Sophs (ALL CLASSES) #2 Journal: The American Dream (due Thursday 9-24)
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.
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.
REMEMBER, WRITE A MINIMUM OF 25 BLOG LINES OR 200 WORDS.
Indicate your CORRECT section color or you will lose points.
posted by JTF @ 8:00 AM
81 comments
81 Comments:
The idea of America as an asylum has been been sown into the mindset of many generations of immigrants from around the world. I personally know someone who came here hoping to achieve the American dream. A friend of my family, "Alice," was born in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Her family supported the Americans and they ended up in a refugee camp. She was very young at that time, but she still remembers how it felt to have virtually nothing. They lived in tents with no plumbing and few possessions. Her family was eventually able to immigrate to California. Though it was hard, her family prospered in America. Her parents learned English and her mother started her own business. They became citizens and used the opportunities given to them to the best of their abilities. Alice became the first in her family to earn a college degree. She got married, and now has a happy life with her husband and four kids. One of her brothers is soon going to graduate from medical school. Alice and her family came to America for help in a desperate situation. Her family needed asylum and peace of mind. They were able to find these things in a country known throughout the world as a savior for people in need. Some people are able to carve out a new life for themselves and others can not rise to the challenge. It is a proud accomplishment that Alice's family was able to better their lives through the promise of safety in America. Many people also come to the United States with the same hope of fulfilling that elusive idea of the American dream.
The American Dream offers many possibilities and exciting gifts to those who are daring and courageous enough to be successful. One aspect of deCrevecouer's ideas of the American Dream that would be most relatable to me is that the American economy rewards a hard worker with a chance to get ahead. Someone who comes to mind when I think of the American Dream would be the accomplishments of my father. He is one of eleven children who has put an enormous effort into his education and success in life. Growing up in a small house, things did not come easily. Bedrooms were shared, bathroom time was divided, and being your siblings friends became a quick priority. At the age of 13 my dad built his own bedroom in the basement due to pure need of personal space. I think of my father as the ultimate role model because he worked very hard to obtain the position as a mechanical engineer working at a global company. Only five out of eleven children completed and graduated college. Not only is my dad one of those children, but he also went on to receive a bachelor degree in engineering and a masters degree in business. While going to college my dad paid for his own schooling and worked hard to receive good grades. My father's education success influences me to accept what the world has to offer, and how education in America is so greatly valued. Achievements in the world can sometimes go without being recognized, but it is encouraging to see that with education and grounded priorities people can be given well paid jobs to support their lifestyle in America.
3. My smart, beautiful, courageous, and driven mother is not only my role model and best friend, but also the one person I believe to have achieved the “American Dream”. When she was younger, her parents didn’t have a lot of money, so my mom worked to put herself through college. She could only afford the first year and a half before she had to “resign” and find a full-time job. My mom had me when she was twenty-seven, and struggled to balance work with being a single mother. When I was born, my mom worked as a travel agent and then landed a job at Juniper Bank. She met my dad at Juniper, and later married him when I was around three years old. About a year later, my mom got laid off. She was out of work and pregnant with my brother. Even though the only money we received was from my dad’s job, he supported my mom’s plan to start her own IT staffing company. It took a long time to start up, and there were many stressful times in our family. The business went through endless ups and downs, mostly involving money and rogue employees. Finally, my mom was able to reach her goal of owning a successful business. She has received many awards for her great leadership, such as Female Entrepreneur of the Year, the Brava Award for Smart CEO Magazine, and being nominated for Woman of the year (Leukemia/Lymphoma Society). I think my mom has accomplished the “American Dream” because she’s happy. She has accomplished so much with little help, and has never once thought to take the easy way out.
I have chosen "Western Pilgrims", out of the five aspects of deCrevecouer's dream, to write about. "Western Pilgrims" is the aspect that America brought over the traditions of Europe and made them better, as we are looked upon as leaders of the world. When the Europeans left for America, they brought customs and beliefs over with them. Those traditions have carried on up until present day. In 2004 my family and I moved to London, England, because of a job offer my dad could not refuse. We stayed there for about 4 years, coming home in 2008. While in England I observed very similar characteristics of the ways of life and the structure of the country, compared with America. For example, the city life of London was, and still is, almost identical to New York and other major cities in America. They are similar because of the layout of the buildings, the amount of taxi cabs and cars, the amount of pedestrians, and the monstrous populations. There is not much of a difference between the way an average American lives his or her life, and the way an average Englishmen lives his or her life. When I came back to the States, I had little difficulty adjusting back to the American way of life.
Many people came to America in its days as a new country for many different reasons, some sought religious freedom, or freedom from debt. One person that came to the new world was Anne Hutchinson. Anne Hutchinson was born in England and came to the Massachusetts Bay Colony with John Cotton, a Puritan leader in 1634. She was eventually against Cotton, and thought his teachings were self-centered. She charged Cotton with heresy, but he was cleared soon after.
Anne Hutchinson was born in Alford, Lincolnshire, England. She was the second daughter of thirteen children and developed talents for domestic leadership at a young age. When she married to William Hutchinson in 1612, they began to follow the teachings of John Cotton. Cotton felt oppressed by Puritan views and moved to Massachusetts Bay Colony, where he continued to preach. Anne convinced her husband to move to Boston, Massachusetts where they knew their status would ensure them a prominent spot in the Church and colony. The Hutchinsons began to hold biweekly discussions of Cotton's sermons, and taught that humans are predestined to heaven or hell, unlike Cotton who taught that moral life was sufficient enough for salvation. Hutchinson and her supporters were eventually banished for their beliefs. She later became one of the founders of Rhode Island, creating a land of religious freedom for all. Anne Hutchinson came to America following a religious leader, but eventually became a symbol of religious freedom and feminism in the Church.
Source: www.history.com/topics/anne-hutchinson
Jordan Ross Belfort, a former entrepreneur, pursued the business of the stock market. He attempted to pursue the American Dream of social mobility. This dream failed Jordan Belfort primarily because he twisted and warped the true meaning of social mobility. This dream is the result of good, honest, hard work. Jordan Belfort worked extremely hard to achieve this American Dream. He started simply by selling water ice at a park with his friend. He then started a small company in the retail of meat. This business grew rather large until Belfort had to declare bankruptcy. Belfort later on pursued the business of trading in the stock market. He worked tirelessly to reach the pinnacle of the business, but he couldn't do this without using others as his stairs to the top. Jordan Belfort stepped on, and used others on his way to success. He often had many schemes, and scams that would end with his investors losing their money to him. These illegal business tactics landed Belfort in a federal prison. His hardworking, vigorous ways cemented a path to success but the innocents he paved over were the cause of his collapse. The American Dream of Jordan Belfort could be represented by the history of a stock in the market. His route of success steadily rose and once his career seemed bullish as ever a correction occurred leaving Belfort deep in the red. The American Dream of social mobility proved unsuccessful to Belfort, for he failed to work honestly, and morally.
Resource - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_Belfort
The idea alone of the American Dream is what made people strive to be better. Although not everybody always succeeded in their goals, it was the passion and pure determination that made people want to make a change in their lives. My mother is a living example of fulfilling the American Dream. She had to work her butt off to get where she is now in life. In her household she was the youngest out of seven. My mom has three older sisters and three older brothers. At the age of forty-two, my grandmother had my mom. My mom was obviously a surprise considering the sibling closest in age to her was seventeen when she was born. Despite most of her brothers and sisters already have been moved out of the house starting their own families, they were still close and took care of my mom. Her family didn't have money though. She lived in a little house in the city where she had to share a bed with her brother or sister. I admire my mom because out of all seven children, she was the only one that ever went to college and graduated. My mom had to work hard all throughout high school by trying to get good grades, but it was basketball that saved her. She was one of the stars on her team and because she was so amazing at playing basketball, she was able to get a scholarship to George Mason University. After graduating from college, she started her career at Mortgage Bank of America and during that time she had me and my siblings. As we got older, my mom switched over to working at the worldwide company Gore, and I couldn't be more proud of her. My mom struggled through life having no money in her family, but she turned out to be the most successful. I love her and I couldn't be more happy to call her my mom because she does everything for my family and I by working hard.
The American Dream was kind of done by my grandfather. My grandfather was an immigrant from Holland, and he came over around the age of 5. I do not know why he came over, but I believe the reason was that his family came over it was because they wanted to have better job opportunities. My grandfather came over while he was young, so he does not remember much from his first five years. I guess the reason that one could say he lived the American Dream was that he came to America because it was a melting pot and everyone from everywhere was allowed. He also made his living in the army, which can match up to social mobility in the economy. For years he was a recruiter for the U.S. Army and lived all over the U.S. because he would be stationed there. At one point, he lived at a U.S. Army base in Germany for a year. The reason that fulfills the American Dream is because he was able to take care of his wife and four kids, which some would call being successful and the American Dream.
3. The American economy offers social mobility, the result of good, honest "hard work".
My step-father's grandparents came over from Italy in the 1900s. His mother's parents did not speak any English but his father's parents did. They were very poor and had very little. Neither of his parents graduated from high school. Their generation viewed it as more important to get a job and make money than to go to school. His father's father died when his father was very young so he had to go to work to support his family and could not finish school. My step-father's parents were able to get better jobs but were still very poor. My step-father's older brothers did not finish school either but rather went out to get jobs. When my step-father was born, there were more programs around to help with families who didn't make as much money as other families. There were none of these when his older siblings were born so it was more important that they made money. My step-father had the mentality of wanting to go to school. He finished high school and college. He did get a job that helped to pay for his education and now has a well paying job and is the executive director of New Castle County Head Start. He accomplished this because he has a good work ethic that his parents had and that their parents had.
