautiful daughters. It truly gave me a purpose in life and inspires me every day to be the best that I can be for my wife and kids.” Furthermore, he explains what his American Dream is saying, “At a young age, my family migrated to America as the land of opportunity (need to work hard for it). This was the best thing that ever happened to me and I embraced it with open arms and welcomed all the challenges. My American dream is to secure a high paying job that makes a difference to people while it affords me to provide for my own family and live a comfortable life.” Coming to America changed his life in many ways. Gerrick Gonzales’s aspirations inspired him to reach his goals and do the best he can every day.

In the novella, Of Mice and Men, author John Steinbeck writes about two vagrants who rely on each other to survive and achieve their dreams. George and Lennie’s dream of working hard and saving money to own a farm and “Live off the fatta the lan” exemplifies the consequential aspects in which the “American dream” functions as an admired ambition for impoverished and employed Americans, even in hardships. While all the farmers are in the bunkhouse, George attempts to sidetrack everyone by offering to play cards. Lennie begins to complain, asking when he and George are going to possess their separate farm, captivating Candy’s attention. George explains warmly, “We could have a few pigs. I could build a smoke house like the one gran’pa had, an’ when we kill a pig we can smoke the bacon and the hams… An’ when the salmon run up river we could catch a hundred of ‘em an’ salt ‘em down or smoke ‘em. We could have them for breakfast. When the fruit come in we could can it—and tomatoes… Ever’ Sunday we’d kill a chicken or a rabbit. Maybe we’d have a cow or a goat” (Steinbeck 57). The intricacy and details of the farm display George’s strong desire for land. He demonstrates the vision of having his complete life with the people he cares for as his goal. The dream is still necessary, so one’s existence in America is manageable. Lennie and George portray the tenacious existence of trying to fit into society while pursuing their aspirations. Together, they hold onto their hopes in order to pull through. Even when they do not achieve their dream, it is what motivates them through tough times.

In the poem, Still I Rise, by Maya Angelou, she describes her former life and how it prompts her to conquer challenges as she chases her type of the American Dream. Written in the poem, Maya states, “You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise.” Angelou implies that in her former life, she has been tyrannized and intimidated by discrimination because of her race and skin color. However, she uses her diversity to keep her moving forward and discovers the power within herself to get past all the hardships and brutality. Others will feel empowerment because of her journey, to accomplish their aspirations in society. Anyone can achieve their American Dream if they look past their challenges they faced and begin their own new journey.

To achieve one’s dream, people must imagine what their ambition is to them. People should not be manipulated to believe others’ dreams for their own. The American Dream is what a person pursues from their own choices. Having an unburdened path to reach a purpose will always have challenges and hardships, but to keep progressing, one must believe to have the freedom to dream.

The American Dream is the ideal of equality of opportunity to achieve one’s goals and have a better life. Many people have a dream, but not everyone has an equal opportunity to achieve it. Achieving the American Dream isn’t easy because it requires one to work hard and overcome obstacles that occur along the way. Everyone has a dream, but it’s not easily achieved for some. My American Dream is to have a stable job so I can prosper myself, buy my own home, build a family, and help out my parents, It might not be easy to achieve but with sacrifices, dedication, and faith everything is possible.

An obstacle that one might have to overcome to realize the American Dream can be moving to a new place and having to learn a new language, make new friends, or find a new job. For instance, my father, Rogelio Valencia, at 18 came to the U.S. from México. It was difficult for him to adapt to the lifestyle in the U.S. because there are many different cultures compared to the one he was used to. He also had to leave behind many friendships and family once he was here in the U.S. he realized this was a new start for him. I’m blessed for not having to go through this problem because I’ve been living in the same place for 13 years. Sometimes in life, it’s okay for one to make new changes and start new/all over again. Making a change offers one new opportunity.

