The American Dream was first publicly defined in "Epic of America" by James Adams. He says the American Dream is, "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement". The American Dream is protected by the Declaration of Independence, in that all men are created equal, so there is equal opportunity for all. The American Dream was geographically made possible by a few factors, most importantly, the fact the United States had plentiful resources including oil and water resources. However after "The Great Gatsby" was written in the 1920's, the dream became more about the possession of items, and not about equal opportunity. It is thought this type of Dream was driven by greed and unnecessary want, leading the stock market crash. The American Dream means different things to different people, but generally, is connotation is immigrants or lower/middle class Americans making a business or successful trade out of very little.

My grandparents moved to New York from Ireland in 1952, making my dad, Kevin Browne, first generation American. He saw my grandfather transition from farmer to an extremely successful nurse. Because of this, when he was young the American Dream was prevalent and achievable. When he was my age, he moved to California with my grandparents and aunts. His utmost dream was to design cars. He thought because he went to a good school and had some general intelligence, he could succeed. However, his dream eventually changed. He saw the American Dream wasn't as easy to achieve as it used to be. Because of America's debt, it was harder to start something profitable, and more difficult to get ahead. He faced obstacles including the "political socioeconomic shift in the country". My dad didn't end up achieving his original dream of designing cars. He is an editor, and works on shows for the discovery and history channel. However, he feels he did succeed in the idea of being secure in a job, and doing something he likes. When I asked him about he fell into this line of work, he responds with," Luck, in the idea I just happened to fall into something like this. But it was also a lot of effort. I realized the opportunity in front of me, used my skills, and made the most of it." My dad doesn't believe the American Dream is dead, but it will be much harder for the greater population to achieve and experience, and will only get more difficult as time goes on. Even though my dad doesn't design cars, in his free time he fixes up his old TR3. And even though he isn't getting paid for this, it is something that links him to what he used to strive for.

To me, the American Dream is having an equal chance with each individual to be successful in either business or hobby. I don't think the American Dream is still alive, and if it is, then only partially. I don't think everyone is equally able to have a chance to succeed. To me, the main aspect is equality, as without it, it is just the privileged continuing a legacy. Hard work is important, and without it, there is no way the American Dream would exist. However, I don't believe that hard work always pays off. You can try and try, but in the end, someone is always better than you. However, I think by working hard you produce something you can be proud of because you know you did everything you possibly could to try and succeed. In the end, even if the American Dream is dead, I don't think that means all dreams in general are worthless. My dream is to go to a good college, get a job a corporation like Buzzfeed, and be secure financially. I think it will he hard, and I know I might be able to accomplish everything. However, I think if I'm doing what I like, then my dream will be completed. (PS, this is a picture of the car my dad works on).

One thing my , my dads, and the original definition have in common is the idea anyone can achieve their dreams. However, my dad still thinks the American Dream is alive, while I think it has left existence. My dad and I both agree however that sometimes hard work won't always lead to path you think you deserve. While I may think the American Dream is gone, I still believe in the importance of striving for success. And also, I really admire those are still working, and will work to achieve what they want in life.