Preamble-On: Dolly Parton and James Truslow Adams.
“Preamble-On” is a recurring segment of quotes and thoughts from historic and contemporary public figures on federalism, the free society, and American political life.
My coat of many colors
That my momma made for me
Made only from rags
But I wore it so proudly
Although we had no money
I was rich as I could be
In my coat of many colors
My momma made for me
—Dolly Parton, an excerpt from her country music hit “Coat of Many Colors.”
Context:
“Coat of Many Colors” was released by Parton in October 1971 on an album with the same title. The record, released by RCA Victor, is on Time magazine’s list of 100 greatest albums and Rolling Stone includes it in their top 500 albums of all time.
The song is based on Parton’s true story of her mother sewing together the coat from random colorful fabrics so she would have something warm to wear for school. The iconic song was turned into a made for television film on NBC in 2015. Much of Parton’s songwriting success is related to her keen ability to convey her humble origins and transform them into universal stories of resilience, persistence, and faith.
But there has been also the American dream, that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.
—James Truslow Adams introduced the term the “American Dream” in his book The Epic of America (1931)
Context:
James Truslow Adams’ The Epic of America (1931) is a seminal account that helped to define the idea of the American Dream. His description has since become central to American identity, shaping debates on economics, social mobility, and our shared values. While much of his book focuses on ideas related to civics and American liberty, the “dream” has tended to morph more into focus and beliefs around wealth and acquiring material goods.