A difficult challenge to overcome when attempting to realize the American Dream is learning a different language. My father came to the U.S., only knowing how to speak Spanish, it was difficult for him to communicate with other people. It became a problem, but he then, later on, learned to speak some English, it wasn’t fluent but he was able to communicate better. He learned in a job he got where everyone spoke English, he had to learn because he needed to communicate with his coworkers and clarify things when he wasn’t sure of something. I am fortunate to have grown up in a place where English is taught to kids at a young age and didn’t have to struggle with learning a new language at a later time like my father. There are obstacles in the way of achieving the American Dream, but in order for one to achieve it, one has to grow and overcome the difficult moments. The obstacles one once went through are what makes the person who they are at the time of achieving the American Dream.

An obstacle that many people face when coming to a new place to realize the American Dream is settling for less because one feels that one can’t achieve or do better. My godfather’s sister, for instance, is a single mother of three children, She only cleans about 2 houses a week and once she has enough money to get by the week she stops. She conforms herself to whatever she can make with the least houses possible as long as she can have enough for the week. I started working this year and I’ve come to realize that making $18/hr in the Bay Area isn’t enough because of how expensive it is. I don’t want to work for the rest of my life at a minimum-wage job and settle for that. I want to be able to have a well-paid job that I’m interested in. Being able to work at a job that allows me to cover my monthly expenses as well as save up for any emergency is important for one to do. It’s important to overcome those obstacles by trying and doing new and better things. If one doesn’t overcome the obstacles then one will just be stuck at the same point for the rest of their life. One should never settle for less but rather for more.

Poverty is an obstacle for many people to realize the American Dream. Many people don’t have money or might come from a low-income family where money becomes an issue and it doesn’t let them reach their goal(s). Erin and Sarah, in their article, “It takes a village to support the American Dream” say that “Kids raised at the bottom of the economic ladder who move out of the bottom as adults are also more financially secure than their childhood peers who remain stuck there.” What Erin and Sarah stated reminded me of middle school where I was friends with people that started to not like the lifestyle they were living. The people I was friends with took the easy route of selling drugs because they saw that money was coming to them very easily and now they were able to get what they wanted a different lifestyle. I understood how desperate they were to fulfill their needs, but that wasn’t the path I wish they had taken. I grew up having the same issues where I wanted so much at a young age but it wasn’t possible for my parents to give me everything I wished for. In my senior year, once I turned 18 I waited about 2 months after where I then applied to work for the district where I became a youth instructor. Once I was employed I was able to start to get the things I wanted, but in the “correct” way and not like my middle school friends. I am now 7 months of being employed and bought a brand new car from the dealership on my own because of the hard work put in and the efforts I’ve made. I’m currently a full-time employee and a full-time student and I want to be able to become a police officer, have my own house, be financially stable, and make it up the latter not just for me but for my parents who have made many sacrifices for me and my sister. Many people come from poor living backgrounds and find the easy way out by getting into gangs and drugs. It shouldn’t be that way, One should go to college or try to start a business and we know that attempting to start a business or go to college is expensive but we do live where funding is available to us. Getting grants, loans or scholarships can help us to succeed in our dreams(goals).

Family has been an obstacle for many individuals to pursue their American Dream. Not having one’s family support or if the family doesn’t believe in one then it can be very difficult for one to achieve goals that an individual can have. Melissa Carver, in her article, “What to Do When Your Family Doesn’t Support Your Goals” says, “ There will be times when certain family members will not support your goals.” Sometimes we won’t get an answer we want from our family or have disagreements but it’s okay. For instance, when I first told my parents that my dream job was to be a police officer, I received negative feedback. My father told me, “No I don’t agree with what you want, do you want to get shot and die? Why don’t you become a doctor or something else.” Having my parents disagree with me and hearing my dad tell me negative things hurt me. Every time I would get asked, “What do you want to be when you’re older?” I answered the same thing always and my parents would tell me the same thing again as well. I wasn’t going to let my parents’ negative feedback stop me from doing what I wanted to do. Within time they realized that I truly wanted to be a police officer and they started to accept what I wanted. I am now in college and taking my AJ classes so I can get my degree and apply to become an officer. I have my family’s support and I’m happy I do because they’ve come to accept that, that’s what I want and will make me happy. We all wish to have our family’s support to achieve our goals, but it’s not always the way we wish. One shouldn’t let our family prevent us from succeeding, sometimes it’s best to be alone and achieve on our own.

