ENGL 2327
12 December 2007
My American Dream
The United States of America started with humble beginnings as colonies of Europe. Indigenous people were forced to make way for the Euro/American expansions and later growth for American Progress. Early Natives and Colonists were forced into taxes and duties which did not improve the places they lived, but the countries in which their colonies were part of. Men like Thomas Jefferson who did not believe in taking care of other territories before their own grew tired of growing taxation with no choices in the decision making process. As America gained her independence and grew into a Nation, Americans grew and expanded as well and witnessed a growth unlike anything experienced in modern times. Over time Americans grew to have more material wealth and expected more and more. The average person faced a vast degree of illness and potentially poor health because of the slow progress of medicine and dieting. Edgar Allan Poe was typical in experiencing death from such reasons, and he set out to express himself and how the tragic death could affect someone. During this same period of time Ralph Waldo Emerson believed that Americans were relying too much on the innovations of the day instead of themselves to solve their problems[unclear how these are different]. In addition he felt that the average American had stopped caring about who they were and worried more about what they had. The American Dream is not about what you have, or what you believe, and it’s not about who or what you love, it’s about having a choice to determine who you will be[very interesting]. My American dream can be found in these three writers, each of them felt something was important and needed to be shared with the world. Each of these writers contributes to the whole yet each of them shares one thing in common a choice. That’s what the American Dream is, a Choice to decide for you where others around the world cannot. [I like this]...