From the Puritans who left everything they knew to come to a
strange place and start over, to Thomas Jefferson who enjoyed his wine, the
American Dream is the common cultural trend during the colonial to the
revolutionary period, even onto today. The idea of the American Dream as we
know it is upward movement in society, in money, and just in life in general.
This idea that if we work hard and commit ourselves we can do better, that is
the American Dream. All people of all
classes are capable of this and go about achieving it in different ways.
For the Puritans the American Dream was reform, and “reform
meant starting over, building a new society of believers for themselves and
their children.” [1] In short the Puritans were looking for freedom. More so
than anything else they wanted to ability to practice their religion in a place
where they were surrounded by likeminded people. The reason the Dream is so
important in the case of the Puritans is that these people were not poor and
looking for work (though that is the American Dream for some future immigrants),
these were “relatively well educated people who in many cases had substantial
financial resources at their disposal, making their decision to leave
everything behind all the more striking”. [2] Therefore these were middle
class, sometimes much higher classed people who left in search of something
unknown but all because they wanted something better. The signers of the
Declaration of Independence were another set who strove for better things.
After much trouble with England through taxation and general
laws without representation from the Americas in Parliament, the Congressman of
America wrote the Declaration of Independence. This document proclaimed that
America should be free of British control and above other things that all men
are equal and deserve life, liberty and happiness. Though “it said a bunch of
things that may well have been wishful thinking” it was and is a symbol of the
American Dream and what makes us as a country. [3] However the Declaration is
very broadly termed, and truly the American Dream is personal.
The idea of the American Dream is not simply freedom of
religion, it is also about money. The ability to push upward in society through
advancement and hard work is a very common American Dream. Though George
Washington and Thomas Jefferson had already attained great popularity in
society, it was their ever constant efforts at earning money that show this
particular dream. Though Washington had earned a great fortune before the
Revolutionary war, that did not stop him during his retirement from trying to
continue it. A great farmer and gardener, Washington at first had a tobacco
dependency, but upon realizing “he could not make a decent profit off of
tobacco” because of the many fees involved, he soon “decided that he had to
diversify into other crops and even other endeavors – some farm related some
not” in order to make his land profitable. [4] Washington ever looking forward
and unafraid of change even went so far as to build a threshing barn, distillery,
and fishing net five hundred feet long all in order to make more money on his
farm. Thomas Jefferson was not far behind him. Though Jefferson had more money
problems then Washington he was ever trying to better his bank account by
trying new ideas. In one instance he was so sure the profit to be made from
foreign products that he continuously tried to plant olive trees (which never
would grow in the Virginia climate), and grapes for wine. Though neither of these
worked Jefferson continued trying new ideas and looked for ways to turn a
profit. Money has always been a standard of bettering ones position in life,
and therefore ties into many peoples personal American Dreams.
Finally I would just like to mention the dream of a baker.
Working for George Washington is probably not all bad, being head chef in the
White House either, but for Hercules Washington it was probably not what he
wanted. Right before Washington left Philadelphia, his head baker and slave
Hercules Washington disappeared and was never heard or found again. The Dream
of something better is so strong that people will leave everything they know
behind and cross a dangerous ocean to get it, and a slave will run from his
master just to find it.
[1] Jim Cullen, The
American Dream: A Short History of an Idea That Shaped a Nation (New York:
Oxford Press, 2003), 15.
[2] ibid., 17.
[3] ibid., 45.
[4] Dave DeWitt, The
Founding Foodies: How Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin Revolutionized
American Cuisine (Illinois: Sourcebooks, 2010), 75.
Finally I found this website that explains a bit about Hercules Washington.
I like knowing that even though of course by leaving he was free, but that in 1801 it was legally so.
