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White picket fences. Green, manicured lawns. Children on bicycles.

The “American Dream” conjures images of a suburban ideal and elicits hope and optimism, especially for immigrants and for those fighting for democracy in their own countries. At the same time, entire segments of society have been denied equality, freedom and life. Even today, the promise of the American Dream for millions remains completely out of reach. 

"There have always been contradictions in these expressions of what America is, so the American Dream is also going to be similarly conflicted,” said Louis Warren, W. Turrentine Jackson Professor of U.S. Western History at ɫ��ɫ.

The American Dream as both idea and ideal, for all its complications, has had an undeniably powerful role in shaping values and aspirations in the U.S. and far beyond its borders. We spoke with faculty and students in the College of Letters and Science at ɫ��ɫ who represent a wealth of knowledge and perspectives that help us think about American society’s past, present and continuing potential. 

The birth of the American Dream

In her 2018 book , University of London historian Sarah Churchwell traces the term “American Dream” to at least as early as 1895. By the early 1900s, it was often shorthand for Americans’ appreciation for new consumer goods, like furniture and clothing.

The U.S. has always been known as a highly commercial society, Warren said. Even as the 19th century  movement yielded landscape paintings reflecting the natural beauty of the land, businessmen bought land to cut down forests to sell as timber and to make way for commercial farms.

Popular culture has been grappling with this contradiction throughout the nation’s young history. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel The Great Gatsby, for example, the book’s title character pursues his gilded version of the American Dream only to die without truly achieving what had always been a mirage.

“Fitzgerald was making a brilliant critique of that kind of thinking coming out of the 1920s just before Adams articulated his version of the American Dream,” said Warren. “Fitzgerald says you will not transcend your history and it's dangerous to try.”

Troubled by the notion of a U.S. identity tied to consumerism, American novelist and historian James Truslow Adams redefined the American Dream in his 1931 book  In his vision, it was “a dream of a 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.” 

To me, the American Dream serves as an idealistic pursuit of building wealth through hard work. I truly want to believe that regardless of background, we can all succeed, and to an extent that’s true. In modern times, I think the ideal is just that, an ideal that can bring hope or enforce structural barriers.”

— Xavier Gonzalez, major in computer science and cinema & digital media

The American Dream has also been about resilience and survival.  

Nicolás Dosman, an associate professor of music in the College of Letters and Science, said that the one really authentic form of American music is based in African American traditions. 

“Having your ancestors brought over to this country and brutalized and enslaved and turning it into something really beautiful with the musical forms that we now have,” said Dosman. “That's an American story that came from the African American experience.” 

LGBTQ+ communities have also had to carve out their own spaces as they reenvisioned relationships and communities that don’t necessarily contribute to the accumulation of wealth. 

“This is something that people of various stripes aspire to and have like some investment in, whether or not they achieve it or not,” said Beenash Jafri, associate professor of gender, sexuality and women's studies at ɫ��ɫ. “Certain strands of LGBTQ+ organizing have really put a lot of their efforts into same-sex marriage and inclusion in the military — essentially access to the American Dream. Why aspire to this kind of assimilation?”

After World War II, said Traci Parker, an associate professor of history, the American Dream became tied to the nuclear family, owning a car and having a house in the suburbs. 

“In all honesty, it’s a façade,” said Parker. “It’s like you could buy your way into the American Dream.” 

Shopping for equal access to the American Dream 

Parker connects the idea of the American Dream with the rise of consumer capitalism beginning in the late 1800s. During that period, the young nation shifted from an economy based in agriculture and industrial labor to one dominated by corporations and consumer culture. Department stores came to define consumer culture starting in the late 19th century. 

Parker's book, Department Stores and the Black Freedom Movement (), highlights department stores as the epicenter of a modern Black middle class, where both work and consumerism were battlegrounds for civil rights.

“When you walked into a department store you felt fancy,” said Parker. “You felt like you were somebody, and then you had sales workers who treated you like you were somebody. For white Americans it was sort of a reaffirmation of being middle class. If you were moving up from the white working class, that was part of your process of becoming middle class.” 

The American Dream, for us, is humble, the result of the courage of leaving everything behind for the chance at something better. It is not about taking — it’s about giving, about providing themselves and their children with the opportunity for a life of choice.” 