The American dream has led many people to come to America with high hopes of making their dreams come true. Whether it be because it is an asylum, melting pot, offers social mobility or because they are western pilgrims everyone has hope for some success coming to America. The American economy offers social mobility, the result of good, honest "hard work." My mom is an example of someone who chased the American dream and had a positive outcome because America offers social mobility. She was one of six children growing up in a lower middle class family. With hard work and dedication my mom was the first out of her family to go to college and after that law school. She achieved the American dream by getting an education and making a living for herself.
You do not necessarily have to be rich and famous to be living the American Dream. When people envision this, they often think of celebrities whom they look up to, however this isn't the case. Just an average person could be living this dream in everyday life. One person who I look up to who I feel like is living the American Dream would be my dad. Ever since I was a child, my family has been moving and we would never stay in one place for at a maximum of five years. I've lived in six different houses in five different states such as Michigan, Arizona, and Minnesota; just to name a few. My dad has been moving mainly due to his jobs that he's had. However, he's never been happy in any place but, here, Delaware. The reason for this is that he is constantly helping people in need of assistance and financial help. He is able to put people back on their feet, and let them go and live the American Dream for themselves. Even when we were moving, my whole family had to deal with getting accustomed to the daily life of each state. My dad was able to gain a great position in his job, and help others who are in so much more need than us, which I think should be defined as an American Dream.
Every family has a story and mine is no different. Especially when I heard the story of my grandfather, Nono's journey to America, it really caught my attention. Nono is my grandfather on my dad's side of the family, who came directly from Italy. My grandfather was born on February 18, 1931. He lived in Mammola, Italy (in the big toe of the boot) in the region of Calabria. Nono came to America in 1950 and lived in Montreal, Canada, with some of his relatives who were already settled in Canada. He was the oldest son and first one, out of his family, to come to America. My grandfather "paved the way" for his family back in Italy. After arriving in Montreal, he soon got a job in a furniture store, and he worked until he had enough money for the whole family to come over and settle in Canada. About a year later, his family arrived in America. About a year later from that, Nono married and moved to Harrisburg, PA, where my dad's mother lived. Back in Italy, Nono was an apprentice to the local barber. Nono then started his own barber shop in Harrisburg and continued to work there for the rest of his life. I think my grandfather was very successful for many reasons. The first reason is that he came from a poor beginning in Italy with not enough food and supplies to sustain his family. The second reason is that he was the first to come to America out of his immediate family and later bring his family over from Italy. After that, Nono married and moved to Pennsylvania, had four children, and also had his in-laws live in the same house. Not only that, but he was able to support all those people, four children who went to catholic school for twelve years, plus help his children in college. Finally, he was very dedicated to the church. Nono was a very good role model for his faith; he volunteered approximately fifteen to twenty hours every week doing different ministries for the church. In addition to that, he was very well-liked and respected and very generous to everybody. Also, he was a wood worker and raised a very kind and loving family. There were three reasons my family came over to America- one, America was an asylum, two, the American society offered social mobility, and three, Americans were the "western pilgrims" who brought the best from Europe. Out of DeCrevecoeur's five reasons, those three fit the best and were most influential.
Many people came from all over the world to America looking for a fresh start; one of these men was my great-great grandfather, Nayef Mosleh. Hoping for a new beginning and a way to earn money, Nayef traveled from Damascus, Syria, to Ellis Island, New York in 1910. He was inspired to come to America from his brother, who first traveled to France and was murdered. Nayef came searching for him and when he discovered the shocking event, he continued onward to America while his wife, Baharia, followed a few months later. They found a small apartment in New York City and started a Persian rug business. Together they raised three children and became successful selling rugs to the elite of New York. Unfortunately, they lost almost all their money in the Stock Market Crash of 1929, and had to begin anew. Despite many obstacles, such as overcoming a language barrier, arriving with very little assets, being treated as a second-class citizens, and losing money in the Stock Market, I feel that my great-great grandparents indeed achieved the great American Dream. Distilling the values of a strong work ethic, respect, and dignity to their children, Nayef and Baharia proved that you can achieve social mobility with perseverance and determination.
Through the result of hard honest work, my grandfather was able to the start from nothing and work his way up to being able to take care of his family even now after he has passed away. I may not know my grandfather all that well since he passed away at an early age due to lung cancer; however, I hear of the courageous things he did. After getting a job at Campbell's soup as a cashier, he could not have been happier. Through working his butt off day and night, he worked his way to the top to become Director of International Taxes. Through it all, my grandfather was most importantly a family man who did whatever it took to make sure his children had a better life than he did. My mother would tell me of how he worked his butt of during the day, but the second he walked in the door, that all went away. Whether it was working long nights, or even working multiple jobs, he most importantly had time to spend with his kids. Nothing from work could ever take away from spending time with his family. No matter what is was, he would have done it if it meant a better life for his family. Not only is my grandfather my hero, but through his work, I believe he was truly able to live the "American Dream."
The American Dream is an idea that many people in other countries had about America. Things weren't going well with them in their own countries, so they saw America as a place to start over and begin a new life. My great, great grandparents achieved the American Dream. They had four kids and lived in Denmark. They didn't have a very good life there. They were poor and there weren't many opportunities for their children to succeed, so they decided to move to America. They saw America as a place with more opportunities and more freedom. They moved to America because they saw it as an asylum. My great, great grandfather came to America first. He was a carpenter. It was hard to find a job that paid enough. When he found one, he worked hard to get paid enough to support a family. Once he made enough money and established a living, my great, great grandmother and their children came over too. It was hard for them at first because they couldn't speak English, they didn't know anyone, and the way of life here was much different than in Denmark. Many people did not achieve the American Dream. For some people their lives were just the same as they were back in Europe, but my great, great grandparents succeed. I didn't know them, but their story has been passed down from generations. It is truly a success story. Many people have achieved the American Dream, and I am extremely proud to say that my great, great grandparents were some of those people.
One of the major aspects of the American Dream is the fact that if someone works really hard, they can achieve success from nothing. I believe that my mom has accomplished this. Her father was from Germany and her mother was Dutch. Her parents were in the military, so she moved around often in her early life, from Hawaii to small bases in the Caribbean and the Philippines. Then her father died, and her family moved to a small town in Kansas with little to no opportunities for big careers, which my mother wanted. She studied hard and became valedictorian, then she went to the local state college and excelled there while working many jobs to contribute to her family. No one would have ever guessed that she would graduate at the top of her class, earn her doctorate, write an award winning thesis, move to the east coast, and become a professor at Wharton School of Business at the age of 26. My mom is definitely my hero and role model, because she accomplished this by hard work and dedication. She was able to work this hard job while giving it her all and raising twin babies. She definitely achieved the American Dream in my opinion.
Throughout history, the United States of America has become one of the most powerful and influential nations in the world. Even in the 1700s, a man named Guillaume Jean de Crèvecoeur discovered the potential from new land of America. In 1782, he published a book, creating the notion of the American Dream. One of the aspects of this image describes American society as an asylum. People from all over Europe settled the New World, hoping to find refuge. In the present, this part of the American Dream has directly affected my life. My grandmother, Yolanda Spanka, immigrated to the United States around the time of World War II. She was originally from Czechoslovakia, which separated into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in the 1993. During the 1930s, however, the growing strength of the Nazis sparked fear in the surrounding areas. It rippled across Europe like a strong current, causing everyone to fear the idea of a German invasion. This led my grandmother to leave her home country and seek safety and refuge in another one. She chose to head for America. She never found great wealth or fame, but my grandmother found something more important. She was able to find decent work, my grandfather, and a sense of protection. The American Dream really did apply to her life, giving her the sense of protection and the idea of "asylum" that she was looking to find.
The American economy offers social mobility, the result of good, honest "hard work." I want to apply this topic to my very own mother. She grew up moving trailer park to traitor park to apartment. Her parents were living paycheck to paycheck and anything she owned was either a hand-me-down or was bought with her hard earned money from multiple jobs along with going to school. My mom saved up enough money to get herself through almost 4 years of college at university of Delaware but in her last semester, senior year, could no longer afford it. She dropped out and decided to go two more years at del-tech for a degree in dental hygiene. Throughout the years she has gotten to know hundreds of clients, who love her. She has provided so much for me. I can't explain how thankful I am that she worked so hard to get where she is today. Without her hard work I wouldn't be lucky enough to say I attend Saint Mark's. Not only do we get the things we need, but we are also fortunate enough to get the things we want. All thanks to my mom, who took what she had and made it something better.
The American Dream offers new gifts and possibilities for those who dare to be successful. The aspect that relates mostly to me would be that America is an asylum, a refuge for Europe's poor and downtrodden. My Great Grandfather, Manuel Pierces was born in Portugal in 1901. He came over to America through Ellis Island in search for Asylum and a better life. He had barely any knowledge of English and was unable to read and write. Through hard work and perseverance he learned how to speak English as a second language and got a job at a steel factory. This would be the preface of building the foundation for which to support his family of 4 children. Even though America provided him with financial means, he used his family traditions to turn his property into a garden and live off the land as the first farmers did. He cooked without recipes, canned fruits and vegetables, and always had food available during tough times. He lived through the Great Depression and was able to see his children grow, have lives of their own, and shared in the lives of his 17 grandchildren. Even though he had a job and worked he grew his own food, had his own farm animals, and lived off the land. He also had his own means to get his own food. My great grandfather came over to America when Europe was in tough financial times. He needed a place of asylum to provide for himself and later his family. He found this in America. Through hard work, he was able to create a better life for his family. He accomplished so much with little or no help and never took the easy way out and always worked hard so his children could one day be as successful as he was.
