who had a trouble time attaining the american dream and why

Question

my english class is doing this on the american dream

Answer 1

The idea of the American Dream has been elusive for some. "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness," has been brutally denied to Native Americans, African Americans, and women. Native Americans were taken from their lands many times by force and relocated to the most desolate of environments. The Trail of Tears is an example of pain placed upon American Indians. Even today, their sacred lands are taken away. Economic, political, and environmental issues keep Native Americans from attaining the American Dream.

African Americans have been treated with disrespect and cruelty. After the Civil War black Americans had to suffer the indignity of the Jim Crow laws. Black Americans were disenfranchised and looked upon as chattel. Segregation is a dark period in our history. Black Americans had to fight for the right to have their children educated in schools. Educational, economic and political issues have prevented black Americans from attaining the American Dream.

Women have fought an uphill battle the first day Europeans set foot on American soil. Women were also seen as chattel and were unable to own property, make decisions regarding their lives, or vote. Women have made great strides, but still take a back seat to men in the work force and in government.

Explanation:

Many issues have provided setbacks and roadblocks for Native Americans, Black Americans, and women. Education, politics, and economic status play strong roles in helping all people achieve their dreams. Today there is a new segment of society that is being denied the opportunity to achieve the American Dream. Immigrants have lived and worked in this country yet their rights are being taken away.

Answer 2

Hi, Alicia!

Are you using texts you read in class to help you answer this prompt? If so, I would love to know what those are so I can give you a more specific example. For right now, I am happy to give you pointers on how to break down and answer this prompt!

The first question you have to answer is: What is the American Dream? Your answer to this question will depend on the time period you are studying and what you think the collective goals of society were at that time.

After you define what the American Dream is, you can examine which people within society had a hard time reaching that goal.

Once you discover which people or groups were either not able to actualize the American Dream or had a really difficult time doing so, you can start to answer the why. What road blocks did they encounter? Were they societal road blocks? Political? Economical? etc.

I hope this helps you to tackle this question!

Celeste