Another obstacle an individual can face while attempting to achieve the American Dream is education. My father had to stop going to school at a young age and from there on he never went back to school, he didn’t have the opportunity to continue his education. He started to work at a young age and once he came to the U.S. he had a difficult time getting a job since many jobs require people to have at least a High School diploma and social security. He worked with different companies but he felt that the pay and days were not enough. My father instead bought an old Volkswagen where he took out every part of the car and in his free time, he began to assemble the car back together. He then started to work on close family and friends cars and from then on he became a self-employed mechanic. I, on the other hand, am going to college to become a police officer and education is needed to become an officer. I’m blessed to be in a country where education is available for everyone and my parents have given me it because not everyone is lucky to have an education. My father was able to succeed in becoming a mechanic, not the easy way but rather the risky and difficult way. I on the other hand have the easier way around in being successful because I’ve been lucky enough to get an education that will lead me to my dream job. Accomplishing success without having an education can be difficult. We are fortunate to be living in a place where there are adult schools and continuation schools that help people obtain their diplomas. Once one has diplomas then one can achieve their goals.

Also trying to please someone else can be very difficult for someone to achieve their American Dream. There are many times where someone tries to convince one to do things their way and people go with what others say. For instance, my cousin never became a marine like she wanted to because her parents told her that they didn’t want her to go away from them. She followed what her parents told her and never did what she wanted to do, she worked taking care of elder people in her city. When I first told my parents that I wanted to be a police officer they told me that I shouldn’t be that because that was a very risky job and that as a girl being a doctor or something else best fitted me. I always told them that I wanted to be able to do a job I actually liked and not what they wanted. Within time they began to understand me and that it wasn’t their choice but rather mine because I’m the one that’s going to be living it. My parents learned from my uncles’ mistakes were they prohibited their daughter from doing what she wanted and now she’s stuck doing something that she didn’t want her forever job to be. It’s important for one to note that regardless of what one does, one should always do things or something because one wants to do it and not because others tell you to.

Many people face the problem of having low self-esteem where they are negative about everything and that becomes an obstacle for them to achieve their American Dream. Growing up from elementary to high school I got bullied. I never understood why was it that they always picked at me if I never bothered anyone. From being bullied for many years my self-esteem and I would always think that I was never worth anything and that I didn’t have a purpose to be in this world. I was always negative and always thought that I wasn’t going to be capable of doing big things like others because I always got put down. No one should take in the negative things personally or as a putdown but rather as a motivation. Everyone should try and be positive because one needs to be able to love and better themselves.

Being undocumented and coming to a place where one wants to realize the American dream creates many obstacles for one to achieve. Miriam Jordan, in her article, “8 Million People Are Working Illegally in the U.S. Here’s Why That’s Unlikely to Change” says, “ Undocumented immigrants are overrepresented in low-skilled jobs such as farming, construction, and childcare…often, these are jobs their employers have trouble filling with American workers.” Undocumented people are very hard working and regardless of what job they have to do, they will give it their all to get it done. For example, I come from an immigrant family and my parents are undocumented. My parents came to the United States and faced many challenges in finding a job because they didn’t have social security that is the most important document for one when applying for a job. I am fortunate to have been born in the U.S. because I am documented. When I applied to my first job I realized that I didn’t have the problem that undocumented people face of not having a valid Social Security. Just because someone is undocumented, it doesn’t mean one won’t be able to succeed the same way as one who is documented. Being undocumented might be harder to succeed in certain goals but by staying positive and continuing to work hard for a goal, everything is possible.

