A Brief Tour through the Decades #3: 1970s

1970's expanded upon social progressiveness with many new historical occurances being accounted for. Feminism began to take notice along with the environmentalist, or the green movement at the time, begining to rise and grow. Also, political awareness began to grow withing western cultures. During the 1970's the American Civil Rights movement had achieved most of what it called for, mostly because of the loss of their great leader Martin Luther King Jr. Modern computing along with a higher understanding in space exploration began during the 70's as well. For America though, the 70's also brought some negativity, such as the events that occured in the watergate hotel during the Nixon administration and the oil crisis of the 70's. Then, Reaganomics stepped into the mix.

A Brief Ttour through the Decades #2: 1960s

The 1960's was overly dramatized as the decade of change. Drugs and music that questioned the set establishment began to expand within our communities. Teens became rebels and rebels became heroes. The period was swallowed by radical changes of style, music, and events. This counterculture decade was a social revolution for the masses against the severe conservative norm placed upon people during the 1950's. But by the 1970's the "hippie culture" began to fade away.

A Brief Tour through the Decades #1: 1950s

During the 1950's the American Dream focused on family values. The ideal family was the husband, the wife, and the good mannered children. Although this was seen for many years as the best possible option when raising a family, it was later realized that many people lived blindly under the influence of looking good for their peers. The stress of filling the mold of the 1950's ideal family launched the rebellion of the 1960's.

Because Shift Happens.

It took our group a while to understand exactly what our main objective would be in presenting this project and how we would achieve this. After a long and bewildering week, our goal was finally clear. We unanimously agreed to focus on the changing perception of the American Dream through some of the most crucial decades in our nation's history beginning with the 1950s and up till present times as well as some influential figures who have helped shape how we see this idea. Thus we will make great use of this blog to explain the ever evolving idea of the American Dream. We hope you enjoy,

Sincerely,

The GLIDES American Dream team.

The Past and Present

As we come closer to a new decade we all begin to wonder what the American Dream has become. It seems like our perfect dream is no longer perfect. Ever since the terrorist attacks our government hasn't been completely honest with us. Worst of all they've been getting caught. Also, the economic recession we have experienced over the past couple of months has affected many of us financially and even emotionally. So through this assignment I have decided to research the reaction of people during the Great Depression and the comparison to how we're reacting now. 

It must be taken into account that the Great Depression was a time where our Stock Market was in a much worse situation than it is now. Nonetheless, we haven't experienced economic turmoils this injurious for quite some time. So has America as a whole reacted correctly to our problems? It's possible that we have, but only time will tell. 

What do you believe our reaction to the recession caused? 

Positive or negative chain?

Myths Distorting the True Image of the American Dream

The image of the “land of opportunity,” built on the hard work of enterprising immigrants, is a cornerstone of American history as taught in classrooms and as handed down from generation to generation. Yet throughout its history, American society has been divided by questions of equal opportunity, from slavery to the women’s rights and civil rights movements to the recent debates about immigration laws.
In what ways have any efforts you've witnessed to improve society fallen short? Do you believe American society has gotten worse in some way?

Literrally, what is the "American Dream" ?

This term was started by writer James Truslow Adams in his book "Epic America" written in 1931. In it he states that 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. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position."
Although the term was first used in the 1930's, it seems that even our founding fathers had some idea of how this "dream" would be defined. Thus, the Declaration of Independence was put into place to protect the right to a "dream" by all. It was the first time a document like this had been produced favoring the common man over the elite, as no other nation had ever written something like it. "…held certain truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."
Is this your American Dream? Define your interpretation of the American Dream.