American Document | 1935-1944 |
The American Dream
The American Dream is the tone of utopia. America is a mythic land of sorts, a studio of infinity steeped in legendary triumphs and catastrophic endings, where man's overriding courage faces the perils of destiny and self-fulfilling prophecy in the spirit of a vigorous individualism. Change comes at painful costs, where the balance of what is fair remains unknown. The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States, where the idea of freedom includes a promise of the possibility of prosperity and success. The American Dream and the Declaration of Independence are inextricable, chiming the same tune that all men are created equal, and are endowed by the their Creator with certain inalienable rights, including Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. The American Dream is a place of historic values and storybook ideals, which power the hopes and aspirations of Americans as they strive for a better life through hard work and fair ambition. The American Dream is a place of dreams transpiring in an era of catastrophic uncertainty, where economic crisis and war are known by all, where lives are burnt with yearning, where inflated expectations and sorrows go hand in hand, and where heroes and sinners live together in a land, clearly dislocated.
Theme | Photographer | Year | State |
The American Dream | Russell Lee | 1940 | Utah |