American Dream Argumentative Essay - Free Example

American culture is hard to imagine outside the context of the American Dream. Tommy Hilfiger, a renowned designer, once said ‘The road to success is not easy to navigate, but with hard work, drive, and passion, it’s possible to achieve the American dream.’

The mixing of the concepts of the American Dream and consumer society occurred in the minds of many Americans at the end of the 20th century. The very term ‘American Dream’ is often used to describe a nationwide ideology that unites Americans. However, there is no clear official definition. Every US citizen has his or her own understanding of the American dream.

Today, this unique concept attracts the attention of many researchers. If you need to write an American Dream paper and don’t know where to start, you have found the right article! Here, we will reveal the most useful tips and interesting ideas on the topic.

Sample of an American Dream Argumentative Essay

The American Dream: A Reality or an Illusion?

The American Dream, a powerful and defining ideology, has shaped the identity of the United States for centuries. It embodies the belief that prosperity, success, and upward mobility are achievable through hard work, determination, and ambition. For many, the American Dream signifies the possibility of achieving a better life, regardless of one’s background or circumstances. However, in contemporary society, the notion of the American Dream has come under scrutiny. While some argue that it is still alive and attainable, others believe it has become an illusion for many individuals, particularly those from marginalized communities. This essay will explore both sides of the argument to determine whether the American Dream remains a realistic aspiration or an outdated myth.

On one hand, proponents of the American Dream argue that it is alive and well. The United States has long been a symbol of opportunity for immigrants seeking a better life, a belief that has persisted for generations. The country’s entrepreneurial spirit, economic opportunities, and relatively open political system provide individuals with the tools to pursue their dreams. For instance, numerous success stories such as the rise of entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Oprah Winfrey demonstrate that individuals can transcend humble beginnings and achieve extraordinary success. These examples suggest that, with enough ambition, persistence, and resilience, the American Dream is still attainable.

Moreover, the United States boasts a relatively high degree of social mobility compared to other countries. According to a report by the Pew Research Center, many Americans believe that future generations will be better off than the previous ones, with upward mobility playing a key role in this perception. The education system, for example, offers opportunities for those willing to work hard, and individuals who take advantage of these opportunities can achieve their personal goals. Furthermore, the rise of the gig economy and online platforms has provided new avenues for people to create businesses and generate income, making it easier for individuals to shape their own destinies.

On the other hand, critics argue that the American Dream is increasingly out of reach for many people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Economic inequality has been steadily rising in the United States, with the wealth gap between the rich and poor widening. This disparity makes it more difficult for individuals to access the resources necessary for success, such as quality education, healthcare, and affordable housing. For example, students from low-income families often face barriers to attending college, which in turn limits their potential for career advancement. In fact, a report from the Economic Policy Institute reveals that economic mobility in the United States has stagnated, with a growing number of Americans struggling to move beyond the socio-economic class they were born into.

Additionally, systemic discrimination based on race, gender, and other factors presents significant obstacles to achieving the American Dream. People of color, particularly African Americans and Hispanics, are often faced with institutional barriers that hinder their access to education, jobs, and housing. This reality contradicts the ideal of equal opportunity for all, which is central to the concept of the American Dream. Discrimination in the workplace, the criminal justice system, and education perpetuates the cycle of inequality, making it more difficult for marginalized groups to succeed.

In conclusion, while the American Dream continues to resonate as an aspiration for many, its attainability is increasingly challenged by economic inequality, systemic discrimination, and social barriers. The stories of successful individuals are inspiring, but they do not reflect the struggles faced by those who are born into disadvantaged circumstances. To make the American Dream a reality for everyone, significant changes must be made to address these disparities and provide equal opportunities for all individuals, regardless of their race, class, or background. Until these systemic issues are addressed, the American Dream may remain an illusion for many.

American Dream essay topics

If you found yourself struggling to choose what to focus on, check this list of the American Dream essay topics:

1. The America I believe in essay

2. Immigration and unrealistic expectations: The American Dream is alive essay

3. Argument essay arguing how the social network represents the American Dream

4. Sport and the American Dream - a review essay

5. Does everyone in America have an equal chance to achieve the American Dream essay

6. What is the American Dream essay

7. My American Dream essay

8. Is the American Dream still alive essay

9. Is the American Dream achievable essay

10. Is the American Dream a myth or reality essay

11. Education and the American Dream essay

12. Public education and the American Dream essay

13. How to achieve the American Dream essay

14. Is the American Dream still attainable essay: What prejudices might ruin it?

15. Essay on the American Dream and how it affects the most vulnerable

16. What is the American Dream today essay

17. Defending the American Dream essay

18. What does the American Dream mean to you essay

19. Who are the true beneficiaries of the American Dream essay

20. American Dream in the 50’s and now: Does the American Dream still exist today essay

21. The American Dream is leaving America essay

22. Cultural identity and the American Dream essay

23. Essay about the American Dream in The Great Gatsby: Has anyone actually achieved it?

24. The idea of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby essay

25. The Great Gatsby is a criticism of the American Dream essay.

26. How does The Great Gatsby demonstrate the death of the American Dream essay

27. Paradox of the American Dream essay

28. Is the American Dream accessible to everyone essay

29. The American Dream is dead essay

30. Pursuit of Happiness: American Dream essay

31. The American Dream “Of mice and men” essay

32. The American Dream Huckleberry Finn essay

33. The American Dream and “Death of a salesman” essay

34. Essay that explains how Americans’ beliefs make it possible for them to pursue the American Dream

35. American Dream in literature essay

36. Current US economy: Is the American Dream still possible essay

37. Why do immigrants come to America?

38. Essay immigrants and the American Dream: Why do people fail to achieve it?

39. Essay about immigration to America and immigrant perspectives

40. How has the American Dream changed over time essay

41. Babbitt: Achieving the American Dream essay

42. The American Dream in other countries essay

43. People sacrifice too much to achieve the American Dream argumentative essay

44. American ideals essay

45. Money and the American Dream essay

46. Invisible man: Can everyone achieve the American Dream essay

47. Argumentative essay on modern American Dream not being worth it

48. Persuasive essay on whether it is possible to earn the American Dream under current political system

American dream essay outline

Outlining is an essential aspect of any paper writing process. It helps to keep one’s ideas in order and make sure that all the necessary information will be covered. We recommend using the standard outline for the essay about the American Dream:

The American Dream essay introduction.

A typical intro includes:

1. A hook. You need to engage your readers from the very first sentence so use rhetorical questions, quotes, or some interesting fact to do it.

2. Background information on the topic. Use this part to help your readers understand why you have chosen the topic and why it is important to research it.

3. An American Dream thesis statement is a last sentence in the paragraph. It gives a brief overview of the points that will be discussed in the body of the paper without going into too many details.

The American Dream essay main part.

Here, you have to gradually review and discuss the points from the thesis statement using strong arguments and examples. Do not forget to use transitions between sentences and paragraphs to make this section clear and coherent. 

The American Dream essay conclusion.

This part should restate a thesis statement about the American Dream that you have made in the intro and provide a quick overview of all the body paragraphs. In the final sentences, you may encourage the reader to reflect on the topic further or show what they can focus their own research on based on what you have written.

American Dream essay hook

The hook is an important element of the introduction. It should be a short provocative phrase that attracts the attention of the reader. Thinking about an attention grabber, you need to understand that a hook for the American Dream essay is a single sentence – not the whole paragraph – and it has to kick start your paper. You cannot just throw a relevant fact in and switch to information that is not directly related to it in the rest of the intro. There is no obligation to write a hook right away – take your time to think about it as you are writing the rest of the introduction and the paper.

American Dream essay titles

Despite the fact that the title is the first thing that the reader will look at, do not rush to come up with one right away. The easiest way to create good titles for an essay about the American Dream is to do it at the very end when the text is written and thoroughly checked. Then you can find a few words that best reflect the message expressed in the academic paper. If it is suitable, you can even come up with a funny American Dream essay title.

How to start an essay about the American Dream?

Not sure how to start an arguable essay about the American Dream? Consider several effective techniques:

1. Use the method of free writing. Its essence is that a person writes down all thoughts that come to his or her mind without revising them right away even if the logic seems a bit flawed. Once you start writing at least anything, you might come up with a few ideas that will eventually help you finish certain parts of the paper. Otherwise, you may never make the first step.

2. Start the narrative with a question and write an answer to it. You may write down a few questions you would ask a person working on a chosen topic to understand what your reader would expect to see in your paper. When you start providing answers, it will be easier to understand if you need to read more on the topic, lack strong arguments to prove your point, or it would be best to change the topic as it is too broad or narrow.

Useful tips on how to write a quality essay on the American Dream

Here are a few simple things you need to do to create an A+ American Dream college essay.

• Start without delaying. Once you create an outline and come up with the American Dream thesis, start writing immediately. The early start gives you the opportunity to revise the text, talk with someone else about it, and submit it to the teacher on time. If you write your essay the night before the deadline, it will surely affect the overall quality of your paper.

• Use a variety of sources. Refer to books and scholarly articles, especially those suggested by your professor. They will give you not only relevant data on your topic but also an understanding of what kind of language should be used in academic writing. If you search for sources online, make sure they are trustworthy by checking who the author is and if the website is deemed credible in general.

• Avoid plagiarism. All American Dream essay ideas taken from other sources have to be properly cited. Always mention the original author and reference their work properly. Otherwise, the teacher will think that you are trying to deceive him or her and to present the idea as your own.

• Keep your paragraphs well-structured. Remember that you need to review one American Dream essay thesis point in each paragraph. The first sentence of the paragraph expresses its main idea, explaining what this section of text is about. The next sentences are for arguments and examples, while the last one has to include some sort of mini-conclusion.

• Edit your paper. The best way to submit a paper free of any mistakes is to check it the next day after you write it. This way, you will detect more mistakes than you would after reading the text right after finishing it. Alternatively, you can ask your family member or friend to read your paper and express their opinion on it.