The American Dream offers new gifts and possibilities for those who dare to be successful. The aspect that relates mostly to me would be that America is an asylum, a refuge for Europe's poor and downtrodden. My Great Grandfather, Manuel Pierces was born in Portugal in 1901. He came over to America through Ellis Island in search for Asylum and a better life. He had barely any knowledge of English and was unable to read and write. Through hard work and perseverance he learned how to speak English as a second language and got a job at a steel factory. This would be the preface of building the foundation for which to support his family of 4 children. Even though America provided him with financial means, he used his family traditions to turn his property into a garden and live off the land as the first farmers did. He cooked without recipes, canned fruits and vegetables, and always had food available during tough times. He lived through the Great Depression and was able to see his children grow, have lives of their own, and shared in the lives of his 17 grandchildren. Even though he had a job and worked he grew his own food, had his own farm animals, and lived off the land. He also had his own means to get his own food. My great grandfather came over to America when Europe was in tough financial times. He needed a place of asylum to provide for himself and later his family. He found this in America. Through hard work, he was able to create a better life for his family. He accomplished so much with little or no help and never took the easy way out and always worked hard so his children could one day be as successful as he was.
The "American Dream" is the idea of the hope and promise of America. For most people, America promised these exciting and new gifts to everyone who dared to call themselves, Americans. My great-grandfather, Oscar Schweitzer(how he originally spelled my last name), moved to America with the hope for a chance at the "American Dream" and social mobility. Oscar's parents owned a successful hotel in Stuttgart, Germany which was bombed. Germany at that time was threatened by Nazi takeover and this time period was around the beginning of World War I. The Schweitzers sent young Oscar to America, in hope of a greater future. Approximately 1910, Oscar came over to the United States via boat. He originally landed in New York City. He then traveled to Philadelphia where he met his wife, Louise Freda Erdwein. They resided there for a brief time and then relocated to Chestertown, Maryland. It was here where they decided to raise a family and my grandfather, Oscar Schweizer.(The 't' in the last name was removed after my great-grandfather was married.) My great-grandfather then started a hosiery(stocking) factory, which became very successful and provided many jobs during World War II. His business thrived during his time here. My great-grandfather, thus achieved the American Dream when he made the daring trip from Germany to the United States, achieving social mobility.
If I were to say I was a Muslim it would not be as received as nicely as if I were to say I was a Catholic. People tend to judge other religions and this is an example of that. If some big religious person came to America they might shut down everything just for him and the events he will be attending and all that stuff. Why then since I am not of that religion would they need to shut down a whole state just for one person when there are many other people of different religions in America who could not care if that religious leader was there. The saying that America was a place for you to freely practice your religion might have been more relevant back in 1700's but it is not as relevant to this day. Organizations like Isis give bad names to those certain religions which is not fair because maybe the people in America are nothing like them. People tend to judge what they don't know. We do have the Amendment that says we have the right to our religion. That is still in effect but, certain people will do anything to not let them practice their religion freely. This is one way that de croevecour was wrong about the American Dream at least in the 21st century.
In my eyes, my great great grandparents are a vision of the achievement of the "American Dream". Though their story isn't much more, if any more, significant than a typical family's life, they made their personal dreams come true and that's how I know they accomplished the classical "American Dream". Before coming to America, my great great grandfather, John, and my great great grandmother, Veronica, were in a poor state. In Poland, they didn't have much, including having no jobs. They were yet another European couple in search of a better life. They also wanted freedom from Polish political strife and felt that the only way to help themselves was to move across the ocean to the United States.
With hope in their hearts, they journeyed to America in the mid-1800s and began a new life. Once they settled, they finally started having better luck. John and Veronica married and were both successfully hired. They also bought their own house, something they wouldn't have been able to do in Poland due to poor circumstances. My great great grandfather even started his own business, selling wood and helping to build whatever project he was offered. From this, my American family was born and living for the "American Dream" continues on.
The American Dream is a combination of countless things you can do and/or be in America. The one thing that really speaks out to my family and me the most is, social mobility. Basically that means if you work hard you will be able to be successful here. My father came to America when he was 16 going on 17 with his cousin. When they got here, they didn't know anyone and didn't know how to earn money. Even back in Turkey, my father didn't have a whole bunch of money. After a lot of hard work, my dad had enough money to open up his own business. So him and his cousin opened up a restaurant and made a huge profit off of it. A few years after owning the restaurant, my dad decided to go back to Turkey. When he was in there he met my mom and eventually they got married. After many many years of hard work and dedication, my father now has three successful restaurants. My father is one of the most hard working people I know and that's why I look up to him.
The American Dream is a truly beautiful idea that provides a way for people to live a new life. One person who inspires me by living the American Dream is my Aunt Maria. Her father was in Castro's army and his unit revolted, so they were put into jail. He ended up dying and her mother tried to get out of Cuba as soon as possible. This led to her brother and herself coming over to America in the middle of the night on a boat to gain freedom. They found their mother after meeting in America and moved to Spain. After living in Spain for a couple years, they moved back to America and gained citizenship. My Aunt Maria was able to get an education here. Now she's married with six children and works as upper management in a hotel in Chicago. She inspires me because she has been through so much but she still manages to have a positive outlook about what she has been through. She's also managed to have social mobility because she worked hard to get to where she is now. My Aunt Maria inspires me to work towards my goals and one day I will be able to make it if I try my best.
Meaghan Kane
Honors American Literature
Green
23 September 2015
Journal #2
Out of the five statements from The American Dream I chose "America offers social mobility for those who work hard." My family has always been middle class. We have always been able to afford Catholic schooling; therefore, we are on the higher end of the middle class. Someone's opinion of what wealthy is, is someone else's opinion of what poor is. Either way, we are middle class. Everyone in my family was the same until my uncle, on my mom's side, started working with banking. He became the boss at a very high up bank in Pennsylvania. Due to his hard work as a student and employee he made it to the top of both the social latter and of his company. Even though his wealth does not categorize my entire family as extremely wealthy, he does share it with us whenever he can. My uncle did not make a large jump in the social latter, but he made a small one. This small jump effected many people in my family and many of our surrounding friends. I am very proud of my uncle for becoming one of the most successful men I know today.
The American Dream is the traditional social ideas of the U.S. The five aspects of the American Dream describes America as an asylum and a melting pot as well as having social mobility, religious freedom, and western pilgrims. My father has practiced social mobility since he was nine years old. His first job was delivering ,The Morning News, and, The Philadelphia Inquirer. He actually lied and said he was eleven instead of nine just to get the job! He delivered these papers up until his eighteen birthday. He also paid for his high school tuition by himself! His father refused to pay for school unless he attended Salesianum, but he felt Archmere was the school for him. I cannot even begin to imagine trying to pay for my tuition all by myself. My father had to work many jobs during high school. On top of delivering papers he also worked for a catering company, Wilmington Dry Goods, and Gulf gas station. My father also paid for his entire college tuition. He took a job in college working for the News Journal full time. He simultaneously worked part time at F&N Liquors. Because of his full time job, it took him six years to graduate instead of five. He continues to wake up at five o'clock every morning and go to work so I can attend a school like Saint Mark's. He is truly the most hard working person I have ever met. He has rightfully earned every cent he has ever made. He has taught me that I have to work hard in order to do well in life. He has definitely lived the American Dream.
The American Dream has been achieved by so many of my close family members, but the most inspiring story is about my great grandparents. My great grandfather, Leo Chiacu, spent his childhood in Korce, Albania. He came to America alone when he was thirteen years old. He stayed with his uncle in Saint Louis, Missouri, and although he spoke no English, he was willing to do whatever work was available for him. Most of the money that he made would be sent back to his family in Albania. When he was 27, he received a letter from his family stating that they had found a suitable girl for him to marry. He did not know her, but Aspasia Stillu was a 17 year old girl from a good family also from Korce, Albania. Since Leo was an American citizen, he was a prize catch for any young woman. They got married in 1933, three months after Leo returned to Albania. After the wedding, he almost immediately returned back to the United States. He was not with his wife but with his mother, because it was necessary in order for the siblings to come over. However, three months later Aspasia and Leo's siblings boarded a five-day cruise for the New World. On the cruise, Aspasia had trouble communicating with the ship crew because in Albania, shaking your head side to side means "yes" and up and down means "no"- exactly the opposite of our language. Therefore whenever she was offered something to eat or drink, she would nod her head the wrong way and get passed by. They arrived at Ellis Island, and one of the siblings had a serious eye infection and could not be let into the country. So, while the one sibling was in the hospital, Aspasia and the other sibling were taken to their new home. Together Aspasia and Leo had four daughters. Leo had many successful jobs in America, which I think is the definition of the American dream. Leo died of a stroke at 90 years old in 1995, therefore I never got to meet him. But, my great grandmother, Aspasia, passed away last year at the age of 101. Since my grandmother died when I was 1, she took over that role. She always told me many stories of her American Dream. My great grandparents definitely lived the American Dream and never took the easy way out.
The American Dream is the idea that opportunity and equality is available to all Americans. I believe this is something my dad has achieved. He is the son of a stay at home mother and a former coal miner. He grew up in a small house less than one thousand square feet in a small coal mining town in Western Pennsylvania known as Coal Run. He grew up with three brothers and a mom and dad. Easy to say his family did not have much money. His first paid job was McDonalds where he was paid $3.35 an hour. He worked full time and went to college full time. When he quit there he started cleaning horse stalls for $3.00 an hour. When he was working this job he primarily scooped horse poop. While he was at this job he was continuously cheated out of money. His boss went against my dad's well known reputation of being trustworthy and a hard worker by saying he didn't complete the hours he said he completed. After this job he worked for Perdue where he started working in the chicken slaughter house and worked hard to where he got promoted throughout the company eventually becoming a part of corporate. This drove my dad to do even better so he went to Connective Energy. With me on the way and my dad fed up with his bosses not treating him fairly and them taking advantage of him he decided to start a business. He started it in 1999 and called it TekSolv. This company specializes in engineering and environmental safety. Little did he know this would be an extremely successful company that would put him in the inc 5000. Not only has TekSolv gotten numerous rewards it has also saved lives. It has saved lives with a new technology his company invented called TekNet. This technology lets you wirelessly track gas emissions from any electronic device. This is why I believe my dad is an outstanding example of the American Dream.
