Seeking the American Dream A Sociological Inquiry
Historically, the United States has been viewed by generations of immigrants as the land of opportunity, where through hard work one can prosper and make a better life. The American Dream is perhaps the United States’ most common export. For many American
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Seeking the American Dream
Robert C. Hauhart
Seeking the American Dream A Sociological Inquiry
Robert C. Hauhart Saint Martin’s University Lacey, Washington, USA
ISBN 978-1-137-54024-9 ISBN 978-1-137-54025-6 DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-54025-6
(eBook)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016936392 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2016 The author(s) has/have asserted their right(s) to be identified as the author(s) of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988. This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Cover illustration: © Gyula Gyukli / Alamy Stock Photo Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Nature America Inc. New York
PREFACE
The present inquiry had its genesis 5 years ago when I invited a colleague, Jeff Birkenstein, to co-teach an interdisciplinary course on the American Dream. We designed the course to be a combination of historical documents, literary selections, and sociological analyses. These foci made sense from several points of view. First, Birkenstein is a professor of English literature and I am a sociologist. Second, many of the ideas that led to the formulation of the American Dream arose in the historical era of our nation’s founding. Therefore, including documents born from that era that illuminated the source of the American Dream also made sense. Third, there is little question but that American authors have been besotted with the notion of the American Dream for most of the last century and a half. One can readily tick off the familiar titles in our literature—starting perhaps with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (2004)—that take up the idea seriously and as a major theme. Finally, American sociologists and criminologists have themselves frequently investigated the tenets, influence, and ways of life generated by our American Dream. We called our course “Chasing the American Dream” having
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