Crozier 1

Benjamin Crozier, 0581470 Professor Sumner English 231, Section 102 7 December 2012 The 19th Century American Dream The American Dream is a concept that has been around since the beginnings of America. It signifies what everyone wants to achieve as an American citizen. It is the dream of opportunity for immigrants and new settlers in America. There are many different opinions as to what the American Dream is. These opinions are portrayed in numerous works of literature from the beginnings of America. Many people believe that the American Dream is about being able to be perfectly free. The Puritans in America wanted to be able to freely express their personal views under the light of God. Some people wanted the right to be their own individual person, and wanted to have personal satisfaction. People did not want conformity, communism, or anything of that nature. Their dream was to be free and have their own opinions that they could express. People started forming their own American Dreams when they first came to America as settlers. They thought of America as the land of opportunity where they could be successful and happy; where they could work and earn their fortune little by little. Their dreams were based off of the quote: all men are created equal and that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights, among which are life, liberty and pursuit of happiness as it is stated in Americas Declaration of Independence. In the beginnings of America when it was still young and developing as an independent country people shared their aspirations for the future within their literature. Many literary works that spoke of this new American Dream were introduced.

Crozier 2

Among these works was Henry David Thoreaus Civil Disobedience. Written in 1849, this essay portrays Thoreaus views about the American government. Thoreau believed that the American government did not support the American Dream for all people. As he put it, I heartily accept the motto, - "That government is best which governs least"; and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also I believe, "That government is best which governs not at all"; and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have (Thoreau 1862). Thoreau believed that when the government in America allowed slavery, it deprived the African Americans of their own American Dream. He also felt that taking land from other countries in order to expand America did not support the American Dream. Thoreau believed like numerous others that all people should be granted their unalienable rights. For many people in 1848, the American Dream was to become rich by finding gold during the California Gold Rush. The most famous quote from the time of the Gold Rush was from Samuel Brannan. He ran through the streets of San Francisco yelling Gold! Gold! Gold from the American River! This quote is what started the whole dream of finding gold in America. As stated by the historian H.W. Brands, The old American Dream ...was the dream of the Puritans, of Benjamin Franklin's "Poor Richard"...of men and women content to accumulate their modest fortunes a little at a time, year by year by year. The new dream was the dream of instant wealth, won in a twinkling by audacity and good luck. [This] golden dream...became a prominent part of the American psyche only after Sutter's Mill (Brands 442). The California Gold Rush brought many new immigrants to America. These new immigrants had their own idea of the American Dream. They wanted to make money, and be able to live happily in their

Crozier 3

own home in a free country. Unfortunately, there were not a lot of people that were successful in their endeavors. As said by the historian Kevin Starr, The dream outran the reality (Starr). One recognizable aspect of the American Dream concept is its constant shift and change that it has over time. The American Dream today is quite different for most people than it was in the early 19th century. People in the early 19th century saw America as the land of opportunity where they could make a living and be able to freely express themselves. People today find their own American Dreams much harder to reach. The economy has gone downhill and it is harder to make a living. People have now lowered their expectations of what they will accomplish in life. The American Dream may be slipping away. We have overcome such challenges before. To recover the Dream requires knowing where it came from, how it lasted so long and why it matters so much (Meacham). America was in much better shape during the 19th century. People could migrate to America and find jobs much more easily. With the rapid expansion of America to the west, it was gaining more citizens and more land for them to live and work on. The American Dream even varied just during the early 19th century because not all people had the same aspirations, and the economy and way of life were changing. Many people at the beginning of the 19th century just wanted to settle down and get their own home and make a living in America. When the California Gold Rush came around in 1848, it changed a lot of peoples American Dream. The American Dream will most certainly continue to change with the country and with the people that live in it. The American Dream is an interesting concept that has been around for a long time. Its foundation started at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and it grew from there. People gained confidence in their ability to succeed in America. People saw that America was a great country with many opportunities. Almost everyone that has come and that will come to

Crozier 4

America has their own version of the American Dream. It is evident through the literature of the early 19th century that the American Dream was an idea shared by many. The American Dream will forever live on as long as America still exists, and as long as there are people that have aspirations for their life in America.

Crozier 5

Works Cited "American Dream - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dream>. Brands, H. W.. The age of gold: the California Gold Rush and the new American dream. New York: Doubleday, 2002. Print. "California Dream - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Dream>. "How Has The American Dream Changed? | The Moderate Voice." The Moderate Voice. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2012. <http://themoderatevoice.com/44249/how-has-the-americandream-changed/>. Lauter, Paul. The Heath anthology of American literature. Lexington, Mass.: D.C. Heath, 1990. Print. "On Civil Disobedience - ENH241." ENH241 - ENH241. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2012. <http://enh241.wetpaint.com/page/On+Civil+Disobedience>. Thoreau, Henry. "Resistance to Civil Government." The Heath anthology of American literature. Lexington, Mass.: D.C. Heath, 1990. 1862 - 1876. Print. "Tracing of The American Dream Through American Literature." Free websites and registry directory for organizations or groups plus internal search engine for Global Neighborhood Orgsites free websites. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2012. <http://www.orgsites.com/de/amdreamtbap/>.