Everyone wants to live out the American Dream. The dream is different for many people. Some come to America for religious freedom, some come for money, and others come for a bright future for their children. For de Crevecoeur one thought of the American Dream was that America offers social mobility, the result of good, honest "hard work." Someone who I believe achieved and is still to this day living out the American Dream is my dad. My dad comes from a family of four kids, him being the second child. Growing up my dad was very outgoing and loved to be involved in almost anything. When he was younger he played many sports and always maintained amazing grades. My dad's parents worked hard to send their children to catholic schools. For high school my dad went to Saint Mark's and was involved in football, cross country, student council, theatre, chorus, and national honors society. My dad has been a hard worker since the day he was born. After Saint Mark's my dad went to Villanova University. For four years my dad majored in electrical engineering and minored in mathematics. Later he then received a masters degree of business administration which helped him become a boss at his company. With all the hard work my dad has done for his education and career, he can now proudly say that he is a retired man. I agree with de Crevecoeur and that with motivation anything is possible. My dad is my role model; he has shown me that with hard work you can achieve anything you put your mind to. To me that is how one truly lives out the American Dream.
When I looked over the five aspects of deCrevecouer's dream, the one that stuck out to me the most is the American economy rewards the hard worker with a chance to get ahead. The first person to come to mind when I look at this is my grandfather. My grandfather has worked ever since he was a young boy. He was raised by two Italian parents and shared a small house with his two sisters and two brothers in the city of Wilmington. Around the age of eight he started shoe shining at the big old clock in the city. As he got older he tried many things out. When he reached the age of fifteen he met my grandmother. Many, many years later they moved in together and opened Waterbed Land, a mattress store. It may not be much but he was a very successful business man and kept his business for over ten years. My grandmother passed away but that never stopped him from pursuing the business. Over time, new mattresses with all kinds of advantages came to town and, well, drew the shop out of business. My grandfather is an inspiration to me. Coming from the less fortunate and making it pretty far up the business rank, his success has given me and my family the life that we now live.
America is an asylum, a refuge for Europe's poor and downtrodden
My Grandfather, Richard Pelillo was born in the Bronx, New York in 1929. His family had very little money growing up. My grandpa is always telling stories about "when he was a kid" and "how gas prices really have changed". My great grandfather, who I've sadly never met, was a hard worker and made a good life for my grandpa and his family, out of the little money they had. My dad was born in Columbia, South America, because that's were my grandfather was working at the time. They lived off of my grandpas paycheck while my grandma cooked and took care of my dad and his siblings. They moved to the states when my dad was 7 and went back to Venezuela when he was 16. They moved because my grandpa was always trying to support his family and the different places offered the best jobs for it. Now my dad is an certified public accountant for a private firm. My family is not rich however we have more then enough money to supply us with what we need and more. This shows how my family has changed through generations as in money wise and how the Pelillo's had started poor and now we are well off.
The American Dream can be found in many many people. The wish and hope for a life full of luxury is incredibly attractive to many Americans. Jean de Crevecoeur explained that one of the aspects of the American Dream is working hard to achieve awards and social mobility. One of the most hard-working people I know is my mom. Throughout her life, she always was determined to work hard and get ahead. She always had a focus and drive that she needed to be successful. My mom didn't grow up in a rich family. Her father worked in a factory and her mother didn't work. Her brothers are a lot older than her and she needed a way to pave a new path for herself. I think that also represents the American dream. It shows that in America anyone can create a new, successful identity for themselves. After successfully completing college at the University of Michigan, she went on to work at Reebok. While working at Reebok, she went from having two hundred little accounts and working hard for many years to achieving a higher rank in the company. She later only had eight accounts and was one of the top performers at Reebok. This shows how the American Dream of working hard can help you successfully achieve your goals and gives you hope for a better life.
America is an asylum, a refuge for Europe's poor and downtrodden
My Grandfather, Richard Pelillo was born in the Bronx, New York in 1929. His family had very little money growing up. My grandpa is always telling stories about "when he was a kid" and "how gas prices really have changed". My great grandfather, who I've sadly never met, was a hard worker and made a good life for my grandpa and his family, out of the little money they had. My dad was born in Columbia, South America, because that's were my grandfather was working at the time. They lived off of my grandpas paycheck while my grandma cooked and took care of my dad and his siblings. They moved to the states when my dad was 7 and went back to Venezuela when he was 16. They moved because my grandpa was always trying to support his family and the different places offered the best jobs for it. Now my dad is an certified public accountant for a private firm. My family is not rich however we have more then enough money to supply us with what we need and more. This shows how my family has changed through generations as in money wise and how the Pelillo's had started poor and now we are well off.
While he might not be considered a historical figure, he certainly is well known. Walt Disney symbolizes the concept of social mobility for those who work hard better than almost any other American. Disney grew up with a father who could not keep a job and beat him frequently. He relied on his brother to finance him and his father, as he didn't drop out of high school until age 16. When he did quit school, he joined the ambulance corps during World War I. After the war ended he worked for a business in Kansas City, creating ads. He was so intrigued by the idea of animation that he started his own animation business. The same business later went bankrupt because of its poorly managed funds. This didn't deter Disney though, as he set up an animation studio in Hollywood. It's most popular series at the time was Steamboat Willie, a show created in 1928. It would later begin to create the characters that are still relevant to children in today's society. Disney later decided to create a full length animated film, which is known today as Snow White and The Seven Dwarves. He was warned that this would be a risky move, but the film was a huge success and is still wildly popular today. Disney produced countless animated films, and even some live action movies, but his most successful creation was Disneyland, later followed by Disneyworld. The theme parks are two of the most popular attractions in the world, and in my opinion, will remain two of the most popular for a long time.
Disney proved that America does have social mobility for those who work hard, even for those with the worst backgrounds. To quote Disney himself, "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."
Both of my moms grandparents were born and raised in czeclslovakia. After their young wedding, the two decided to jump on a boat and start their new life in the said to be 'Great land of America' or at least this was their plan. Their parents wanted them to leave and start their family in America because they had heard there was more social mobility. Their parents were poor in their counrty and wanted to leave but decided to stay once they had their first child. They then made it their kids dream to leave for the U.S.. My great grandparents ended up having two children before they could afford to buy some tickets. After a couple more years of saving up, they were able to purchase their one way tickets to America. Once they got here, they had to go through the famous Ellis Island. My mom was told terrifying stories about families being seperated during their trip because of the rapid disease spreading through the boats. They fortunately got through and were granted American citizenship. In America, they settled in Pittsburgh while my great grandpa worked in the steal mills. My great grandmother had three more kids after that, one being my late grandmother, Margaret. Margaret was schooled until 12th grade then fell in love with a car dealer. They married and soon had five children. Without the courage of my great grandparents, I would not be here today.
As a first generation American or as any American citizen, many of us do not see the hardships our ancestors faced to become a legalized American. Immigrants from all over the world tend to come to America for many reasons such as freedom,opportunity, and wealth.The American society is known to be a melting pot of people from all different cultures. I myself am an example of this, my mom is from the Philippines and my dad is from Jamaica. They came to America to live the notion of an American Dream. This has in the end rewarded me and my brothers and sister by providing us with a high level of education, and the freedom to decide our own destiny and faith in the world. It has given America a wide variety of traditions and cultures which I found to be very beneficial, by allowing Americans to have a broad outlook on life. We do not have a certain look to us we are all different, but even though America is full of different races we are still equal and one, which is what defines an American citizen.
My family history is from all over Europe. I have relatives from England, Ireland, Germany, and Italy. The idea of social mobility really relates to my family history.So my personal story would be about all of my relatives and in specific the ones from Ireland. My great-great-grandparents came from Ireland and eventually settled in western Pennsylvania. They gained farmland in present day Pittsburgh and were one of the richest families in Pittsburgh. In Ireland, they were very poor and didn't have much property. When they came over to America, they gained property and a lot of farmland. My mom tells me stories of how they came over and worked for days on end with the dream to become rich. They worked until they gained some money. Over time they started to become more wealthy and eventually had a full farm. They had many servants and maids that roamed the grounds and worked for them. They became very wealthy. I think this story really relates to the idea of social mobility. When they came to America, they came with the idea to become wealthy and be something that they weren't in Ireland. They earned a good honest dollar, working day and night to earn money and make a name for themselves.
America has offered people many things throughout history, and it has been known as a land full of opportunities. It is a place that offers religious freedom, jobs, money, land, and freedom from persecution. Before part of the land of North America was even given the title of "The United States of America", it was offering people these basic things. The reason these original pilgrims came over to begin with, was to find religious freedom. They wanted the ability to worship in whichever way they wanted too, so they came to this new place. They wanted this new right, they wanted this piece of what we now call "the American Dream". So they came to this new, undiscovered land, that was perfect for them, it offered exactly what they were looking for. When looking back at this story, of how these settlers put everything on the line, how they struggled to get here, struggled to survive here, we get a piece of how hard it can be to achieve the dream. They were determined to have what they were seeking, freedom from religious persecution, and once they had it, they weren't going to give up. They knew they couldn't give up and return home, they knew that no matter how hard it got, it would all be worth it in the end. That's what the American Dream is, its a dream that you have to fight for, and know that no matter how hard it gets, you can't give up on it.