— Melanie Diaz, major in medicinal chemistry and drug design

Not all Americans could have that experience. Department store managers worried that any perception of racial equality, even the noticeable presence of African Americans in the store, would upset the experience of white shoppers. 

Many stores  both as shoppers and as workers. They were not allowed to try on clothes or return purchases. They were denied jobs in white-collar staff positions in sales, administration and management. Some stores wouldn’t even serve Black shoppers at a time when  enforced segregation.

It is no surprise, said Parker, that some of the most successful tactics during the Civil Rights Movement were boycotts that threatened the foundations of consumer capitalism. The  which began in 1955 after the arrest of Rosa Parks who refused to give up her seat to a white passenger, lasted 13 months and resulted in the U.S. Supreme Court ruling segregation on public buses unconstitutional. 

“The bus boycott became this very large expansive movement that captivated an entire community,” said Parker. “African Americans were demanding that they be treated as first-class citizens in a marketplace that was reliant on their dollars, a marketplace in which, frankly, a lot of businesses would not succeed if it wasn't for African American shoppers and African American workers.”

These successes made it possible for Black workers to access good jobs in sales and management in department stores. 

This was short-lived. Industry wide, the shopping experience shifted from customer service. Big-box and discount stores like K-Mart and Walmart could pay lower wages to unskilled workers while putting more responsibility onto customers.

“I think for a lot of African Americans, the American Dream has been about the battle to achieve the American Dream, to be considered a full citizen, a first-class citizen, in a way that has long been denied to them and that still seems to be an ongoing struggle,” said Parker. 

This land is my land — not your land 

The U.S. was established on land that had been home to those now known as Native Americans for tens of thousands of years before the arrival of the first Europeans. North American settlers and early U.S. leaders claimed the land and turned it into a commodity — something to be owned, farmed, drilled, bought, sold and rented. 

“Often the thing at the heart of the American Dream is really owning property,” said Jafri.

She explained that with the Dawes Act of 1887, tribal lands were turned into individual allotments as Indigenous people were encouraged to assimilate and embrace agriculture, disrupting Indigenous relationships to land. 

Only those who accepted the division of lands were able to become U.S. citizens. , this resulted in the government taking more than 90 million acres of tribal land from Native Americans and selling it to non-native U.S. citizens. 

The American Dream should celebrate and welcome people who sacrifice everything in search for a better tomorrow for either themselves or their kin. It should push away from the idea that they have to provide something in order to be deemed ‘good.’ It should celebrate the culture that many benefit from and stop asking what they bring to the table when they are the ones who built it.” 

— Emily Ayala, major in political science and Chicana/o studies

Property ownership continued to be out of reach for entire generations of Americans. Mortgage lenders, with compliance by government policies, would prevent ancestors of formerly enslaved Americans from buying certain property, denying them access to home ownership and, ultimately, the American Dream through . Women, too, had limited access to mortgages, a form of discrimination that continued until the  made it illegal in 1974.

“I don’t think we’re necessarily immune to being caught up in that American Dream, even though it also has historically been exclusionary,” said Jafri. “Even the idea of the suburban neighborhood is exclusive. It’s about keeping certain undesirables out.”

While outright discrimination is illegal today, the high costs of property keep a new generation of Americans from owning homes. The average  spiked from under $300,000 in 2012 to over $500,000 in in 2022. This is especially true in California, where the median home price recently topped more than $900,000 compared to a national average of about $400,000. 

The American Dream of a better future 

Baked into the American Dream is the idea of “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps" — that if you work hard enough and do what you're supposed to do, success is in reach. In the U.S., this might translate to earning more money, owning property, getting a coveted position at work and, possibly, partnering up and starting a family.

No matter how someone defines success, however, Dosman said one thing everyone with a stake in the American Dream can agree on is: “Whether you’re right, center, left — everybody wants their children to have a better life than they did.”

But is that possible? By some measures, it isn't.

“There's no sign of any kind of magic to American society in terms of providing social mobility,” said Gregory Clark, a distinguished professor emeritus of economics.

Clark's book The Son Also Rises () contains his first analysis of mobility in the U.S. It includes multiple generations of white Americans dating back to the nation’s founding. Since then, Clark has expanded this work to  and Denmark with measures of social status that include occupation, years of education and family income. In every case, he has found no evidence of lasting social mobility.

Sometimes, of course, the unexpected happens.

