Historical Account of African-Americans Seeking the American Dream Essa

Historical Account of African-Americans Seeking the American Dream The American Dream began as a vision for the men who framed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America. These two documents provided the foundation upon which the American Dream was built. The reality of the American Dream translated into a nightmare for the African-Americans who had to overcome slavery in order to achieve the ideal that all men are created equally. Their dream did not become a reality with the signing of the Declaration of Independence; in fact, even after slavery was abolished, there was no concrete date established that mandated that whites and African-Americans were equal. The law said the slaves were free; however, society did not consider them equals. The African-American writers utilize the American Dream in their works, but they seem to use it in an interesting manner: connecting to the past in order to realize their future. The slave narratives outline dreams of freedom and often provide insight into the horrors of s lavery, while more contemporary writers use the dream to connect to their characters’ past and the horrors in their lives in order to realize their future. The founding fathers of the United States of America crystalized this country with a "dream". Their dream was a vision of the things they wanted in life and for their country, which was memorialized in the form of the Declaration of Independence. The architects that built this country dreamed that all men would be considered equals and "that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights" including "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" (Jefferson, 729). The original version of this dream, found in ... ...ument, which made this declaration. The American Dream is a real part of our culture and the dream seems to be a strong theme in the African-American literary canon. Works Cited Bradley, David. The Chaneysville Incident. New York: Harper & Row, 1981. Brent, Linda. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. The Classic Slave Narratives. Ed. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. New York: Penguin Group, 1987. Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. The Classic Slave Narratives. Ed. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. New York: Penguin Group, 1987. Equiano, Olaudah. The Life of Olaudah Equiano. The Classic Slave Narratives. Ed. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. New York: Penguin Group, 1987. King, Jr., Martin Luther. "I Have a Dream." Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C. 28 August 1963. Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. New York: The Penguin Group, 1977.