I think the idea of social mobility affected the famous football player Michael Oher and it has rewarded him in numerous ways. Michael was a member of the lower class when he was a teenage boy in Memphis, Tennessee. His mother was an alcoholic and a cocaine addict, so he spent his time with many different foster families and anyone who would let him sleep on their couch. Michael was seen walking in the streets one day, when a wealthy family let him spend the night at their house. Michael was soon adopted by this family consisting of Leigh Anne, Sean, Collins, and S.J. Tuohy. When Michael was adopted by The Tuohy family in 2004, he was given an opportunity to succeed in life. The Tuohy family was very wealthy and members of the upper class, so this was a huge adjustment for Michael, and he was moving up on the social ladder. The Tuohy’s helped Michael become an amazing football player in high school and he would soon be able to play for the University of Mississippi, and even be a first round draft pick in the 200 NFL draft. But they didn’t just hand everything to Michael. He had to work very hard by raising his 0.76 GPA to a 2.52 by the end of his senior year. Michael also had to train very hard in football considering he didn’t really know how to play. I think Michael Oher is a great example of social mobility, because he proves that good hard work pays off, you can climb up on the social ladder, and the American Dream is still thriving today.
One success story in my family is the story of my father's grandfather. His name was Joseph Dorso and he was born in 1903. In 1923 he came over to America from Italy in hopes of starting a family and being successful and he did just that. He began by working in leather factories all around Philadelphia and Wilmington. After a few years of working in the factories he bought a taxi cab and started up his own one man, one car business. About 8 years being in America he met the love of his life, Anna, who was born in America. They eventually got married. His little business became successful and he and Anna bought a house in the city of Wilmington. He and his wife went on to have 4 children whom he cared for an supported with the money from his small business. Although his business isn't around today, I am proud to have had a great grandfather that worked so hard to establish a better life for himself. His attempt at being successful in this American economy was risky and he could have suffered greatly for it. But, he was determined to create a better life for himself and his future generations.
The American Dream is being followed and discovered by my sister's boyfriend. He moved here from Ireland two years ago for her and to have a better life. While he has been here he has experienced many different foods and cultures. And to him, America is a melting pot even though most historians say it is more like a salad bowl. The food here in America is a lot different than in Ireland. In Ireland, most of the food is portioned per family member and all you get is what is served on your plate. Here, most of the food is served family style, where you can take as much or as little as you want. While here, he has gained about twenty pounds because of all the new varieties of foods that he has tried and learned to love. One of his personal favorites that is also a favorite of America's, is the Hershey candy bar. He is currently living in Philadelphia where many different cultures are exposed and expressed. In Philadelphia, there is China town, Little Italy, and German town which makes Philly have its own little melting pot. While we have shared much our culture with him, he has also brought many traditions as well. My family has learned so much from meeting him and his family. Some of the things that he has shared with my family is delicious Irish tea and chocolate. Also, he has brought a new liking to my family of Irish coffee with Jamison's whiskey in it. Also by knowing him, he has introduced me to a tv show which is an icon in Ireland known as Wacky Woolies. America has many different cultures expressed throughout it and we can all learn from each other new traditions and ways of living throughout the entire world.
Ever since America began people have been coming here for a better life. The American Dream is part of this country's past, present, and future. It's one of the things that makes me so proud to be an American; there are people who desperately want to be American, but I'm lucky enough to have that privilege. Having come from a family who is strongly connected to their past also makes me proud to be an American. My mom's grandparents came to America from Salerno, Italy. My grandfather was a first generation Italian American, he and his brother both worked their tails off to be able to raise their family. My great uncle was a bay pilot in Long Island Sound, so he was in charge of navigating big ships coming to port in New York City. My grandfather on the other hand was a radio operator in Brooklyn. During WWII he was a radio man on the USS Bismarck in the Pacific Theatre. During a kamikaze attack the ship sunk leaving my grandfather among the few survivors. Post-war he was a radio dispatcher in a small passenger plane that was flying Jewish refugees from Switzerland to Tel Aviv. While searching for a landing in Zurich the plane crashed killing everyone but my grandfather. I know that this isn't very much on an American Dream story but I think that the difficulties that my mom's dad faced are worthy of recognition. My great grandparents provided for their sons as much as they could despite being relatively poor Italian immigrants. Both my grandfather and my great uncle lived their life to the fullest. They both had beautiful families that they provided much for, in my eyes a true American success story
My grandmother captured the American Dream in 1963, when she came to America and became a doctor. She represented the motif of America's economy offering social mobility. My grandmother grew up in a very poor family in Turkey. She tells me stories of her siblings sharing one orange, if they were extra good. When she was about twenty-seven years old my grandmother came to America. She was married to my grandfather and had one child, my aunt, at the time. She put aside money every time she got paid, and eventually saved enough money to come to America. After earning her citizenship, she went to medical school and received her PhD in medicine. She worked four jobs to pay her way through school. She then went to work for the Veteran Administration Hospital or V.A. Hospital. There she raised enough money to bring my grandfather and my great grandparents over to America. After having two more kids, including my mother, she became head doctor at the hospital. I am very proud of my grandmother for accomplishing so much. My grandmother represents the American Dream as a women from a foreign country coming alone to america, and being able to make a substantial living doing what she loves.
America is an asylum, a refuge for Europe's poor and downtrodden ... I come from poor Irish potato farmers. Not a great time for the Murch clan when the potato famine hit, killing all of their crops, causing them to become nearly broke and on the verge of losing everything.
My family's success story starts out like a Disney movie: a struggling family looking for their dreams to come true. To follow the theme, they did come true. They sold their land, hopped on a boat, and sailed to mysterious land known as a place for second chances. I've heard many different stories about what happened when they landed, some being they came thought Ellis Island or just docked on he mainland, but no matter what, they all agree that when my great-great grandparents took their first steps, they were in tears of joy and thanked their lucky starts for this chance. I'm surprised Disney didn't here about this cliché, but perfect, tale. But I'm glad they didn't. We had a happy ending anyway. Roll the credits
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The American Dream can be described as something not thought possible anywhere else. An example, freedom of Religion can only be thought of as one thing, freedom to have whatever Religion you so desire. You can not find freedom anywhere else other than America.
My grandfather, moved to the US when he was 17, to go to college, that the Air Force, payed for. He moved from Brazil, to American, and arrived in New York City, where he stayed until he had enough money to move to florida, where he continued his service in the Air Force. My grandfather serviced 22 years, after that he retired and opened a candy shop, in Los Angeles, California. He always loved sweets, so he and his step-wife opened up Halgrens.
Halgrens was the name of the candy shop, that came from my grandpa's dad name, he named it after him from his remembrance. He had just pasted the year before he opened the candy shop. When business was up and running they would sale, chocolate every thing, coved, dipped, double dipped, whipped, you name it, there chocolate was the best! From what I hear. Owning your own Business in America, is one of the biggest reasons why so many people want to move to America, because its land of opportunity.
America was a melting pot for many Europeans, including my dad's side of the family. His family is exclusively Italian. My dad's maternal grandparents came from Naples, Italy. His paternal grandparents came from Terrirmo. They left their homes and their families in search of a better life and more freedom. They settled in New Castle, Delaware, in a section now known as Shawtown. At that time, Shawtown was its own little Italy. It was filled with first generation Italian families, who worshiped together at St. Peters the Apostle Church, they played games at the St. Anthony's Club, and they also raised their kids together. My grandparents met because they grew up next door to each other in this community. My grandmom was one of eleven children that my her parents raised on a construction worker and waitress salary. Although life the struggles here were different, they were still very real, this made life tough for them. However their children have the benefit of all the opportunities of living in America provide them. Including schools, jobs, and opportunities to travel. America to me is a place where people who want to seek opportunity and growth can come with big dreams a lot of hard work.
"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." This is one of the statements de Crevecoeur makes about the American people. One American immigrant in particular that I think shows this point well is Nikola Tesla. Tesla was born in Croatia in 1856 and grew up watching his mother invent small things to help her around the house. This was a main inspiration for Tesla and he later went and studied at three schools to help him gain more knowledge on science. Then at 28, Tesla left Croatia and moved to America. When he arrived, he was hired by Thomas Edison and the two worked together for a few months but broke apart after business conflicts. Afterwards, Tesla went on to start the "Tesla Electric Company" in 1887. There Tesla created his AC electronic system which was shortly patented and purchased for $60,000. This AC system quickly became the "preeminent power system of the 20th century" and is still being used even to this day. Tesla went on to also make the "Tesla coil", another invention of his that is still being used in modern technology as well. Tesla proved to be an extremely intelligent inventor who set a standard that in his field that many could not pass at that time. His hard work has help Americans for decades is one of the many that has truly made America better.
Source: http://www.biography.com/people/nikola-tesla-9504443#synopsis
Many of my Great-Great Grandparents contributed to The American Dream. Most of them began in Greece, and traveled to America. I don't have specific information on one, but I do know a little bit about a few relative's stories. My great grandmother's father came through Ellis Island to become a US citizen with the name of Demetius Vasilitsiotis and then changed his name to James Brown. I'm not sure why he changed his name but I do know I was for business purposes. In addition, my Grandmother's grandfather also came through Ellis Island and changed his last name from Fanergakis to Fanos. My Great Grandfather's father came from Crete, Greece, and had a hat shop in New Jersey. All five of his children went to college. Also, what I find very interesting, my Grandfather's grandfather came from Lithuania and married a US born women that was part BlackHawk Indian. Lastly my Grandther's mother's grandmother came from Luxembourg, France to America. Now with all of this information about my background and relative history, it has brought to my attention what a beautiful world we live in today. America is full of all different kinds of brave people that have been joined together as one, and I am so thankful and proud to be a part of it.
