What Really is the American Dream? Author: Alexander Bruno Abstract

Bruno, 2019. What Really is the American Dream? 1 
What Really is the American Dream? 
Author: Alexander Bruno 
Abstract 
This paper takes a closer look at the Constitution of the United States of America (USA) and its 
role in shaping the American aspiration which is generally referred to as the ‘American Dream.’ 
The American Dream, therefore, can be seen as the original plot which is played out by Americans 
in their determination to thrive. Essentially, this paper reviews key contributions by noted scholars 
with reference to the American Dream. For the purposes of this research, two definitions of the 
American Dream are proposed; both of which are traced back to the pre-colonial American spirit. 
The working definitions are: 1. The American Dream is ‘an indigenous belief in the unbridled 
freedom and unique heritage of a people’ and 2. The American is ‘the belief in self-actualization 
of the good fortunes, guaranteed by American liberties, opportunities and freedom.’ Those 
definitions are examined in line with the scholarly works which were reviewed for this research. 
Above all, this paper can be seen as a continuation of the discussion on the American Dream.
 
Introduction 
 
In search of the unchanging quality in the phenomenon called the American Dream… 
The way of life refers to the way things are. To have aspirations of grandeur, especially for 
unknown ideas is to dream. This is what guides the notion of the American Dream, but the question 
still remains: what really is the American Dream? This research article attempts to answer the 
question by analyzing the opinions of scholars on the same topic, and harmonizing those 
discussions into a synthesis that would best describe the American Dream. To dream is to aspire, 
and one’s aspiration may be seen as their ambition - past, present and future - to achieve that which 
is achievable, and even to obtain the unattainable. In the context of the American Dream, the 
peoples’ ambition is to obtain the promise of the Declaration of Independence, the nation’s 
Constitution, the Constitutional Bill of Rights and the American creed. Lipset (1996) affirms that 
the American Constitution intensifies the commitment to individualism and concerns for the 

Bruno, 2019. What Really is the American Dream? 2 
protection of rights.
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The author further establishes that “the American Bill of Rights [is] designed 
to protect the citizenry against the abuse of power by government,”
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and it is this protection which 
guarantees and fuels the pursuit of the American Dream.
The core of the July 4, 1776 Declaration of Independence reads: “we hold these 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.”
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The US creed 
establishes “principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots 
sacrificed their lives and fortunes”
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as core virtues. It is necessary to weave through the ontological 
sources when making a theoretical argument, especially when attempting to build arguments for 
such ideas like the American Dream. It is therefore for this reason why my inquiry rummages 
through those founding documents to fashion a deeper insight on the American Dream. It seems 
clear that the creed and endowment contained in the emancipation proclamation help to shape the 
dream. The creed and declaration serve as pivots on which the American Dream spins from past 
indigenous resilience to more contemporary American aspirations.