The American Dream is based on the ideology that everyone, no matter what his origins are, can be successful through his own effort and by cultivating his qualities.
The old American Dream was about the desire of a land, where life should be better, fuller and richer for every man. .
The old American Dream was in the minds of the early settlers, who fled from Europe to America. They left Europe, because of the monarchy, which was still suppressing the middle classes. They wanted to leave their past behind. They were fed up with the old, obsolete system. A poem, written by Goethe emphasizes the opinions about the peopleáãs past, which was mainly determined by the monarchs. The line: "You donáãt have decayed castles" embodied their hope and shows, that the old system is out of date. They preferred making a new start now; looking into the future, something which is still significant for Americans today.
In America, there has never been any monarchy. That is why many people dreamt of America, where everybody should be free, equal and successful. They dreamt of a perfect society, where the origins should not matter and where everybody should be able to reach whatever he wants to reach. The opportunities should correspond to the own abilities and achievement and not to the circumstances of birth and position. In Europe, there has been a difference between people because of their social status, which cannot be gotten over.
But it was very difficult for them to start a new life. That is why it is mainly described as a dream.
Money played an important role, too. Not everybody could afford leaving Europe.
The American dream was also laid down in the Deceleration of Thomas Jefferson, where it is expressed, that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are self-evident rights of the individual. .
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