The American dream isn't a perfect life with all the money in the world. It's about being happy with your life and it being perfect in your own eyes. I believe that my mommom achieved the American dream in her life. She is the youngest of four children of a middle class, Lancaster, family. She went to an all girls school from first grade to senior year and she hated it. Her brother always said she'd excel as an accountant or something with math but she chose not to go to college instead. My mommom started as a telephone operator for her first "real" job. She went on to work at a restaurant theater as a waitress. Although she was just a waitress there she loved to help with the plays because she loved to see shows and be in them since she was a kid. Eventually she meant my pop-pop, who stopped into the theater sometimes. She and my pop-pop got married, moved into a house around Avon Grove, and had three kids. I admire my mommom because she has lost her son when he was young and her husband about two years ago. Through these struggles she always remains strong and positive. She lives her life as if she is living the perfect one. I believe that the way you see your life determines the American dream.
American’s have many different reasons why they came to America in the first place. One of the things that stuck out to me was that the American economy offers social mobility, which is the result of good, honest “hard work.” My great grandfather, William McKinley West, started off living in the city with six siblings and his parents. He went to school until the eleventh grade, but then ended up quitting school because it was during the Great Depression and he had to work full time so that he could help provide for the family. At age fourteen, he started working at the leather factory, where he worked for a long time. In 1941, at age twenty-seven, he married a farm girl from Berlin, Maryland and then move into a new house Elsmere. He then started being a tax collector for the town and everyone thought that he should become a magistrate, so they told him to go to law school. He attended the University of North Carolina for law and then became the first magistrate of Elsmere, after being appointed by the governor of Delaware. He was a magistrate for eight years and then retired. Once he retired he bought a motel, called the West Motel, which is still standing today, and ran that for ten years. When he passed away, he had four children and was loved dearly by all of them. If it wasn’t for his hard work and dedication to do well, I don’t think that he would have ever been able to become such a successful person. I admire his work ethics and hope that I become just as hard working as he was.
A Frenchman named de Crevecour wrote about the American Dream. For de Crevecour, the American Dream was a promise of five different things: an asylum, a melting pot of people of European descent, social mobility, religious freedom, and "western pilgrims". I agree with de Crevecour when he says that religious freedom is one of the five aspects of the American Dream. For me, my family relates the most with the idea of religious freedom. My mom's side of the family is Jewish while my dad's side is Catholic. Judaism is not the most prominent religion and has had to face its fair share of conflicts around the world, but America is definitely a religiously free place to live. My grandmother's mother came here from Russia trying to escape the unfair treatment the Jewish people were receiving from the Nazis in Europe. My great-grandparents had been living in the Jewish ghettos in Latvia and were tired, and, of course, scared of the way they were being treated. Coming to America was absolutely the right choice when it came to religious freedom. They found a new home and started a new generation which has continued into the present day. Here, they were not persecuted and were treated as human beings should be treated: fairly and with respect. Nowadays, the cultures and religions of people in America are extremely diverse. There are over 300 different religions in the United States today. I think that is truly amazing how religiously diverse this nation is and how all of these people have the freedom to practice their religion without interruption. To me, this is the true American Dream being fulfilled.
Since it was first founded, America has offered asylum to those who were willing to put in the effort to live a better life. Richard John Duckett, my great-great-great grandfather, immigrated from Dublin, Ireland to the United States of America in 1870. He came to join his brother, Patrick Duckett, who had traveled to America four years prior. Still facing the negative effects of the infamous potato famine that occurred throughout Ireland in the early to mid 1800's, Richard and his siblings decided to make better lives for themselves by picking up everything and moving to the "asylum" of America. Richard made his way across the vast Atlantic Ocean on a steamship named "City of Paris", his brother Patrick paying his passage fee of $37. He settled in Camden Coal Valley in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania and earned a job as the general foreman of the Sterling Coal Mine in Clearfield County. He later met Jane Agnes Ball and had 12 children. The Ducketts were searching for refuge, and they found it in the new, bustling, post-Civil War United States. Just like many other immigrants at this time, their lives drastically improved after making the risky decision to move to an unknown land. Unlike the disease-ravaged, poverty-stricken country of Ireland, America provided the new opportunities that my ancestors needed to make their lives successful. Richard was able to find a steady job and earn money for his family in a way that he couldn't have done in Ireland. If America had not provided him with these tools, my family and I would not be living the successful lives we lead today. Richard John Duckett found security and asylum in this beautiful land of opportunity, and I am grateful for his sacrifice.
The French writer Guillaume Jean de Crèvecoeur published a book about the American Dream called Letters From an American farmer in 1782. In his book, de Crèvecoeur wrote about the American Dream, where he says that American society is a melting pot of all the people from Europe. In my family, specifically on my mother's side, is an example of America being a melting pot as her grandparents immigrated to America from Poland. My mother's grandfather, John Czarnecki, sailed from Poland to America looking for a new life like many of his fellow immigrants. He landed at Ellis Island and was integrated into America. My mother's grandmother, Katarzyna Czarnecki, sailed to America and payed for the boat fare with a loan she took from her soon-to-be in-laws. She then married John Czarnecki on September 24, 1916. My mother's father and my grandfather, Edwin Czarnecki was born in 1926. Both of my mother's grandparents had sailed over to be mixed in to the giant melting pot that is the American dream. Whether they immigrated to America to own a business and make money or whether they came here to raise a family, they both lived the American Dream by being mixed in to citizenship.
The words "melting pot" describe America very well. When you take a look at America you can notice that there is a very diverse group of people from all over the world. I can personally relate to this because of my grandparents. My grandparents, my dad's parents, were born and raised in Italy. My grandparents moved to America when they were around their twenties after getting married in Italy. My grandparents have always told me stories from when they first came to America. They knew little to no English but were very eager and willing to learn. My grandfather knew more English than my grandmother so he went straight to work while she went to school to learn English. Their life style in America was very different from their life style in Italy, but their neighbors and new friends were very welcoming and helpful towards them. My grandparents kept their Italian traditions through the family and we participate in different traditions during holidays and other fun events. My dad grew up learning Italian and actually didn't even learn English until he was in first grade! My grandmother still has a very strong Italian accent but you can definitely say her English has improved! My grandfather passed away when I was seven years old but I still remember all of the stories he would tell us about his life in Italy and transitioning to American life style. This is a great example of how America is a melting pot because so many people from Europe bring their cultures and traditions to America, resulting in a very diverse country.
I'd like to write my journal about how the American economy offers social mobility, the result of good, honest "hard work." I can relate to this idea of social mobility and how an attempt actually failed in my family. My grandfather for along time was a salesman for the store Sears. He would go and try to sell bulk product to different companies and smaller stores. When one day he decided that because of his background in appliances, he wanted to open up his own cabinet business. So through his hard work he began to grow in the expenses, space and personal needed to get this business started, except they needed one more big investor. So my grandfather talks to this very wealthy older man that lives in the area. The man agrees to help him launch his business by investing. My grandfather is ready to get his business started when he hears some terrible news. The wealthy old man who was the last investor had killed himself, he had laundered millions of dollars from many different people. Now since my grandfathers business had now became involved with the old man the bank accounts to the business were frozen. This resulted in the loss of all the money and the down fall of the company before it even started. Although my grandfather still lives in a modest apartment with my grandmother, this story just shows how his attempt to climb the social ladder had failed.
The American economy offers social mobility, and the one person that took advantage of that was Chris Gardner. He went from a homeless, poor man to a wealthy and accomplished man. He came from the bottom up with sheer hard work. Mr. Gardner’s childhood was marked by poverty, domestic violence, alcoholism, sexual abuse and family illiteracy. Mr. Gardner became homeless by circumstances of life. “Sometimes life happens,” he says. Around the age of 28, he met, married, and had a child with Sherry Dyson. Few years later he became poor, and his wife left him leaving him as a single father. Mr. Gardner was so poor to the point where he and his son would have to sleep in the bathroom of a subway. He then met this person that was a stockbroker who was making $80,000 a month. So that inspired him to become a stockbroker. Even though he did not have a college education, Mr. Gardner was extremely intelligent. Mr. Gardener worked extremely hard to get a job as a stockbroker and he made a name for himself. Chris Gardner’s story is really a true prime example of the idea of social mobility. Due to the rights afforded to us as Americans citizens, we are given the opportunities that allow us to pull ourselves from nothing to something. All it takes is hard work, determination, little bit of luck, and help from God to achieve our goals.
https://youtu.be/V4AFNPG2YY0
The American economy offers social mobility, and the one person that took advantage of that was Chris Gardner. He went from a homeless, poor man to a wealthy and accomplished man. He came from the bottom up with sheer hard work. Mr. Gardner’s childhood was marked by poverty, domestic violence, alcoholism, sexual abuse and family illiteracy. Mr. Gardner became homeless by circumstances of life. “Sometimes life happens,” he says. Around the age of 28, he met, married, and had a child with Sherry Dyson. Few years later he became poor, and his wife left him leaving him as a single father. Mr. Gardner was so poor to the point where he and his son would have to sleep in the bathroom of a subway. He then met this person that was a stockbroker who was making $80,000 a month. So that inspired him to become a stockbroker. Even though he did not have a college education, Mr. Gardner was extremely intelligent. Mr. Gardener worked extremely hard to get a job as a stockbroker and he made a name for himself. Chris Gardner’s story is really a true prime example of the idea of social mobility. Due to the rights afforded to us as Americans citizens, we are given the opportunities that allow us to pull ourselves from nothing to something. All it takes is hard work, determination, little bit of luck, and help from God to achieve our goals.
https://youtu.be/V4AFNPG2YY0
My Grandfather's life, full of hard work and ambition, is a true example of the American Dream. He grew up in Delaware and graduated from Saleseanium High School. After high school he married my mom mom and shortly after was sent over seas to serve in World War II. When he got home he got a job working at a plumbing company and worked hard everyday to support their growing family. Within a few years he told his wife that he decided to go into business for himself and start his own pluming company he took the five hundred dollars he had saved and opened Ralph Degli Obbizzi Pluming Company. It was hard at first, but eventually he did very well and his business was a huge success. As his sons grew up they joined the business and it became Ralph Degli Obbizzi and Sons. They now are a pluming, heating and air conditioning business and are still extremely successful. Even though my popped is not with us anymore I he looks down on his family and is proud of what he created.
