Skip to Main Content

ILS2330 The Good Life: The American Dream

What is The American Dream?

James Truslow Adams, in his book The Epic of America, which was written in 1931, stated 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 a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. 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." (p.214-215).

The American Dream- eBooks

The American Dream- -Suggested Excerpts (Fiction) -Resources

Hollywood's take on The American Dream - streaming films available through the library - click on the image

Subject Guide

Profile Photo
Jennifer Castel
she/her/hers
Contact:
We are here for you both in person and online! Library staff can be reached via email or Ask a Librarian online chat service.

We can also meet you for research appointments! Click Schedule Appointment to get started. See pvd.library.jwu.edu for hours and more information.
401.598.1887
See pvd.library.jwu.edu for library hours.

Thought ...

"Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry."

                                                      - Mark Twain