“There are families that move from rags to riches across a few generations, and those that move from riches to rags,” said Clark. “But interestingly there is nothing that systematically predicts such movements. God, seemingly, just likes to add a bit of randomness to social life.”

A financial disaster can drive a family into extreme need that lasts generations. A sudden lotto win or something like starting in tech at the right time can lead to almost instant wealth.

For immigrants who arrive in the U.S. from low-income countries, social mobility can be instant. Wages across the board in the U.S. and other high-income countries are much higher even than in upper middle-income countries. According to the , in 2023 average wages in the U.S. were roughly $80,000 compared to just over $20,000 in Mexico. 

The American dream is a promise for greater opportunities in the face of effort and sacrifice. The promise drives masses of people to the United States year in and year out because of this expectation of opportunity and the desire to advance one's economic status. This dream however is currently under threat as the cost of living outpaces wages and the assaults on undocumented peoples throughout the nation.” 

— Brandon Gonzalez Arenas, major in political science and Chicana/o studies

Clark’s analysis stretching back to the nation’s founding may not capture the impact of government safety net programs that, since the 1930s, have sought to support a minimum standard of living.

in the U.S. was part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal legislation that provided support during the Great Depression. During the 1960s, safety nets expanded greatly starting with  legislation passed by President Lyndon Johnson, with new or expanded programs including Medicare, Medicaid, the Food Stamps Program, Head Start and others.

Generations of economists have meticulously documented the impacts of these programs since they were established. For programs that benefit children, these impacts include future education, income and even their weight at birth, which on its own can predict how a child will do in later life.

“A lot of these programs from the war on poverty were meant to help level the playing field,” said Marianne Bitler, professor and chair of economics at ɫ��ɫ and a research affiliate of the . “They improve earnings and other outcomes that we think are important.”

Bitler, an expert on safety net programs in the U.S., has found that the  program, particularly among African-American families.

WIC provides support to low-income women who are pregnant, new mothers and children up to age 5. It supplies healthy foods, personalized nutrition education, breastfeeding support and service referrals. While administered by state agencies, . 

“I am quite confident based on my own work and that of others that WIC during pregnancy is good for kids,” said Bitler.

According to the USDA, in 2020  included 4.8 million white non-Hispanic people, 4 million Hispanic/Latino people, 2.6 million Black-only non-Hispanic people, and 1 million non-Hispanic people of other or multiple races.

Some of her recent preliminary findings show that WIC participation also reduces the likelihood someone will use Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits in the future, which could mean they do better financially as adults and won’t need more help. 

Resilience in pursuit of the American Dream  

For many immigrants, the American Dream isn’t just about economics.

"Most people have come to the United States of America to have a better life,” Dosman said. “For some, that's economic prosperity. For some, that's having your white picket fence, your house that you own, your dog and your 2.5 children that you see on TV. For others, it’s just being able to survive and knowing that your children are going to be safe and away from violence.”

According to the , more than 1 million people were uprooted from their homes in Central America by the end of 2022 due to violence, insecurity and persecution. Gang violence, political turmoil, threats, extortion, persecution and sexual violence have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes in search of safety and a better life.

“There's a safety element to the American Dream that's really important for people escaping authoritarian regimes,” said Ariana Valle, an assistant professor of sociology. “Thinking about all the interviews I've done in different places, what resonates for me right now is people who talked about the dream of being able to move about in their communities — having physical mobility — and not having to live in fear.” 

For me, the American Dream is my parents working night after night in a country they didn't grow up in so I could one day live without fear of survival. By earning a degree, I'm not just fulfilling a dream, I'm rewriting the future for my siblings and the generations after. That's the kind of freedom my family came here for.” 

— Kyhara Crespin, major is design, minor in computer science

Valle, a faculty affiliate of the , has conducted in-depth interviews with nearly 200 , including immigrants and their U.S.-born descendants as well as Puerto Ricans who are native-born U.S. citizens.

Latinos have been particularly affected by recent ,  even for people with no history of crime and court-affirmed legal residency status.

Even U.S. citizens have been detained. In June, federal agents in Montebello, California detained a native-born U.S. citizen who told agents his . In April, a native-born U.S. citizen in Arizona, reported to be illiterate and with a learning disability, was held by immigration officials and  an affidavit admitting he had entered the U.S. illegally. In May, a U.S. citizen born in Florida was detained by immigration officials in spite of having his .

