Week 3
From Declaration to Dream: Analyzing the Roots of the American Dream
From Declaration to Dream: Analyzing the Roots of the American Dream
Weekly tasks
Task #1: Write down all lexicon words and definition in your notebook. Be sure to number them (i.e., Lexicon #1, Lexicon #2, etc.).
Task #2: Read, annotate, and discuss The Declaration of Independence. especially how this document inspired the ideas and ideals of the American Dream.
Task #3: Read and compare James Truslow Adam's version of the American dream to our modern perspective of it.
Task #4: Watch the video on the American Dream over the decades, also known as "Redefining the American Dream" from The New York Times.
Task #5: Read, annotate, and discuss Sarah Churchwell's "A Brief History of American Dream" in order to understand the two conflicting narratives of the American Dream and how it has evolved.
Task #6: What is the middle class, social mobility, and the myth of meritocracy? Watch the videos and see what it takes to be apart of Boston's middle class.
Task #7: Complete Common Assessment #1 (both the multiple choice and writing portion).
Table of Content (click a link!)
Tuesday the 15th
The Declaration of Independence
What you might not know about The Declaration of Independence
What you might not know about the Declaration of Independence by Kenneth C. Davis.mp4The Reading
The first two paragraphs of the Declaration of Indepedence.docxA history teacher's explanation of the reading
The Declaration of Independence, EXPLAINED [AP Government FOUNDATIONAL Documents].mp4The Beginning of the American Dream
James Truslow Adams, the historian who coined the term "American Dream"
How he framed the American Dream
Here is an excerpt from James Truslow Adams’ book titled The Epic of America (1931) where he defines the American Dream:
“But there has also been the American dream, that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.”
Wednesday the 16th
Two narratives of the American Dream: Social Uplift or Rags to Riches?
Lexicon #8: Social mobility
Definition: The ability for a person or family to move up or down in social class or economic status. It's often influenced by factors like education, job opportunities, and income. It is seen as a measure of fairness of a society, where opportunities are available to all to improve their social standing.
The American Dream over the decades
Redefining the American Dream by The New York Times.mp4Honors: Sarah Churchwell's "A Brief History of the American Dream"
The Reading
A Brief History of the American Dream by Sarah Churchwell with footnotes.docx
Bonus content: "Pull yourself up by your boot straps"
The phrase "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" originally appeared in the early 19th century, and its earliest known use was as an ironic or humorous expression. It suggested doing something impossible, like lifting yourself up by your own bootstraps (the loops or tabs on the back of boots).
One of the first recorded uses comes from an 1834 newspaper article referencing an absurd tale of a man lifting himself over a river by pulling on his bootstraps. The phrase gradually evolved over time and lost its irony, becoming a popular metaphor for self-reliance and individual success in the 20th century, especially in American culture.
In its modern sense, the phrase is often used to promote the idea of achieving success through personal effort, but it has also been criticized for overlooking structural barriers that make such success unattainable for many.
Lexicon #9: The myth of meritocracy
Definition: The myth that success is based purely on individual talent, effort and hard work, ignoring systemic inequalities like race, class, and gender. Critics argue that this belief reinforces inequality by masking how power and privilege shape success and opportunity.
Bonus content: What does it mean to be "middle class"?
What does it take to be "Middle Class" today?
How much do you need to make to be ＂Middle Class＂ in the U.S..mp4What it takes to be middle class in Massachusetts
What it takes to be middle class in Boston
The report from SmartAsset looked at 99 of America's largest cities. In Boston, a single adult needs to make $60.08 an hour, or $124,966 a year to "live in sustainable comfort." For two working adults with two children, the total required salary is $319,738.
Boston is one of only six cities where families need to make over $300,000 to comfortably raise kids. The others are San Francisco; San Jose; Arlington, Virginia; New York and Oakland.
-Taken from CBS Boston news, https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/boston-salary-live-comfortably-2024/#:~:text=BOSTON%20%2D%20How%20much%20money%20do,$75%2C000%20for%20a%20single%20adult.
Thursday the 17th and Friday the 18th
Common Assessment #1
Lexicon #10: Disillusionment, a sense of disillusion
Definition: The state of being disappointed or disenchanted after discovering that something is not as good, true, or ideal as one had believed. It often involves a sense of loss or frustration when reality fails to meet expectations or ideals.
Common Assessment Readings ("America" by Claude McKay" and "Let America Be America Again" by Langston Hughes)
America by Claude McKay and Let America Be America Again by Langston Hughes .docxComplete both the Multiple Choice and the Writing Portion
Bonus Content: "I Have a Dream" by Martin Luther King Jr.
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Video of Speech
I Have a Dream speech.mp4Transcript of Speech (excerpts)
I Have a Dream speech by Martin Luther King Jr..pdf