Coming to a country where someone isn’t guaranteed a forever job or has an unfair job can be an issue it creates a challenge for one to achieve their American Dream. Paul Arthur Phillips, in his book, Women and Work: Inequality in the Canadian Labour Market says, “Employers pay men more than women for the same jobs because they have a preference for male workers” (56). Unfortunately, we live where gender pay inequality still exists, many employers believe that women don’t have the capacity to do the same job men can and it’s not true. Devin Hughes, in his article, “Gender Inequality Is Killing the American Dream” mentions that “According to the National Committee on Pay Equity men working full time receive the full $1 and women full-time workers from $1 only received 79¢.” Women are making less money than men even though they are doing the same job. Women are capable of doing the same job as men and sometimes women do the job better than men and get it done but women still are facing work discrimination just because of gender. I work for the Mount Pleasant Elementary School District and my boss treats everyone the same. Where I work we get equal treatment and equal pay. There might be obstacles that one needs to accept and allow them to defeat us. Life isn’t perfect and many times we will fail. In order to succeed one needs to be able to accept our failure and use it as a motivation to do better next time.

No matter what dreams we have, there will be obstacles throughout the process of achieving them but we need to get through them until we achieve them. Regardless of who one is or where one comes from there are always goals or a dream that one needs to set for oneself to be able to achieve it no matter how hard it is to get to it.

The American Mindset is the way Americans think, interact and act socially. These ways are constructed by the things we do daily that vary anywhere from watching tv in our own homes to looking at billboards on the street. The American dream regards having equal opportunities and availabilities which allow Americans the highest aspirations and goals. As Americans, we are mentally challenged everyday to be superior than our fellow Americans. This superiority usually always means financial stance. This means that as an American you try to be up to date with the latest trends, releases of technology, have the newest model of a car or own the nicest house. In most cases this might even mean being in debt, but what happens when we aren’t? What happens when the American Dream was not served to us on a silver platter? Some people migrate to the US from countries that do not offer as many opportunities in search of the American Dream. You may wonder, What is the American Dream? Does the American Dream still exist or is it just an ideal by which Americans are believed to live by?

How do we as Americans develop the idea that being wealthy means you are succeeding? According to the article How the American Dream Has Changed over theYears, “ the American Dream was seen extensively in advertisements for home builders to directly tie the idea of buying or building a house to the vision of the country and what it meant to be a true citizen.” Having the financial stability to build your own home played a huge role in what living the American Dream supposedly was. Education has also played a huge role in the working class and financial stance. It is believed that the further you expand your education the higher chances you have of being wealthier. Everyone in America is eligible for free K-12 education. After 12, there is government help provided for students who qualify. Most U.S citizens take advantage of this opportunity because education in America is extremely expensive. Some undocumented students tend to put forward their best effort given the circumstances that they do not have the same opportunites as U.S citizen students. They are brought to the United States in search for a better life, therefore they feel compelled to show gratitude for their parents efforts. Altough it seems that highering your education is showing grattitude towars your parents, some of the children that come from undocumented families decide to do field work instead. Although to them it might seem like the best option at the moment, when it comes to the long run they will have a hard time finding and maintaining a stable job due to the fact that they did not even acquire their highschool diploma.

Legal status in America especially in the latest decades has put a label on people. Legal status determines who you are, the help, opportunities and the resources you receive from the government. As U.S citizens you are naturally born in a land full of opportunities, at least that’s what people outside the U.S tend to believe. America is one of the top countries for free government assistance whether that be for monetary, health care or employment assistance. Taxes funded by all Americans are used to fund government programs such as financial aid, EBT food stamps, Section 8, free health and many more. Therefore, many U.S Republicans, are pro-wall. America’s current president Donald Trump’s campaign for building a wall that will make it harder for immigrants to come into the U.S for a better life are being denied this right. Previous Democratic, U.S president Barack Obama, created government health assistance called Obamacare. Our current president Donald Trump, now fighting against this free health care and is trying to get it removed. Something as critical as health care should be free to anyone living in the US especially considering that health care is extremely expensive. Donald Trump is deporting immigrants and building a wall that is supposed to stop the illegal crossings over the border. Deportations skyrocketed with our previous president, Obama, over 3 million illegal immigrants were deported during his presidential term. This is significantly larger than Donald Trump. Although Obama has deported significantly more immigrants than Trump, Trump is most hated by the public due to his racist public comments, and critical behavior against other races trying to populate the United States.

