Myth of the American Dream

            In the beginning of the composing of the United States, America made many mistakes. As with any young country may have in its infancy, she masked her indiscretions behind virtues. The inconsistency, however, is found within her inhabitants. The African American citizens have faced an insurmountable paradox. Senator Barack Obama's A More Perfect Union begins with a quote from the most important document which has been a lynchpin of controversy since its origin. The rightful ownership of an entire race of people was rooted in this document. In the eyes of some citizens, the Constitution is an oxymoron. The reality in the American Dream contradicts its-self with the history of slavery, and the injustices with economics and inequality. One's race, social status, and even gender all determine the ability a person has to achieve this American Dream.
             One of the contradictions of the American Dream is the reality of slavery in the United States. African American citizens have endured the unequal terms set by the Constitution. For example, "the slavery question was already embedded within our Constitution-the ideal of equal citizenship under the law that promised its people liberty" (Obama 1). Slaves were the least likely to achieve the American Dream, they had their basic human rights stripped from them because as slaves, they were merely the property of the wealthy, white male plantation owners. Discrimination against a person based on their race is one of the main causes in preventing one from having a fair opportunity to achieve the American Dream. The American Dream contradicts its-self when it pretends to be fair to the Black socio-economic phenomenon. Economically, the American Dream is not a reality, not true for the Black cultures. For example, "A lack of economic opportunity among black men meant that black families could not amass any meaningful wealth to bequeath to future generations" (Obama 3).