The American Dream: The Evolution Of The American Dream

The past iterations of the American dream have stuck to certain tenants, including those of upward mobility or of freedom. However, Generation Z entertains the successor to the American Dream—the American Objective. A shift in ambitions between preceding generations and Generation Z culminating in a mindset less focused on lofty aspirations, and more focused on realistic and achievable ends, thus deserving this changing name for a changing outlook.
Before looking deep into the newer aspects of the American Objective one must know the roots of the original American Dream. The American Dream originated with the Puritans, who in 1630 came to America for religious freedom and the ability to grow and develop in their own ways. In his book author
President Lincoln provided the Dream's equal opportunity to Negro slaves. President Wilson supported the voting rights of women, which led to the passage of the 19th Amendment to the constitution in 1918. President Johnson Promoted Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which ended segregation in the schools, and further protects workers from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), or national origin. In 1967 those rights were extended to those over 40. President Obama supports the legal benefits of the marriage contract regardless of sexual orientation (About
A major goal in the past was owning a home, but is that as important now? It is no surprise home owning rates have dropped recently; from the beginning of 2005 to the present, there has been a 5-6% drop in homeownership, while a sufficiently credible source for renting rates was not found (U.S. Government Census). While this can be attributed to a variety of factors, it is also notable rental vacancy has dropped about 3% since 2005, and home vacancy has risen by less than 1% (U.S. Government Census). So as is probably obvious, the goal/desire of owning a home has significantly dropped in the last 10 years, and renting has increased, at least in proportion to the population. However, despite these changing trends, it is also to be noted while renting has risen in popularity, it is also more expensive. Ignoring tax, renting (both monthly and yearly payments) becomes more expensive than home owning after five years, and figuring in tax, renting is more expensive after a measly two years (National Association of Realtors). So, since renting has gone up (and home owning down) we can safely assume more people are renting than before, and as such are either spending more money (albeit less at a time) by staying in place, or instead are constantly moving around, renting in different areas. While the first option can be