The idea of the American Dream is coming from little to nothing and making something
of yourself. Many people from many different different parts of the world came to America
wanting to achieve the American Dream. My grandfather is someone who did this. He came
from a poor family in Italy. He always heard about how wonderful America and dreamed of
coming here so one day he decided he was going to do it. When he first came he had a very
bad job and couldn't even afford to buy himself a 5 cent coffee everyday. Eventually he got a job
at J.C. Penny's. He started out small but quickly moved up. He finally was put in charge of all of
the men's department. My grandfather went from being a poor Italian immigrant who couldn't
afford coffee for himself everyday to being able to support a wife and his 3 daughters.
The idea of the American Dream gives people hope of a new life. People come to America to restart their lives or continue them in our country. My great-grandmother, Babci, was born in Massachusetts. Her famIly was from Poland. Babci, my mom's grandmother, moved back to Poland with her family when she was a baby. She grew up in Poland on a farm. When she was in her early twenties, she came to the U.S. On a boat by herself. She never saw her family again. She kept in touch with them by writing letters and she would send them clothes and money. When she got to America, she worked as a nanny for a family in New York. My grandmother's Aunt Wanda would sometimes come from Poland to visit. She couldn't move to America because if she did she wouldn't be able to bring any of her belongings or money with her. At that time Poland was under communist rule. Babci married her husband Sigmund and moved to Conshohocken where all of Sigmund's siblings lived. They lived on Elm Street and Hector Street and she was always sipper ounces by her family. She lived the American Dream because she lived her life and made sure she was surrounded by her family.
The American Dream made people want to come to America for the dreams that they wanted. People would come because America was seen as a melting pot. Anyone of any race could come over and find other people of their ethnicity to all live in the same area. America is able to offer good schools to help them gain better better jobs, and good paying jobs. My mom is a good example of someone who chased after an American Dream. My mom came over from an island by the Philippines and is in a family of 7 other brothers and sisters. My mom came over for a good job. Once here my mom was able to get a good banking job and make good money. I feel that my mom is a good example because she was able to come to America and make a great living for herself.
When I think of someone who has truly achieved the American Dream, I think of Steve Jobs. Not only did he make money and become very successful,but he made a difference in the lives of everyday citizens throughout the world. Steve Jobs was a child born out of wedlock and put up for adoption early in life. His parents were not rich but lower-middle class, making his success story even better. He started with nothing but an idea and a motivation to get his idea to become a reality. He teamed up with a man named Steve Wozniak to get his company off the ground. By the time his company was started he had a team of engineers working to make his dreams a reality. The time and effort he put in to accomplish his achievements is astonishing, and is a real example of what De Crevecoeur meant when he said that there was social mobility in America. By working hard and chasing his imagination Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were able to create something that changed the way I live my life and everybody else's. Even today everyone knows the name Steve Jobs. His death in 2011 shocked the world,but his legacy lives on. Engineers at Apple are still creating new phones and devices and constantly updating them for the best performance possible. In my opinion what Steve Jobs accomplished in his time in America is the ideal example of what it mans to live the American dream.
Jerry Yang is the founder of yahoo and an American entrepreneur that is truly living the American Dream. He shows that the idea that America's economy offers social mobility and allows you to climb up the social ladder with nothing but hard work is real. He came to America with nothing but his family and some belongings and the only English word he knew was "shoe". He grew up in Taiwan, Taipei and moved to San Jose, California when he was eight. He faced discrimination in his schools but despite all of the teasing he made great grades and was excepted to Stanford college. Jerry graduated Stanford in 1990 and he created Yahoo in 1995. He recently left the company with a net worth of 1.5 billion dollars. He also became one of the greatest American investors in China and saved multiple companies from destruction by helping them with his fortunes. This success story shows that the American economy offers social mobility. Jerry Yang came from Taiwan with nothing but became a billionaire with the hard work and effort he put into his education. The social mobility of America rewarded Jerry greatly.
America is definitely a place that if you work hard, you will be rewarded. As long as you put in your best effort, this will be true. Guillaume Jean de Crèvecoeur said that "America economy offers social mobility, the result of good, honest hard work". I think a person that represents this statement is my mom. She was a single mom for 13 years (she got married two years ago). She worked and worked all the time to provide for the both of us. I never knew how hard it was to raise a child as a single mom when I was younger. As I'm growing up, I'm realizing how much I have to be grateful for. All of her hard work has paid off because I can see how successful she is becoming. Guillaume Jean de Crèvecoeur's statement of being rewarded for hard work in America is true.
You do not have to be well known, rich, famous, or even white to achieve the American Dream. One such example is Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, in the city of Cairo, Georgia. He was the youngest of five children, raised in poverty. He was an excellent athlete in football, basketball, track, and baseball at Pasadena Junior College. Jackie was inspired by his brother Matthew to pursue his athletic dreams, even if there were obstacles in his way. Matthew was also an excellent athlete, as he won the silver medal in the 200 meter dash, right behind Jesse Owens, at the 1936 Olympic Games. Jackie went on to continue his education at the University of California Los Angeles(UCLA), but would eventually leave due to financial hardship. He would then go on to play semi-pro football in Hawaii before going into the army. In 1944, he was arrested for not giving up his seat in a segregated bus. He then worked with the NAACP to be acquitted of his charges. This sparked his pursuit of breaking the color barrier.
He went on to play baseball in the Negro League first. Branch Rickey, president of the Brooklyn Dodgers, reached out to him and wanted him to help integrate the MLB. He played through the Dodgers farm system, and on April 15, 1947, he played his first game at Ebbets Field, being the first black man to do so. He received racism all throughout his career, but despite the racism, he went on to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. I feel Jackie Robinson achieved the American Dream of social mobility by working hard and not letting the racial slurs get to his head. He went from no one, to being one of the best black baseball players of all time.
Jackie Robinson is arguably one of the most well- known and most respected athletes of all time. He embodies the American Dream and the rocky road to success that comes with it. Jackie Robinson was a African American all sport athlete that chose to take his talents to the sport of baseball. Jackie was the first African American to ever play a professional sport, in America. Throughout his life, he faced many hardships but had the courage to turn his cheek. His journey is an amazing example of the "American Dream." His hard work and dedication brought him to fame, and once he achieved fame he was accepted not for his race but for him as a person. Almost all of his life Jackie Robinson was harassed and reticuled for his race throughout his life, but eventually he was excepted and opened a door for all African Americans to become part of nthe American where your race doesn't define who you are.
The example of The American Dream I chose was social mobility. Social mobility can be described as someone being rewarded for hard work. A great example of this is my grandfather, Joseph Kempczynski. He was born into a poor family that had just moved into the United States from Italy and Poland. Growing up he struggled due to the money situation, however he was able to put himself through school while working a job to pay. After he graduated from high school my grandpa enrolled into the war. He served for 4 years before returning back home to where he found the love of his life. He ended up marrying her and got a job under Delmarva. In that job he started as a low paid assistant and raised ranks to one of the highest paid rolls in the job. My grandpa went from making 20,000 dollars to making 115,000 in just 18 years . Now he's deceased but before his death he was able to be sitting retired, with two houses, a boat, 2 cars and a bank account full of coin. This just goes to show that if you work hard, you will move up in the ranks and become very successful, which is almost the main point of social mobility.
I chose to use number three for my paragraph, the American economy offers social mobility for the hard working people. This is a perfect example of my grandfather, who has worked hard his entire life. While growing up, he was very poor and didn't have much in life. But he didn't let that get him down at all. He joined the navy to try to earn an honest living, and because he loved his country. After serving for a few years, he had to leave the navy and find another job to support his three children. My father is his middle child and he tells me how fortunate I am because when he was growing up, he had to help his Dad with everything and even work. My grandfather got a new job as manager at LabCorp and things started to go better for him. He put his family into a new house and put all three of his kids through private school. When my grandmother died after fighting many health issues, my grandfather moved on and retired not long after this happened. Nowadays, my grandfather is in his best physical and mental shape that he has ever been and is doing just fine in terms of finances. He was indeed rewarded for his life of hard work and is now enjoying all of his free time and the special moments that he has with his family.
America the "Melting Pot"
America is known as a "melting pot of different cultures. Since the first Europeans landed on American soil, this has been a land of mixed origins. The Spanish originally settled in the southern area. The British, German, Irish, and other Europeans settled in the eastern pat of America, and the French settled in the northern area. Because of this diversity, Americans are unique in the fact that the majority of us are descended from more than one race or ethnic group.
Americans are a mix of many different races and cultures. That is one of the great parts of being an American citizen. Throughout the history of this nation some of the different races and ethnic groups have sometimes had children with each other. Because of this, the distinctions of specific groups are being blurred more and more every day.
There are many people who try for the "American Dream"; I believe that by Dad has achieved the American Dream. He did not immigrate to the U.S. Although he did loose his job in Massachusetts, and then move to Maryland and get a job at a gas station. Then he got a car and an apartment. After that he started as a contractor W.L. Gore. After being hired by Gore he got his electrician papers. After he was promoted to project engineer. Then finally was promoted to the project Engineering team. That shows how my dad climbed the economic ladder, and how he went from a gas station attendant to a project engineer.
