Introduction

We don’t wake up every day thinking about the American Dream, but as America celebrates its 250th birthday, it is worth pausing to ask how its promise can help us build the lives we truly want.

In 1931, James Truslow Adams, in his book The Epic of America, defined the American Dream as “…a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.”

Adams’s choice of words is revealing. He did not describe the Dream simply as becoming richer or more affluent. Instead, he envisioned a life that would be “better and richer and fuller.”

The American Dream is often described in terms of opportunity and effort. We hear phrases such as, “If you work hard enough, you will succeed”, “Anyone can become President”, and “Every generation can build a better life than the one before it.”

These examples point to a broader idea. America aspires to give everyone the opportunity to build a better life, regardless of where they start.

Indeed, the Pew Research Center’s 50-year study¹ shows that Americans, across all demographics and in almost all material respects, are better off than in 1970. Yet, a recent CNBC survey⁴ found that almost half of Americans believe the American Dream is likely out of reach.

Crucially, the crisis is not purely financial. The pessimism is not confined to low-income earners. It includes traditional middle-class families and affluent households.

The data hints at something deeper: the quest for life satisfaction itself may be under duress. Over half of respondents pointed directly to simply “being happy” and maintaining the “freedom to pursue personal passions”.

So, how do we pursue the promise of a “better and richer and fuller” life?

That is the question we will explore in this book as we examine the roots and philosophy of the American Dream and offer a framework for finding our way back to its fuller meaning.

Next: Origins of this Book

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