The US became a major power at the beginning of the 20th century due to its large and rich territory, a growing population, an emerging industry strengthened by technological advances and the opportunity, as well as the political will, to assert this power. The Platt Amendment (1901) declared that the US could not intervene to preserve Cuban independence, but allowed the US to keep land for naval bases (Guantanamo Bay). These acquisitions marked the beginnings of the US’ overseas agenda and an assertion of their military might outside the North-American continent. The US presented its own imperial policy, replacing declining traditional colonial powers and thus beginning to establish itself as a global player.
America’s international role became even more complicated when WWI (1914-1918) broke out. At the beginning, the US remained neutral, but it was slowly but surely drawn into the war. Despite American neutrality, the “Lusitania”, a British ocean liner, was sunk by German submarines in 1915 and over a hundred Americans were killed. When the Germans began unrestricted warfare sinking American ships approaching Europe in February and March 1917, Wilson considered it his “distressing and oppressive duty” to call for a declaration of war. As was his tendency, Wilson cast the conflict in moral tones. Wilson, father of the doctrine of idealistic internationalism, declared the German submarine warfare to be “a warfare against mankind”, the war being “a war against all nations”. In his Fourteen Points (8th Jan 1918), Wilson attempted to delineate how to “make the world safe for democracy”. His plan laid out an idealistic framework for world peace – a policy of free trade, open agreement and treaties and navigation of the seas, democracy and self-determination, justice and peace, intergovernmental communication, networks between nation-states and mutual defense in case of attack.
While Wilson’s Fourteen Point Plan with his proposal of a League of Nations was rejected by Congress, it marked a pivotal change in American foreign affairs and can be considered as a basis for future interstate organizations such as the United Nations or NATO. The first half of the 20th century saw tremendous changes in the international arena, with the USA gaining unprecedented international influence. During the “American Century” a new ideology arose, in which defending US national interests was no longer constricted to the US border. The policy of protecting US interests would plague the US in the years to come, leading them into conflicts in Vietnam, Iraq and the infamous ‘War on Terror’ in Afghanistan. Its interventionist attitude continues more recently with drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, Syria and other countries.
The American character, which was formed through the Frontier, helped to develop the concept or the myth of the American Dream. The idea was created in the time of industrialization (second part of the 19th century) and slogans like “from dishwasher to millionaire”, “From rags to riches “or “survival of the fittest” (cf. Social Darwinism) became famous. So, the American Dream is the belief that anyone - no matter which class they were born into - is able to attain their own version of success, pursuit of happiness and liberty.
The American Dream includes social mobility [dt. (hier): sozialer Aufstieg] and is achieved through displaying the American character. To specify, this involves the will to work hard, self-improvement, ambition, stamina [dt.: Durchhaltevermögen], individualism, good education, being inventive, risk-taking, democracy, freedom (demonstrated by the idea of the Manifest Destiny), egalitarianism [dt.: Gleichheit] and a government with separated powers for liberty.
The automobile manufacturer Henry Ford fulfilled his American Dream, although he had to face a number of failures. However, Ford stayed motivated, and through his ambition and the courage to take risks he fulfilled his dream, achieved success and was partly responsible for the Golden Age.
Oprah Winfrey is a second example for someone who achieved the American Dream. She was born in Mississippi and was mainly raised by her grandmother because her parents were unmarried teenagers who broke up soon after she was born. She grew up in poverty and later moved back to live with her mother. In her family, Winfrey suffered many tragedies. Her half-sister died from cocaine addiction, her second half-sister was given up for adoption and her half-brother died young because of AIDS. As a young girl, she was sexually abused by a relative. When she was 14 years old, Winfrey herself gave birth to her son, who later died because he was born prematurely. To keep up with schoolmates, Oprah stole money from her mother, which prompted her mother to send Oprah to live with her father. Her father, a disciplinarian, made sure she went to school and her grades eventually improved. Oprah later won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant. Since this was the first time she was in the media spotlight, this can considered as her first step towards her later career as talk show host, television producer, actress, author and philanthropist.
Quote:
“I will build a motor car for the great multitude. It willbe large enough for the family but small enough for the individual to run and care for. It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise. But it will be so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one—and enjoy with his family the blessings of hours of pleasure in God’s great open spaces.”
~ Henry Ford (1913)
Criticism:
The idea of the American Dream causes people to think they can achieve anything they are dreaming of. To exaggerate the idea of the American Dream, anyone would be able to become a millionaire, as long as he or she tries hard enough. This idea means that everyone is solely responsible for him- or herself. This mindset creates an elbow society, in which empathy for weak or sick people is missing. People who do not or cannot climb this ladder are less respected and their reputation is degraded. For all people, no matter which age, this way of thinking is bad for their mental health. Children are raised with the idea that they are responsible for their problems, so they are always blaming themselves for mistakes. Mental health problems such as deep depression are not illnesses that children should be confronted with so early in life.
Bezogen auf den American Dream sollten in jedem Fall die traditionellen Elemente, zentralen Aspekte sowie die zeitlichen Hintergründe und geschichtlichen Wurzeln gelernt werden. Nicht selten sollen diese im Englisch Abitur aufgeführt und auf den gegeben Text bezogen werden. Dabei ist es entscheidend, auf welche zeitlichen Umstände sich der gegebene Text bezieht, da auf Basis der Aspekte des American Dream häufig eine Stellungnahme gefordert ist und Kritiken angeführt werden sollen. Besondere zeitliche sowie thematische Gegebenheiten, von denen ein Text handeln könnte, sind beispielsweise die Industrialisierung, Immigration in die USA und Verwirklichung des American Dream, Rassismus, Obdachlosigkeit in Großstätten, die Rolle des Einzelnen in der amerikanischen Gesellschaft, etc. Auf diese Faktoren ist sich, in Verbindung mit dem gegeben Text, zu beziehen, um die Thematik vor den Aspekten des American Dream zu erläutern und zu diskutieren. Gesellschaftliche Missstände sind also meistens Themenschwerpunkt und zielen gegebenenfalls das Prinzip von survival of the fittest oder die Selbstverantwortung des Einzelnen gegenüber dem Staat ab. Gesellschaftliche Bedingungen (z.B. mangelhaftes Gesundheitssystem) sind, nach dem Denken des American Dream, nicht als Entschuldigung für Misserfolg zu sehen. Stattdessen ist oft die Rede von den richtigen Entscheidungen („right choices“), die getroffen werden müssen unabhängig von Glück oder der staatlichen Fürsorglichkeit.
Folgende Fragen sollen ein roter Faden sein:
Wo hat der American Dream seinen Ursprung?
Wie wird der American Dream definiert?
Was sind Realitäten und was sind Wunschvorstellungen oder Utopien des American Dream?
Wie lässt sich das auf die Gesellschaft beziehen?
Auf Aufgaben des zweiten Anforderungsbereiches, die sich auf den American Dream und Amerikas geschichtliche Wurzeln beziehen, können 30 – 40BE vergeben werden.