Kirsten Samuels
12 November 2014
History 205
Pursuing the American Dream
The pursuit of the American Dream
can be seen throughout the framework of American history. The American Dream is defined as a spirit of
American culture that offers opportunities for prosperity, due to the freedom provided
by American society. Through hard work,
it is believed that anyone can attain social mobility. In the South, goals for attaining of this
ideal varied. While white men aspired to
increase their land and wealth, slaves hoped to survive and gain their
freedom. The concept of the American
Dream is demonstrated throughout the system of slavery; it was not only desired
by slaves, but was also hunted by every person that aspired to have more in
their lives.
The American Dream for the white men
in the South involved the determination to increase their wealth through the
purchase of more land and slaves.[1] The institution of slavery was essential to
the construction of life in the South.
When imagining the idea of the American Dream, it is not likely that one
would think about farmers aspiring to own other human beings. But in actuality, this circumstance was
extremely true. Poor, dirt farmers would
hope to earn enough money to purchase a slave.
Once the farmer owned a slave, they could use it to help work in the
fields, which in turn produced a greater profit. If a man owned slaves, his goal was to buy
more, because slaves were viewed as a sign of wealth in the south. The more slaves one had, the less manual
labor they performed and the wealthier they were. This image of the American Dream does not
include the true reality of aspiring to own other human beings. It might be a new way of imagining this
concept, but it is very important. The
positive imagery that follows the concept of the American Dream is a product of
American culture. American culture
molded this idea to symbolize the possibility of prosperity in America, even
though the American Dream is unattainable in most cases. The idea of the American Dream having a
positive connotation, even though it is a goal that is constantly morphing and
improving upon itself, makes it an impossible reality.[2]
The American Dream for the slave
population differed greatly from that of their masters, yet they did hope to
gain a life similar to that of their owners.
They aspired to have freedom, a family and land of their own. America embodied the ideals of freedom and
hope, yet it’s foundation was laid on the practice of slavery and bondage. The principles that represented America
completely contradicted the reality seen through the owning of other
humans. David Walker’s appeal brought
the hypocrisy of the American idealism involving freedom and mobility to light,
“Walker said that black people are Americans, and they deserve to be not only
freed, but treated as citizens of this country. He utilized the rhetoric of the
nation, the rhetoric of liberty and equality, the declaration of independence,
and threw it back in the face of white America, charging the nation of being
hypocrites, with violating their own professed ideals”. [3] During the late 1700’s and early 1800’s,
there was a thriving of optimism in America. [4]
Expansion in the west occurred, causing a new confidence in America’s
progress. But, while optimism
flourished, there was also a continuing need to address the problems that have
developed with the practice of slavery.
With an increase in development across the land, and the extension of
slavery along with it, fear of possible problems that this contradicting system
could cause in the future also spread. [5]
To attempt to achieve one’s idea of
the American dream, social and economic mobility is key. For slaves, this was an impossible task to
accomplish. Slaves were permanently
rooted in their social and economic status, viewed as nothing but a commodity of
their masters.[6] In order to gain some sort of control over
their bodies, slaves often escaped into the woods to enjoy secret parties,
“Again and again, enslaved people violated plantation boundaries of space and
time; in the spaces they created, runaway partygoers celebrated heir bodies and
did what they could to reclaim them from planter control and view”.[7] These parties were a form of hidden
resistance that was demonstrated daily by the slaves. Domination was experienced through a master’s
exploiting of his slaves’ bodies, especially women. Sexual exploitation, brutal labor, terrible
living conditions and poor nourishment were all examples of this control
perpetrated by masters over their slaves.[8] Despite the fact that their bodies were
viewed as nothing more than property, slaves were able to use their bodies as a
way to resist their masters and humanize themselves.
As the institution of slavery
represented the soul of American progress, it also went against a singular
property that defined the hope that America provided for all. The principle of the American dream allowed
hope, but the goals for each person varied.
White men aspired to attain more wealth and power, while slaves simply
hoped for the ideals of freedom and justice that America was founded on. The concept of the American Dream was
experienced by everyone, and it provided the hope that slaves needed to survive.
No comments:
Post a Comment