The American Dream was created to emphasize the opportunities possible in the United States for anyone living in it. However, what happens when the financial, educational and employment opportunities aren’t equal for everyone? In that case, does the American Dream still exists, and if it does who is truly taking advantage of it? The truth is that when it comes to opportunities like education and employment, it is much more of a struggle to have fair access to these things. Although racism has been frowned upon by society for many years, just recently society has found it acceptable to publicly portray these values and beliefs do the shift in our presidency. Discrimination against immigrants in the U.S has become unfortunetley common in our society. In the article Racism and Discrimination in the US it states, “Although the United States has come a long way since the days of slavery, and huge steps were made towards granting equal rights on the basis of race in the 1960s, racism is still a very pressing problem in the US today. Sometimes it is blatant and open, but often it can be more subtle, or even built into the system, as seen by racial profiling by law enforcement officers and other government officials, and the near impossibility for some groups…” Therefore, although the US has significantly progressed since the days of slavery, racism is still pretty much present in modern day USA and now more than ever before seen out in the open, as opposed to behind closed doors.

The working class within the U.S, are usually labeled as those without higher education, and low income. They compose small but significant number of the American social class stricture. According to the article The Class Structure in the U.S, “…the working class comprises between 30 percent and 35 percent of the population, roughly the same percentage as the lower middle class. Those in the working class are commonly employed in low-skilled occupations, including clerical and retail positions and blue collar or manual labor occupations…Education, for example, can pose an especially intransigent barrier in the United States. Members of the working class commonly have only a high school diploma, although some may have minimal college courses to their credit as well.” Most of the people within this structure are people without a good education which can technically mean that illegal immigrants or immigrant field workers can and most likely fall under this category.

The American Dream and the working class go hand in hand because this means that more of the undocumented students who try to achieve a higher education have the possibilty of leaving the working class and entering the middle class. According to the article These U.S. industries can’t work without illegal immigrants, “About 8 million of them have jobs, making up 5 percent of the U.S. workforce, figures that have remained more or less steady for the past decade.” Most of these agricultural jobs require physical and mental strength. Not biased to say that Americans don’t have these characteristics but when it comes to enduring physical labor, someone with a college degree would not participate in such tedious tasks willingly. The agricultural industry is one of the biggest industries in the United States, most of America’s income is drawn from this industry. In the same article we see that agricute is very reliant on undoucmanted field workers, “Since agriculture is the industry that’s most reliant on undocumented workers… the agricultural industry in the United States has been on the decline since 1950. Back then, farming was a family business that employed more than 10 million workers, 77 percent of whom were classified as ‘family.’ As of 2000 – the latest such data available – only 3 million work on farms, and as noted earlier, an estimated half are undocumented.” Most undocumented immigrants play a huge role in this industry, and make up most of it. The reality is that almost everyone struggles in the US, however the American Mindset allows people to work their way out of it. The determination that comes with this mentality allows people to higher education which gets them out of poverty or this “stage”. Immigrants without higher education will dedicate their lives to field work because it’s one of the easiest ways for people without a proper education to find employment. Parents of children with the possibility of attending college come to America in search for a better life for their children.

When it comes to the opportunities provided in America who takes more advantage of them? Although it is true that some Americans receive government help immigrants that come to the U.S tend to take the most advantage of programs like Welfare, Section 8, EBT, Free Health care. The help received in most occasions is necessary, however some people take this help for granted and take advantage of it even if they might not really need it. This causes people who are pro-wall to disagree with the help being provided to those who claim they need it.

The American Dream no longer exists because the goal now is to live day by day financially. People now would rather live day by day and spend their money even if that means not having anything to eat the next day or not having enough money to pay rent the following month. The determination to move forward and work toward getting out of poverty no longer exists. The only way to accomplish this is by furthering your education and getting a college degree. The American Mindset has altered over time because of the shifts within the American Dream such as government assistance, wealth, legal status and financial stance.

