Understanding the Origins and Development of the "American Dream":

An Analysis of Jefferson and Franklin's Works

I. Introduction:

The concept of the “American dream” is generally defined as the opportunity to achieve

success in America through hard work and individual merit without any obstacles and

restrictions. Although there are many different interpretations of the “American dream,” this

inspiring and unique notion of success is deeply rooted and indirectly developed through many

famous literary works in the early revolutionary days of America. In the "Declaration of

Independence" (1776), Thomas Jefferson powerfully argues for a separate American

government, away from British tyranny, to protect the "inalienable rights" of the American

people to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." This famous parallelism emphasizes the

fact that anyone in America has the right to live, to be free, and to have opportunities to be

happy, which has become an integral part of the definition of the "American dream." In

addition, Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography (1793) provides a detailed account of the humble

beginnings of Franklin's career as a printer in Philadelphia and emphasizes the importance of

self-reliance, determination, and perseverance in the face of adversity, which definitely added to

the concept of the "American dream." Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac (1739) also

contributed to the "American dream" idea through phrases such as "there are no gains without

pains," as well as many other famous aphorisms.

Thesis: Therefore, the concept of the "American dream" became clearly established and

implicitly defined through the famous phrases such as "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"

(in Jefferson's "Declaration of Independence") and "there are no gains without pains" (in Poor

Richard's Almanac) and through the ideas of self-reliance, determination, and perseverance (in

Franklin's Autobiography).

II. Body Paragraph 1:

A. The famous phrase "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" in the "Declaration

of Independence" greatly contributes to the concept of the "American dream" because it

highlights the "self-evident truth" that the American people have the government-

protected, "inalienable rights" to live, to be free, and to have the opportunities to be

happy without the limitations or restrictions of a tyrannical government.

B. This idea of the American people having the inherent rights to live and be free in

order to achieve happiness was unique and revolutionary at the time because the British

government unilaterally controlled the American colonies with unfair laws of taxation

without representation, even to the point of occupying the colonies with British military

forces to enforce the laws.

C. Supporting Evidence / Examples:

1. The "American dream" idea is deeply rooted in the "Declaration of

Independence" because the right to live and be free for the pursuit of happiness

is the essence of the "American dream."

2. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that

they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among

these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

3. Jefferson argues for American independence from British tyranny by

logically stating that the American people have right to establish their own

government to protect their "inalienable rights" to "life, liberty, and the pursuit

of happiness."

D. Thus, the "Declaration of Independence" argued for the separation of the American

colonies from British tyranny by establishing the rights of the American colonists to

"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," all of which lay the foundations of the

concept of the "American dream."

III. Body Paragraph 2:

A. The famous aphorisms, "there are no gains without pains" and "diligence is the

mother of good luck," in Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac augment the concept of the

"American dream" because these phrases emphasize the idea that, with hard-work,

perseverance, and diligence, one can achieve success and happiness in America.

B. The theme of overcoming adversity through diligence, hard-work, and perseverance

is one of the central tenets of the "American dream," and this is clearly expressed in the

aphorisms.

C. Supporting Evidence / Examples:

1. "There are no gains without pains" - this means that one cannot achieve

success or accomplish a task without some amount of sacrifice and hard-work.

"Diligence is the mother of good luck" - this means that the harder one works,

the more prepared one is for receiving good luck (ex. if one works hard, then

one is more prepared for the fortunate chance to be promoted)

D. The wisdom of hard-work, diligence, and perseverance from the aphorisms in

Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac adds to the concept of the "American dream."

IV. Body Paragraph 3:

A. The anecdotes of Benjamin Franklin's humble beginnings to become a printer and

successful businessman in America (as described in the Autobiography) highlight the

themes of self-reliance, determination, and perseverance, which are pertinent to a better

understanding of the "American dream."

B. Self-reliance, determination, and perseverance in the face of adversity enabled

Franklin to reach Philadelphia and pursue his goals of being a successful printer, and

the morality of this and many other anecdotes of Franklin's successful life illustrates the

"American dream."

C. Supporting Evidence / Examples:

1. In the excerpt from Franklin's The Autobiography, Franklin vividly

describes, in particular detail, his early beginnings and employment with his

older brother in Boston and his journey to Philadelphia in search for a new

printing job. After receiving "tyrannical treatment" from his brother (his

brother would speak badly of Franklin to every other nearby potential

employer) and the fact that his brother was imprisoned for a month, Franklin

decided to head to New York with help of his friend Collins. Therefore,

Franklin sold some of his books for little money and took a boat to New York to

ask Mr. William Bradford for a printing job, but was finally directed to go to

Philadelphia to help Mr. Bradford's son. Franklin set for Perth Amboy, New

Jersey, landed on the island after a drenching and turbulent experience on the

boat. Franklin experienced a fever, but drank much cold water and headed to

Philadelphia on foot, stopping by at Dr. Brown's inn, an old lady's home, and

finally Market Street wharf, where he meets Mr. Read and attended his Meeting

House of the Quakers in the market. Therefore, although Franklin arrived in

Philadelphia with little money, no job, and no place to live, he was not afraid to

find his own way to get the printing job and to use any means possible to make

ends meet.

2. Franklin emphasizes the importance of self-reliance because he believes

that the American spirit of individualism and freedom will drive the American

people to be hardworking, determined, and resilient. Self-reliance was

particularly important for Franklin because, when he faced the difficult situation

of having little money, no job, and no place to live, he did not succumb to

negativity and give up. Instead, he relied on his social and business skills to

get a printing job with another rival printer Keimer and establish his own

printing business in Philadelphia after learning English printing methods in

England.

3. Self-reliance is central to the "American dream" because the ability

to be independent and think on our own allows us to be proactive in finding our

own opportunities (new jobs) and to be creative in our pursuit for success and

happiness in America. By relying on ourselves, we are more responsible, have

more control of our lives, and ultimate develop a sense of resiliency and

creativity to help us achieve success and happiness.

D. Thus, Franklin's Autobiography greatly contributes to the concept of the

"American dream" because it focuses on the ideas of self-reliance, determination, and

perseverance.