The American Dream is an asylum for Europeans because it lets them start over. For instance my great grandfather came to America in the early 20th century. He came over very poor with my great grandmother. After he came to America he was a shoe salesman. He would never live to see his decision take flight but after his death his son or my grandfather. My grandfather would work his entire life and after retirement live comfortably. After my grandfather had my father he would teach him to work hard and never be lazy. My dad would live by these rules for his entire life. He worked since he was 17 years old. He worked as an electrician and moved up in the ranks of a company called superior electric. He ended up being a boss of jobs only taking rules from the company's ceo. He later quit because he wasn't happy and founded his own company. My father now works everyday so I can go to a good school and live comfortably. This is why I think the United States of America is an asylum for Europeans. It gives them a chance to start over do what they want with their lives and not take orders from a king.
Everyone wants to live out the American Dream. The dream is different for many people. Some come to America for religious freedom, some come for money, and others come for a bright future for their children. For de Crevecoeur one thought of the American Dream was that America offers social mobility, the result of good, honest "hard work." Someone who I believe achieved and is still to this day living out the American Dream is my dad. My dad comes from a not very wealthy farm family. Growing up my dad was very outgoing and loved to learn and be taught his fathers trade. When he was younger he played many sports and worked out a lot to be as successful as he could in whatever he did while maintaining his grades. My grandparents worked countless hours for my dad to be able to give my dad the life that they wanted him to have. For high school my dad went to Salem high school and was involved in football, track and field, and national honors society. My dad has been a hard worker since the day he was born. Afternoon school my dad went to East Stroudsburg University. For four years my dad majored in business management, which helped him run our family farm. With all the hard work my dad has done for himself and the rest of my family, he can say that he worked his tail off for everything that he has earned. I agree with de Crevecoeur and that with motivation anything is possible. My dad is a definite role model in my life; he has shown me that with hard work goes a long way and that with work you can always become a greater man than you were yesterday. To me my father really is living the American Dream.
America is a place that takes the best of the best, and makes them better. The military aslo does this with their special forces programs, my grandpa, Robert William Vadnais, would know about this. During the times of the Vietnam War he was serving as a high ranking enlisted official in the Army's Ranger Corps, but he wouldn't stop there. When the Army announcewd it would be starting a new program and breed of special forces he sought to be better than the best. He began training on a program that was revolutionary for the time, a soldier to be able to go into enemy lines and not only be skilled with any weapon they possess, but to be able to train locals to fight back too. Atthe time they were known to some as super heroes,, but now we call this breed of the Army Green Berets. UNder this unit he was able to serve and protect his country again and again, while also teaching the locals to do the same. He would later earn several medals for this such as the silver star with valor for aiding a wounded comrade while they were pinned down by enemy fire. Disregarding his own personal safety and comfort he saved his comrade from the barrage of enemy fire and returned him to enemy lines. While he would lose his life soon after, it wasnt from a bullet or bayonet, but from Agent Orange, a form of cancer that some contracted while serving in Vietnam. And through this he exhibited that America is still full of pilgrims, while they may not always be traveling to find new lands, they may just be taking part in a new form of miussion or assignment. And, nbecause he was one of the original green berets he is the perfect example of a western pilgrim.
In America there are many opportnity's to better yourself and move up the social ladder. I believe my Dad has done this. Growing up he was raised in a normal sized house close to St. Marks. As he grew up he knew he wanted to make a good amount of money but he didnt know how. He then went into buisness for himself as an electrician. By doing this he got the dream house he wanted with no mean neighbors. He learned that if he saves a certain amount of money a week by the time he retires he will be a little bit wealthy. If he lives off of the interest of the money he had in the bank he will have a lot to leave for my sister and me. If he leaves this money for my sister and I and we save like him we will move up the Social classes of america. I believe my dad is about as good of an example of social moblity as there can be.
The American economy offers social mobility is mostly true, however, there are many, many cases of individuals that never realized the American Dream despite years of good honest “hard work.” My dad is one of the hardest workers I have ever met. He has two Master Degrees and has held good jobs most of his life. However, last year, through no fault of his own, he lost his job due to corporate layoffs and cost cutting. He was out of work for 3 months. Thankfully, he was able to get another job or we would quickly have been living the American nightmare, as my sisters would not have been able to finish college. Given that he is 50 years old, he was very lucky to have found another job as many companies tend to shy away from older workers. Though things worked out for us, they just as easily could have ended differently. In fact, for many Americans, they do end differently. Millions of Americans are unemployed through no fault of their own. Certainly many of them have worked hard their entire lives and still find themselves unemployed. Good, honest “hard work”, is not guarantee of social mobility or living the American Dream.
America is known for many different opportunities you can have while living here. It doesn't matter where you come from or what you do, as long as you put in time and effort any is possible. An example of someone who took advantage of being raised in America is my Dad. He was born in a town near Dover, with 6 siblings. Growing up, my Dad wasn't a good kid. Throughout junior high and into high school he never did is work and barely showed up to class. As high school went on he matured and knew that if didn't start focusing on doing something different he would never be anything. He fixed his grades and got a good score on the SAT. From there, he went to college in Boston, and majored in Business. After college, he came back to Delaware and started his business. Through his late twenties he owned one of the biggest construction companies on the East Coast. Not only did he prove that he was an example of someone living the American Dream, but a couple years later he got divorced and lost his company. He lived with my grandmother and virtually had no money to his name. Knowing that he couldn't live that way anymore had to support his family, he started up from nothing and made another big company. That company is still running today and doing better than ever. This shows you that the American Dream is alive and if you put everything you have into making your dream a reality, it will happen.
The idea that America offered social mobility to all was true according to Rose Schneiderman. Rose was an immigrant from Russia, but was born in Poland. Rose and her family migrated to New York in 1890. The immigration to America was far from perfect in the beginning. One main reason why is that Rose's brother, Samuel, died of meningitis two years after her family came to America. This made her vision of the American Dream more difficult to reach because her entire family had to work to be able to feed 3 children in her family and a pregnant mother. Rose stood up and joined the paid workforce so her family would be able to feed themselves. She found a respectable job in a department store as a salesgirl, which wasn't simple because she had to work her tail off to get her wages. Years later, twenty-one year old Rose formed a shop for the United Cap Hat and Cap Makers' Union. The two organizations were run by Jews, most of whom were Eastern European immigrants like Rose. Initially, the male leaders were skeptical of her ability, as a young woman, to organize. They later recognized her work ethnic and style as impressive and made a mark for herself and for women in general. Within one year of her joining these two organizations, she became the first woman to be elected to national office in an American labor union. In the end, Rose Schneiderman really did prove that America offered social mobility to all who were willing by showing hard work and reaping its rewards.
http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/schneiderman-rose
Guillaume Jean de Crèvecoeur wrote about the different reasons that one should come to America. One of those reasons to make the journey over was that the American economy offers social mobility, the result of good, honest "hard work." The social mobility that America offers rewarded my grandfather throughout his life and still does today. My grandfather's grandparents were immigrants from Hungary who worked as coal shovelers and farmers. His parents were also "blue collar" workers (meaning people who did not go to college.) My great-grandfather and great-grandmother knew that the social mobility in America opened up opportunities so they worked very hard to send my grandfather (and his two brothers) to college. My grandfather studied at the Philadelphia College of Textiles with dreams of owning his own business. He joined a fraternity with members who had wealthy family businesses themselves. He used these contacts to climb the social ladder until he was ready to start a business. My grandfather became an entrepreneur by starting his own textile company called Fashion Associates. They sold a label called Skimmers with t-shirts, dresses, shorts, and many other products that made the company successful for over forty years. His success in Fashion Associates helped him climb even higher by manufacturing companies like Harley Davidson, Target, and Sears. After Fashion Associates went to smaller scale projects my grandfather volunteered as the president of Our Lady's Center in Maryland that is a thriving chapel and gift shop. My grandfather was rewarded for his hard work with a successful career because in America, as de Crèvecoeur believed, all things are possible.
my blog post I decided to write about my great, great, grandfather and why he came over because of this American Dream. When my great great grandfather, Francis, was a boy he lived in a small town in Italy. He grew up poor all his life and he never believed he might amount to anything. As he grew older, he learned about the freedoms and opportunities here in America. He began to save his money throughout his teen years and when he was seventeen years old, he payed to come over on a boat to America. When he arrived all he had were the close on his back and ten cents in his pocket. My great great grandfather came over to America as a poor man looking to make something of himself to support his family. He became a shoe maker and repairer. He was supposedly well know in the area as his business grew on the early 1910's. As his business grew he met his wife to be, Elaine. They got married and bought there own house. When Francis was a kid, he was part of the lowest class, as poor as you could possibly be. But after coming to America, he managed to move to the middle class and make a normal stable life for himself. In my opinion he is a perfect showing of how a poor person can move up in life and rise in social class
The United States of America is known as the nation of opportunity. People come here to seek a better life for themselves and their families. My family is from a mainly Irish descent. All of my family was mainly blue collared workers. Neither my Mom or Dads family was wealthy like Tom Buchanon and their families struggled financially. My grandfather worked at Dupont for over thirty years to pay for my fathers college and my other Grandfather was a marine and then an engineer at Honeywell. I come from a very hardworking family on both sides and both of my parents were born that way. My father went to Mckean high school and my mother at lake forest. They both finished at the top of their classes and both attended University of Delaware where they met each other. My father now works at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney and my mother works in alumni affairs at Goldey Beacom college. Both of my parents worked their way through the ranks to achieve what they have today. They are great examples of the American dream and show that is still very much alive.
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