A Frenchman, Guillaume Jean de Crèvecoeur, emigrated to the colonies in 1755. He married a American-born women, raised a family, and farmed in Orange County, NY. Life was going well until the Revolutionary War broke out. Unwilling to choose between the revolutionary and the Tory cause, de Crevecoeur fled to England, leaving his wife and children. When the war ended, he published a book in 1782, Letters From an American Farmer, adapting the pseudonym of an American farmer, James, and writing back in epistles (letters) to his brethren in England. The book told of the promise of the good life in America; it is one of the first written statements of the American Dream.
The notion of the American Dream (even today) represents a romanticized ideal of the hope and promise of America. For de Crevecoeur, the American Dream promised these new and exciting gifts to all who dared to call themselves, Americans:
1. America is an asylum, a refuge for Europe's poor and downtrodden
2. The American society is a melting pot of people from all over Europe
3. The American economy offers social mobility, the result of good, honest "hard work."
4. The American offers religious freedom, and religion demands little of him.
5. Americans are the "western pilgrims," bringing the best of Europe to this new land, and even making it better. Americans are looked upon as leaders of the world.
Throughout America's history, there is no doubt that the American Dream has been achieved by millions of successful people. There is also little doubt that, for many people, the reality of America did not always live up to the Dream. Undoubtedly, millions of people experienced failures, too--nightmares, not dreams.
Look over the five aspects of deCrevecouer's Dream listed above.
Write about how any ONE of those ideas either rewarded OR failed any ONE individual.
Ideally, I'd like you to relate a personal story about a relative or someone you closely know. However, if you absolutely cannot relate a personal story, you are free to write about a historical figure, but NOT someone whose story has been told many times. If you have to write about someone whom you researched, provide your information source at the end of your writing (do not PLAGIARIZE text--summarize in your own words).
REMEMBER, WRITE A MINIMUM OF 25 BLOG LINES OR 200 WORDS.
Indicate your CORRECT section color or you will lose points.
