Reclaiming the American dream
In college, I made the mistake of enrolling in a history class called “The American Dream.” My best friend warned me to avoid any history course where the title is based on a theme. He said there would likely be some agenda wrapped up in it and it won’t be what you expect. He was right. We started off reading rags-to-riches stories like “Ragged Dick and Mark, the Match Boy” then quickly veered towards more progressive novels that harshly critiqued any notions of upward mobility. What happened to American exceptionalism, I wondered? I appreciate some of those books but I’m still deeply attracted to the ideals of America as a land of freedom and opportunity. One of the tasks of American Habits is to rediscover those truths and the foundations that made it so.
Restoring the American Dream requires more than political solutions—it demands a revival of the institutions, values, and communities that can make it possible. This issue explores how we can reclaim that promise.
We drew inspiration for this issue from Tim Carney’s Alienated America, which was published in early 2019. Carney argues that social capital and the decline of civil society are key factors shaping our experience of the American dream. We are fortunate he revisited some of those topics in American Habits.
In the 1993 book Reclaiming the American Dream author Richard Cornuelle was one of the first to write on the dynamic civil society present in America. We’re lucky to have Lenore Ealy, who worked closely with Cornuelle write an exceptional overview of his vision of “the unfinished revolution” to strengthen local communities and our voluntary associations.
While it’s likely getting easier again to think about the American dream without a college degree, the hold it has on American culture and society remains a powerful force. In this issue, we feature two essays exploring higher education from David Deavel and George Leef. Deavel focuses on some of the positive reforms that might be in the pipeline for the academy and Leef delves into the current wasteland of higher education and how we got there.
Looking at the states, for so many 20th-century Americans, California was king – an aspiration. Now many there are trying to figure out their escape. Ed Ring of California Policy Center offers the blueprint for “Restoring the California Dream.”
On the policy front, Grover Norquist reminds us of how our tax burden and the cost of government thwart not only our material ambitions but also our family life.
Now a regular contributor, Peter Reichard of the Sutherland Institute contributes a piece on the benefits cliff and why more freedoms should be given to states to rectify the problem.
Jovan Tripkovic covers a topic we’ve highlighted in a past issue on the importance of local news to revive American communities. Tripkovic believes that getting news from neighbors fosters stronger, more flourishing communities
Ted Hicks offers us a look at the American dream from his position as a financial owner and wealth management advisor.
With a look at fashion and culture, Alan Cornett provides a piece on recent Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Ralph Lauren and his achievement of the American dream while bringing inspiration to those in local clothing stores.
Freedom Cities, an American dream song list, a piece on the moral obligations in a free society from Andrew Bibb, and our local hero ‘With Love from Jesus’ ministry round out the issue.
Finally, The American dream is far from dead. This issue should remind us that it’s alive wherever people build strong communities, embrace opportunity, and uphold the values that sustain a free society. We hope this issue rekindles your belief in its promise and the role we all play in making it flourish.