Is the american dream compromised by significant American traits? When it comes to the American Dream who is realy taking advantage of it?

The Essence of the American Dream

I’ve been taught that America is a huge melting pot of different ethnicities and races where people have the right to freedom of speech, religion, press, and assembly, and that’s why people choose America to live out their dreams. Especially immigrants like my parents, who fled their home country at a time of war and came to America for a better life, to eventually settle down, get married, and have kids in a safe environment. My mom and dad gave up everything they’ve ever known to come to a country that they knew nothing about to live out what most would call the American Dream. My dad started off by working as a dishwasher in a restaurant, and my mom worked in a care home, taking care of elderly people.

Disparities in the American Dream: Work and Opportunities

This obviously wasn’t their dream job, but they did what they had to support themselves and their family. The concept of the American Dream is supposed to reward those who work hard, but instead, it is keeping people with actual skills and good work ethic away from good opportunities and continues to feed the 1%. According to “Nearly 2 million college-educated immigrants and refugees in the U.S. are unemployed or working in low-skill jobs despite years of education and work experience.” The American Dream has somehow been exclusively available to white Americans and makes it hard for everyone working class people and below to move up in today’s social class.

Technology’s Role in Reshaping the American Dream

Although money does play a huge role in The American Dream and most people’s definition of happiness, so does technology. Technology has definitely reshaped The American Dream, from medicine to education, to transportation, etc. Some would say technology has destroyed the dream, but I think it has changed it for the better. Kids nowadays do everything on computers and phones, like speaking to people over the phone instead of actually meeting up and hanging out.

There are now self-driving cars, which puts people whose job is driving, such as truck drivers, at risk of unemployment. “Mercedes-Benz wants to develop a driverless car. Google already has one. This is exceedingly bad news for auto body shops, ambulance-chasing lawyers, and others. Soon, truck drivers might be replaced by driverless trucks. What then will happen to the nation’s 3.5 million truck drivers, not to mention truck stops, of which there are 276 in Texas alone?

The conventional answer is retraining. Truck drivers will become something else, maybe teachers or dental hygienists, which is, of course, possible. It’s also likely that many of them will sink into the funk that is the loyal companion of unemployment.” Although this all is a downside of technology being used more, the upside is that medicine has evolved so much. In the 1800s, cholera was something to fear because it could kill you within a week, and now there is a cure for it, and people would probably laugh at the idea that diarrhea was killing people. Medicine has evolved so much that there are now 3D printing machines that print out life-size versions of problematic areas like tumors, giving surgeons a variety of possibilities for operations.

“Alternatively, 3D printing can be used in reproducing bones or other organs in the human body. This advance in technology is also pushing into prosthetics.” Technology has not only changed medicine but has also evolved education tremendously. Education is now easier for some people solely because of technology. “In medieval times, books were rare, and only an elite few had access to educational opportunities. Individuals had to travel to centers of learning to get an education.

Today, massive amounts of information (books, audio, images, videos) are available at one’s fingertips through the Internet, and opportunities for formal learning are available online worldwide through the Khan Academy, MOOCs, podcasts, traditional online degree programs, and more. Access to learning opportunities today is unprecedented in scope thanks to technology.”

American Dream and Equal Education Opportunities

But one thing about education is that it doesn’t give people an equal chance at achieving a well-rounded education or even any type of education at all. The highest form of education is definitely something I wanna achieve because I was raised to believe that education is the foundation of becoming successful in life. Unfortunately, the cost of higher education doesn’t make it easily accessible for just anyone to go to college or university. The cost of education is extremely high and makes it difficult for people in the working class and below to afford school, which makes it a financial hardship, not even a consideration because the cost is too high. How come something that is supposed to benefit me, and the future of society is so hard to achieve? Being a black woman in today’s education system means I will have more obstacles to overcome than the average person would encounter, including a racial and gender wage gap.

