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

Cullen discusses the emergence and growing importance of what he calls the Dream of Upward Mobility, or the aspiration to move up in the world by achieving success along one or more dimensions (commercial, educational, career, etc.) and the belief that this success is available to anybody who works hard enough for it. The author looks at the lives of several great Americans who came from modest beginnings, including Benjamin Franklin, Andrew Jackson, and Abraham Lincoln, to place this evolving American Dream in historical context.

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) achieved early success in the newspaper business before becoming one of the first American celebrities and “a Founding Father of the American Dream” (65). Franklin adhered to the Puritan style in his writing but radically differed from the Puritans on a doctrinal level in his pragmatic belief that working hard, which brings earthly success, can be taken as a sign of God’s grace and a way to contribute to the public good. Franklin’s dream “reflected the core convictions of a great many Americans of his time” (65).

Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), the seventh US president, represents a shift in American life whereby “modest beginnings were no longer a somewhat embarrassing obstacle to be overcome but rather the indispensable bedrock of distinction” (68).