The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea that Shaped a Nation

What should the Puritans’ legacy be for American history and the American Dream? Do you agree with the author’s statement that “you’ll never really understand what it means to be an American of any creed, color, or gender if you don’t try to imagine the shape of [the Puritan] dream—and what happened when they tried to realize it” (13)? Would all social groups in the US understand the Puritan dream the same way?

To what extent is the American Dream accessible only to Americans? In what ways would the concept of the American Dream make sense (or not make sense) for people raised outside the US? In which countries (if any) would the Dream make more sense to people today—or be easier to achieve?

Cullen discusses three groups that were largely excluded from pursing the American Dream for much of history: First Nations people, slaves, and women. What obstacles to pursuing and achieving any aspect of the American Dream still exist today for historically oppressed groups in the US? If structural patterns of injustice hinder certain groups from achieving the American Dream, does this discredit the Dream? Why or why not?