“Looking Latino means you must be undocumented,” said Valle. “So not only are you perceived as a foreigner, but you're assumed to be undocumented, and so folks understand that’s how they’re perceived. They’re anticipating racial profiling and are walking around with their passports because they understand that they're part of the ‘suspected undocumented’ category.”

At the same time, Valle said that  are showing incredible resilience by using whatever agency is available to them to respond. A lot of that response is in the form of peaceful protest and free expression. People are also coming together to support families affected by federal enforcement actions.

“I think there's a lot of inspiration and hope in the ways in which people are coming together,” said Valle, "and I would say it’s not only Latino members of those communities coming together; this moment is generating a lot of cross-racial solidarity.” 

Do we need a new American Dream?  

For all its contradictions, the American Dream has always been a way to think about what this nation and its people can be. As an idea, it has been debated and criticized, especially among the younger generation of activists who would lead the Black Power Movement of the 1960s and among broader student movements.

“They were rejecting this idea of the American Dream as something that was government-driven, that was business- and corporate-driven,” said Parker. “They thought that these were ideas no one could really live up to, and that the people who were trying to live up to them were actually not truly happy.”

The 1960s saw a new version of the American Dream take root in California. Warren traces the “” to the 1965 song “California Dreamin’” by The Mamas & The Papas. The California Dream reimagined the American Dream in part by incorporating Cold War-era social values that included the importance of leisure, environmental protection and healthy living.

“Some would say it's the American Dream only better,” said Warren. “If America says ‘dream,’ California says ‘dream bigger.’”

Due to the inability for so many Americans to realize the dream or even have access to some semblance of it, Jafri said we may need a new ideal. 

“I don’t think that the American Dream or some different version of it is a thing that I would want to pin my hopes on,” said Jafri. “Thinking about alternatives and noticing how people are helping each other and supporting one another in different types of ways, that’s the thing that makes me feel a little hopeful."

Nationwide, Warren added, one of the greatest expressions of the American Dream is public higher education — and, if  it is sometimes achieved through these types of institution.

“The public university itself as an expression of the American Dream is so important,” said Warren. “Reclaiming it as part of the American story, the American Dream, as an expression of American greatness, is absolutely pivotal to the future of this country.”

From Dosman’s perspective, this current generation of students doesn’t tolerate the same kinds of cruelty, injustice and bullying that was acceptable even 20 or 30 years ago when he was in school.

“Tolerance of others. That’s something that I see in my students,” Dosman said. “The students I work with give me hope for a different version of an American Dream that is perhaps more kind, and a kinder society will emerge and maybe we’re just going through the storm before that next rainbow.” 

As a first-generation Latina college student, the American Dream has never been just about me. It’s also about my mother, who raised me as a single mom and sacrificed so much so I could have opportunities she never had. I’ve faced barriers shaped by race, class and gender, but I’ve also seen how strength and community can push those boundaries. To me, the American Dream means fighting for a future where stories like ours aren’t the exception, but the foundation.” 

— Francia Gonzalez Basurto, recent graduate in political science and Chicana/o studies

The U.S. has served as the model for democracy around the world.

“We don't always quite live up to it,” said Lauren Young, an associate professor of political science. “We may prioritize some groups over others, and we may not always act on our principles, but I think just having those principles is a big part of how I have seen the American Dream reflected through the eyes of international partners.”

The U.S. government has been by far the , supporting the development of agriculture, infrastructure and governance, and has often positioned itself as a voice for human rights.

This includes in Zimbabwe, where, in 2023, Young worked on a voter-registration program with 12 different civil society organizations ranging in advocacy from Christian evangelism to transgender rights.

“I think for them it was important to work in conjunction with a country they've admired for being one of the oldest democracies,” said Young.

For Zimbabweans, this work is risky. Arrests and jail time are expected. Threats from local ruling parties are common.

Time and again, people around the world decide the risks that come with the pursuit of a better life — for the potential for safety, sustenance and freedom — is worth it.

“Often it’s in times of really difficult crisis and dire times that new things, different possibilities and alternatives emerge,” said Jafri.

Living up to American ideals has been central to struggles for equality, particularly during the Civil Rights Movement. Martin Luther King, Jr. had the idea of an American Dream that meant truly living up to the values written into the Constitution, which was very far from any notion of consumer capitalism, Parker said.

“It would really be about living up to those the true tenets of democracy,” said Parker.