The opportunities for prosperity and success are enhanced by democratic freedoms of rights, liberty, and equality.
People believed that the American Democracy would provide them the opportunity to be successful despite the past history of poverty.

Initially, Pilgrims emigrated to the New World in pursuit of religious freedom and something better.
During the hay day of immigration to the United States through Ellis Island, people were emigrating from their homes en masse in pursuit of the foretold beauty, space, jobs, and the rumored gold along the California coast.
The phrase "american dream" was first utilized in 1931 by an author describing the pursuit of opportunity

In the 1950s, people clung to the ideals in an attempt to rid themselves of the disparity from two World Wars and the Great Depression. This did not bode well for the actual pursuit of the American Dream ideals because too many people were trying to reach these ideals and the society did not have slavery to fulfill society's less-than-ideal needs. In the height of segregation and a time when protests were constant, the American dream became almost hypocritical

In the 1950s we began to see the breakdown of the ideal family unit and the hypocrisy of the American dream at the time. A black family that fit all of the rest of this criteria would never be considered successful or allowed the same freedoms and opportunities to become successful. They would be stuck in a lower class, not allowed to jump classes as the rest of the white families were able to in a post-war world.

The American Dream ideals included purchasing your own home. Around this time, the white picket fence home became popular and suburbs began to pop up around the country.

The house also must come with a car for family vacations, travel, etc.

The role of women in this time period, as a result of the American Dream, became extremely important. The typical American father was supposed to be the breadwinner and the typical American mother was supposed to be the housekeeper. A woman must fulfill her role as the housekeeper to keep up the pretenses of the American way in order to prove that the family has achieved the American Dream.

This is a typical black housing community. The community looks very different from the typical white suburb during this time. Black men and women were forced to work multiple jobs in an attempt to succeed and achieve the American Dream, but were never allowed to get there.

Many people had had enough by the time of the 1950s and began launching country-wide protests.
The Freedom Riders brought protests to many cities across the country and demanded equality, an end to segregation.

Over time, we have stopped really believing in the American dream, but our study of American literature will be filled with allusions to the American dream and a continued sense of anxiety as the members of society in this time were obsessed with jumping social classes and achieving the dream.