Although money isn’t the only thing that leads to success and happiness, it plays a huge role in life because not having enough money causes stress because we would constantly be thinking about how we’re gonna put food on the table or pay next month’s bill, and having too much money would stress people out because we’d be wondering what the next thing I’m going to spend my money on or who’s trying to deceive me out of my money, but regardless if someone has the same work ethic as someone or better they should be paid the same as everyone else, not less because of their gender or race.

“Americans in the top 1 percent tower stunningly higher. They average over 40 times more income than the bottom 90 percent. But that gap pales in comparison to the divide between the nation’s top 0.1 percent and everyone else. Americans at this lofty level are taking in over 198 times the income of the bottom 90 percent.” These people are most likely living their version of the American dream. They have all the money they could want and more, while some of us live paycheck to paycheck.

Healthcare in the American Dream Vision

One thing I hope changes in my lifetime is healthcare and health insurance because, in my version of the American Dream, I hope to be able to not worry about money while I’m in the hospital or ill or if my future children or family is in the hospital. Money plays such a huge role in the American Dream. Having a long, healthy life should be everyone’s priority, but how can you be healthy and not go broke at the same time? How can someone afford health insurance if their job doesn’t pay them enough or doesn’t provide them insurance?

I look up to my parents, and knowing their struggle makes me work ten times harder to achieve if they couldn’t so one day I can take care of them like they took care of me and my brothers so that they don’t have to worry about money. Health insurance/care is something my family worries about because we are working-class people, which means we fall in the middle, so when I go off to college next year, FAFSA may or may not cover half my tuition because my parents’ income falls right on the border, so no matter if they are struggling to pay for the rest they are still obligated to.

Unfortunately, many immigrants today live without health insurance. There was census data collected, and 31% of American residents were uninsured. “Insurance coverage among immigrants remains stubbornly low, in part because many undocumented immigrants are simply ineligible for coverage. With few exceptions, undocumented individuals are barred from accessing public coverage like Medicaid. They are even prohibited from using their own money to purchase coverage through the health insurance exchanges established under Obamacare. Obamacare has dramatically increased coverage rates for Americans.” The system somehow blocks immigrants from affording health insurance even when they are willing to pay for all of it. How is this right morally? How can you deny someone the right to affordable healthcare?

Housing Aspects of the American Dream

Another huge role in my version of the American dream is housing. I definitely plan to live in a nice big house with a pool and hot tub, of course, with a huge kitchen, big bedrooms, and a nice living room. But if I’m considering the cost of housing, how realistic are those goals? If I were to stay in Seattle, Washington, it would be extremely hard because Seattle has become one of the top ten most expensive places to live in the U.S. because Seattle is growing, for example, Amazon, and it’s causing more millennials to live here from job opportunities. “Rents in Seattle are rising rapidly, an unpleasant side effect of Amazon’s continued growth, which is partly behind the rapid influx of new residents, especially Millennials.”

In a couple years from now, I hope to be a market research analyst, which has a job outlook of 23% and pays $63,230 per year and $30.40 an hour and requires a bachelor’s degree “Because most industries use market research, these analysts are employed throughout the economy. Most analysts work full-time during regular business hours. Some work under pressure of deadlines and tight schedules.” The current house I live in with my family costs about $544,720 total, and if I wanted to pay monthly, it would be about $2,259. If I wanted to live in my current house right now with me as the only income source, it would take me about ten years to pay off the house while paying $2,259.

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). Insurance Coverage Among Immigrants: A Comprehensive Review.
2. Smith, J. (2021). “The Struggles of College-Educated Immigrants in the U.S. Labor Market.” Journal of Migrant Studies.
3. Dawson, L. & Patel, R. (2021). “The Future of Self-Driving Cars and Employment.” TechReview Journal.
4. Hopkins, G. (2020). “A Historical Perspective: The Evolution of Education through Technology.” Educational Chronicles.
5. Turner, M. (2019). “Income Disparities in America: An In-depth Analysis.” Economic Journal of America.
6. Bennett, A. (2022). “Seattle’s Rapid Housing Market Growth and Millennial Influx.” Urban Housing Digest.
7. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. (2022). Occupational Outlook Handbook: Market Research Analysts.