• Refer to American Dream essay examples. Sometimes, it is a good idea to get inspired by some outstanding essay examples. You can find various samples on the Web and check how they are written and structured. However, do not use any part of those essays because it will be considered plagiarism.

What type of essay to choose?

Of course, there can be various types of essays about the American Dream, but we would recommend you to focus on the following ones:

• American Dream definition essay. This is a short essay in which you can consider the meaning of the American dream. You can also show the definitions adopted by experts in different fields.

• American Dream argumentative essay. To write an argumentative paper, choose a controversial topic, clarify your stance on it, and provide information to support your stance.  

• Synthesis essay on the American Dream. It’s a paper where the author reviews two or more sources to form an opinion about the subject. Therefore, focus on finding the most credible info for your paper, review it carefully, and present your conclusions.

• Persuasive essay.  In such a paper, your task is to convince your reader that your idea is the right one. You will have to use a lot of factual information to back up each claim that you make to ensure that your point is hard to argue.

Facts for American Dream essay

• The American Dream was originally a religious idea. The first English Protestants who arrived on a new continent in 1620 did not dream of wealth. Their goal was to build the Kingdom of God on Earth, where humans would dedicate themselves to their heavenly Father.

• The American Dream concept first appeared in 1931 in “The Epic of America” book, written by historian James Truslow Adams. The author traced the transformation of the American ideology from the moment of the foundation of the New World. 

• The following concepts are inextricably linked with the American Dream:

• Individual freedom and freedom of entrepreneurship.

• “Self-made person” (that is, a person who achieved success in life independently, through hard work) and highly-paid labor.

• Irreproachable reputation and process of transition from one social class to another.

• The American dream is a difficult concept to define, but it is usually understood as the ideal of American life. The historian F. Carpenter wrote: “The American Dream has never been precisely defined and, obviously, will never be defined. It is too diverse and too vague at the same time.”

• According to the US economist and Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz, the best example of the ideals of the American spirit is Bill Gates: having accumulated a fortune estimated at hundreds of billions, he began to donate large sums to fight diseases around the world and improve education in the United States.

Top 10 American Dream research paper topics

1. An event or accomplishment in the history of the United States that is a part of the American Dream

2. In what way has the media played a role in changing the American Dream concept?

3. What role has technology played in transforming the American Dream concept?

4. American dream and fine art

5. American dream in cinematography

6. Does the concept of the American Dream still exist in American mentality?

7. The development of the American Dream throughout the years

8. How is American Dream seen in a specific country?

9. Do people have realistic expectations when it comes to the American Dream?

10. How is American Dream viewed by republicans and democrats?

American Dream research paper outline

• Title Page. The formatting of the cover page will depend on the style required by the professor. Generally, it will include the title, your name, the professor’s name, course info, the name of the institution, and a date. In some cases, you will also have to include a word count.

• Abstract. About 150-250 words summarizing what the whole paper is about. An abstract is usually optional, so you need to check if it is a part of the rubric for your research paper.

• Introduction. Start by providing the basic factual information on the topic and justifying your choice of it. In the end, present a thesis statement or a hypothesis.

• Methodology. Here, you need to explain what type of research was conducted. It is important to show why you have used certain methods to look for the necessary information and how they helped you ensure the validity of the data.

• Lit review. This section is used to go over the credible sources of information that you have found. It would be necessary to present the findings of different researchers in the field, highlight potential gaps, and show how your paper fits into the big picture.

• Results. All of the key findings of your research process should be reported in the results section. Be brief and demonstrate how each of the findings mentioned relates to the thesis/hypothesis that was put forward.

• Discussion. The purpose of this section is to explain why your findings are significant. It is also necessary to interpret the results and evaluate them, showing some of the shortcomings of your research as well as your contribution to the subject under review.

• Conclusion. In this last part of your paper, you need to make an overview of the abovementioned sections without going into details. This is your last chance to show why your research mattered and what can be done to further the knowledge the community has on the topic.

• Appendices. If certain tables, pictures, or charts were too bulky to include in the body of the paper, they can be added to the appendices section and referred to in the text.

There might be other sections, such as limitations or ethical considerations. A lot will depend on the type of research you are conducting and the requirements for the assignment. Therefore, when outlining the paper, use a rubric to guide yourself and run the final version of the outline by the professor just to be sure you are on the right path.

Writing American Dream research paper assignment

Writing a research paper is a challenging and time-consuming process. After completing your research paper, you will be amazed by how much new information you have learned. To make your writing process easy, we have collected the best research tips, which we will share with you below.

• Choose a good topic. If the topic has not been assigned to you by the teacher, try to come up with something original. By choosing something that genuinely interests you, you will make the process of writing more exciting.

• Be careful with sources. You have to be especially careful with the sources you cite in your research paper. One of the best rules of academic writing—never use Wikipedia—should be applied here. Check scholarly articles, books, and governmental websites instead.

• Proofread your paper. First of all, look at your grammar, spelling, and syntax. Check if there are smooth and logical transitions from one idea to another. Ask your teacher what format you should stick to. Make sure your paper has all the necessary elements, including the title page, introduction, body, conclusion, reference page, and appendices if needed.