The American Dream

The Founding Collection | Prompt 01

What has the American Dream meant to you throughout your life, and how have your experiences shaped your belief in its promise?

The American Dream has meant different things to different people throughout our nation's history. For some, it represents the belief that hard work and determination can create opportunities for a better life. For others, it means owning a home, raising a family, achieving financial security, pursuing a passion, or simply having the freedom to live life on their own terms.

But the American Dream is not experienced equally, nor does it hold the same meaning for everyone. Some have seen its promises fulfilled, while others have encountered obstacles that pushed those promises out of reach. For many, its meaning has changed as their lives have unfolded.

We want to know what the American Dream has meant in your life.

Your experiences can help future generations understand how Americans of different backgrounds, circumstances, and generations have defined success, pursued opportunity, and navigated the challenges of building a life in this country.

Whether your story is one of achievement, disappointment, perseverance, uncertainty, a combination of these experiences, or something else entirely, your perspective is an important part of America's history. As you prepare your response, we encourage you to think about the memories, people, and experiences that have shaped your understanding of the American Dream.

Questions to Help You Reflect

1. What did the American Dream mean to you growing up?

What were you taught about success and opportunity? Did your parents, family, teachers, or community influence what you believed was possible for your future?

2. Have you experienced moments when the American Dream felt within reach or out of reach?

Think about specific experiences that shaped your beliefs. Perhaps you achieved something you once thought impossible, encountered an unexpected opportunity, or faced an obstacle that changed your understanding of what was attainable.

3. What opportunities or challenges have shaped your journey?

Consider the circumstances, people, decisions, or events that have influenced the life you've built. What helped you move forward? What made your journey more difficult?

4. Has your understanding of the American Dream changed over time?

Do you define success, happiness, or opportunity differently today than you did earlier in your life? Have your experiences strengthened your belief in the American Dream, challenged it, or led you to question the idea altogether?

5. What do you hope the American Dream will mean for future generations?

When you think about the opportunities available to your children, grandchildren, or those who will come after you, what do you hope they will experience? What lessons from your own life would you want them to understand?

Why we feel this story is important

The American Dream is often discussed as a national ideal, but its meaning is ultimately shaped by the lives of the people who pursue it, question it, or define their aspirations differently.

By sharing your experiences, you are helping preserve a record of what opportunity, success, struggle, and hope have looked like in America during your lifetime.

We are not asking you to define the American Dream for everyone. We are asking you to tell us what it has meant in your life.