The 20th Century American Dream

The American dream by the 20th century is formatted in many different forms fully dependent on the person you choose to look at.  There was a slight recurring theme of disappointment, from the depression to the war.  I think many Americans at this time may have valued a smaller life where they were content, happy, and peaceful.  I believe that was the American dream.  Literature also created this small-town dream by displaying lives full of content from poetry to novels.  This time period was full of such a wide variety of dreams from freedoms, to wealth, to peace, to every dream you could think of.

http://www.encyclopedia.com/education/educational-magazines/american-dream-twentieth-century

Reconstruction & American Dreams

A dream quite prevalent in the reconstruction era was equal opportunities.  They were sought out by many individuals which were typically secluded from certain rights in the U.S. at the time.  Voting age was debated very often so age was even a factor, I bring this up as many of us think race or sex, but this time period had so many lost freedoms that even age was a major factor.  Woman's suffrage was, of course, a very hard battle to win over.  Yet, it all started in this time period.  I believe that the true un-communicated dream that was shared between every citizen was a freedom.  Freedom, is the American dream.

http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=tcj