As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, people from all walks of life are participating in the occasion through reflection, volunteerism, civic engagement, political debates about the nation’s founding, celebrations of its achievements, questioning its past, and conversations about its future.
In my view, this spirit represents America at its best, a land where people are free to pursue their “American Dreams” and openly express their ideas. Matthew McConaughey beautifully captures what America is all about.
Below is a summary of a recent BBC article that discusses whether the American dream is still alive after 250 years.
After 250 Years, Is the American Dream Still Alive?
As the United States prepares to mark its 250th anniversary, BBC’s Asma Khalid examines whether the American Dream, the idea that hard work can lead to a better life, still holds true.
Her report follows Abdi Nor Iftin, a Somali refugee who won the diversity visa lottery in 2013 and moved to Maine in 2014. Fascinated by America from a young age, he learned English by watching Hollywood movies and was known among friends as “Abdi America.” In the US, he became a citizen, found a job, and started building the life he had always imagined. But this year, he lost his job at a refugee resettlement agency and, with it, his health insurance. “I feel like the American Dream is alive, but not well,” he tells Khalid.
Khalid also speaks with Luke Mullen, a 24-year-old California actor who recently gained Canadian citizenship and plans to relocate to Vancouver. He believes better tax incentives have created more opportunities for filmmakers there than in Hollywood. “Wealth is getting consolidated in this country,” he says, “and as that happens, the opportunities are dwindling.”
Together, these stories paint a picture of growing uncertainty about the American Dream. That feeling is reflected in a recent AP-NORC poll, which found that only one in three Americans believes the American Dream still exists.
Below are key themes from the article:
- Public confidence is declining. Khalid reports that several surveys conducted ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary point to growing doubts about the American Dream. A study by the Pew Research Center found that most Americans believe the country’s best days are behind it. Younger adults are even more skeptical. One poll found that only one in five people aged 18 to 29 believe the American Dream is still within reach.
- The Dream has always evolved. According to Khalid, historian James Truslow Adams popularized the phrase “American Dream” in 1931. He described it not as the pursuit of wealth but as a vision of a society where everyone had the opportunity to reach their full potential. Over time, the idea became more closely linked to entrepreneurship and economic mobility. “It has always been about doing better in life than before,” says Cyril Ghosh, author of a book on the politics of the American Dream. “It’s about security. It’s about doing better than a previous station.”
- Immigrants often remain optimistic. Khalid notes that researchers consistently find first-generation immigrants are more optimistic about the promise of the American Dream. “Many are coming from less wealthy nations,” says Elizabeth Suhay, a political scientist who studies inequality. “And so they really are going to end up doing better than if they had not emigrated.” Mark Hugo Lopez of the Pew Research Center tells Khalid that Latino immigrants, in particular, tend to be more hopeful about their children’s future.
- Economic mobility has weakened. Khalid cites research by Harvard economist Raj Chetty showing that 90% of Americans born in 1940 went on to earn more than their parents. Among those born in the 1980s, only half are expected to do the same. Sociologist Mark Rank traces the turning point to the 1970s, when globalization and wage stagnation began to weaken the long-standing promise of economic progress. “It’s become much harder to attain the American Dream,” Rank tells Khalid. He adds that the 2008 financial crisis dealt another major blow, one from which many Americans have never fully recovered.
- Historical exclusions remain important. Khalid emphasizes that the American Dream was never equally available to everyone. Historians note that it excluded Native Americans, enslaved people, and women. Reniqua Allen-Lamphere, a writer who has studied Black attitudes toward the Dream, describes it as one of America’s “most enduring myths.” Martin Luther King Jr., Khalid notes, described America’s identity as “schizophrenic” as early as 1960, saying, “In a real sense America is essentially a dream, a dream yet unfulfilled.”
- Immigration policy has narrowed access. Khalid reports that the Trump administration reduced both unauthorized immigration and legal pathways, including the diversity visa program that brought Abdi to the US. At the same time, a record number of Americans appear to be leaving. More Americans moved to Ireland last year than Irish moved to the US, and applications for UK citizenship have reached record highs.
- Some still believe. Khalid profiles Brandon Patty, a 44-year-old Florida Navy Reserve commander and county clerk who was the first in his family to graduate from college. “The opportunities are limitless,” he tells her. “In America, you can go from nothing and find your way.” Gonzalo Schwarz of the Archbridge Institute tells Khalid that his organization’s polling consistently finds that majorities across demographic groups still believe the American Dream is alive. He adds that focusing only on pessimism risks turning decline into a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Khalid ends on a note of cautious resilience. Mark Rank tells her that declaring the American Dream dead would be to “rip out a key component of America’s identity.” Back in Maine, despite losing his job and seeing immigration pathways narrow, Abdi says he would still choose the US if he had to do it all over again. “I guess it’s my first love,” he tells Khalid.
Acknowledgement: This summary was generated using AI writing tools as part of my experimental learning process. For more information, check out the original articles listed below.