The American Dream allows individuals to realize success and live an enjoyable life, including access to excellent private residences, fair immigration processes, safe working conditions, and voting rights for women.
Over time, the American dream has evolved to incorporate different voices. It now embraces multiculturalism while meeting specific social and political goals.
Industrialization
The American dream is an ideal of national ethos that symbolizes social mobility and personal prosperity for citizens of all classes who work hard at attaining success. The Statue of Liberty represents it and stems from early European colonizers’ hopes for freedom and opportunity that they came seeking in America. Though its meaning has evolved, its influence still exerts strong sway over American life today.
Industrialization is transitioning an agricultural economy to one based on manufacturing. The process often results in significant societal changes, including an increase in free labor markets and a decline in agriculture; furthermore, industrialization leads to new products and services and job creation; however, it usually requires significant capital investments before this transformation can begin.
An example would be for a farmer to purchase new equipment to make his farm more productive, find ways to sell his products, and hire additional staff members to expand his business and increase profits.
Other elements of the American Dream trading system include being able to purchase a home, start a small business and gain an education. Therefore, anyone hoping to achieve the American dream must save money, invest wisely, work hard, and take risks; otherwise, they won’t achieve their goals.
After World War II, many Americans struggled to realize the American dream. After the industries recovered and companies offered increased wages and benefits – such as Walter Reuther’s Treaty of Detroit with health insurance for workers as well as retirement savings accounts, cost-of-living adjustments for wages, cost-of-living adjustments for wages, and guaranteed vacation time negotiated between labor and management – millions more Americans found that dream attainable.
Imperialism was also instrumental in making the American dream more attainable during this era, spreading democratic ideals to other countries while offering them trade benefits from doing business with us.
Westward Expansion
Westward expansion had an immense influence on the American Dream trading system because it gave people new opportunities for better lives, thanks to America expanding its territories and providing more land for farming. The westward expansion also helped uncivilized areas become civilized while providing immigrants freedom from oppressive countries; eventually, the American dream became achievable through legislation such as the homestead act, immigration, the progressive era, imperialism, and industrialization, with Native American tribes among those being displaced by European settlers as their homes became invaded and colonized.
The Progressive Era
America was experiencing economic prosperity during the 1920s, giving rise to an evolving concept of the American dream that prioritized social welfare and upward mobility. At that time, hard work in a capitalist society gave people opportunities for success without much hindrance – this period was made famous by Lady Liberty. She represented new opportunities and possibilities that opened before them all across America.
The Progressive Era saw many reform movements emerge during this era, united under one view that government at both state and local levels was obligated to address problems beyond private citizens’ or businesses’ abilities to resolve. Groups like this included political leaders such as governors, legislators, and mayors as well as intellectuals/academics/prominent farmers/women activists and women activists/Black activists.
These groups focused on specific issues like alcoholism and immigration but saw themselves as part of an overall effort to reform and change America. Their vision was an equal society with equal opportunities and fair treatment for all Americans; furthermore, they believed the government had the power to address issues and inequality within our nation.
Progressive activism was propelled by public outrage at widening disparities between rich and poor Americans, as reported in Lincoln Steffens’ 1902 expose “The Shame of the Cities.” Many believed this corrupt and ineffective system violated American ideals.
Progressivism became an expansive social movement that included religious figures who sought to unite the sacred and secular to push for reforms beyond simple church attendance. They promoted an ethic characterized by helping others and giving back to one’s community – ideas that eventually contributed to an internationalist American political perspective.
Although the Progressive Era made an immense difference to America, its effects were temporary. After World War I broke out, Americans’ attention had turned away from reform initiatives, and by the late 1920s, it had also faded.
Imperialism
American Imperialism had an immense effect on the American Dream trading system in numerous ways. It gave new territories freedom they did not possess before and enabled Americans to spread their beliefs and values, like Christianity and music, across the globe. Furthermore, accessing new markets allowed for more profitable trade deals between individuals.
Debates regarding imperialism typically centered on politics and economics yet also addressed notions of morality, religion, and civilization – often with active participation by women.
As America grew more robust, its grand strategy shifted toward gaining preferential access to Latin American markets while championing nondiscrimination in East Asia. This apparent paradox betrays imperialism’s nature – which blends American power as an agent of global peace and prosperity with military expansion to spread “American values” abroad – making its empire a threat to democratic ideals that underlie American life – acting like a “nation within a nation,” or an “empire within society,” that must be challenged both from within as well as from outside.
