American Dream Reconstruction Era

Words: 1768
Pages: 8

The “American Dream” is a concept that comprises the belief that everyone, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to achieve success, prosperity, and upward social mobility through hard work, determination, and initiative. This belief has surrounded American ideals for many generations. Yet how accessible has this dream been to the average modern-era American after the reconstruction period? To evaluate the accessibility of the American Dream from the Reconstruction era of 1877 to the modern era, we must consider multiple factors like civil liberties, equality under the law, and the capitalist economy. Throughout the modern era the accessibility of the American Dream has fluctuated due to various historical, social, and economic aspects. …show more content…
This case gives the possibility for these camps to happen again, thus decreasing the ability for certain groups that experience this discrimination to reach the American Dream. More opportunities were provided in 1944, the year before World War II would end. These opportunities came in the form of the GI Bill, also known as the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, the act provided remarkable opportunities for veterans that would be returning from the war. It offered many benefits including: funding for education and training, low cost mortgages, low interest loans to start a business, and unemployment pay. These advantages offered by the bill allowed for veterans to more easily transition back to civilian life, pursuing higher education and achieving economic stability. Franklin D. Roosevelt promoted the bill, with him mentioning in his statement of signing the bill that most of the acts carried out by the bill are some of the recommendations that he gave in his speech on July 28th, 1943. After World War II, the American Dream experienced a resurgence, fueled by post-war economic prosperity and the expansion of the middle