The American dream is the concept widely held in the United States of America, that through hard work, courage and determination one can achieve prosperity (often associated with the Protestant work ethic). These were the values of the original pioneers who crossed the American plains when Northern Europeans first came to America. What the American dream has become is a question under constant discussion.

The origin of the American dream stems from the departure in government and economics from the models of the Old World. This allowed unprecedented freedom, especially the possibility of dramatic upward social mobility. Additionally, from the Revolutionary War well into the later half of the nineteenth century, many of America's physical resources were unclaimed and often undiscovered, allowing the possibility of coming across a fortune through relatively little, but lucky investment in land or industry. The development of the Industrial Revolution defined the mineral and land wealth which was there in abundance, contrary to the environmental riches such as huge herds of bison and diversity of forests, for the original Native Americans.

Many early Americans prospectors headed west of the Rocky Mountains to buy acres of cheap land in hopes of finding deposits of gold. The American dream was a driving factor not only in the Gold Rush of the mid to late 1800s, but also in the waves of immigration throughout that century and the following.

Impoverished western Europeans escaping the Irish potato famines in Ireland, the Highland clearances in Scotland and the aftermath of Napoleon in the rest of Europe came to America to escape a poor quality of life at home. They wanted to embrace the promise of financial security and constitutional freedom they had heard existed so widely in the United States.

Nearing the twentieth century, major industrialist personalities became the new model of the American dream, many beginning life in the humblest of conditions but later controlling enormous corporations and fortunes. Perhaps most notable here were the great American capitalists Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller.

This acquisition of great wealth demonstrated that if you had talent, intelligence, and a willingness to work extremely hard you were guaranteed at least moderate success as a result.

This topic was taken into grasp by the Beatles in their 1969-song "Wake up Susan".

The key difference here from the Old World societal structure is that the antiquated monarchies of Western Europe and their post-feudal economies actively oppressed the peasant class. They also required high levels of taxation which crippled development. America, however, was built by people who were consciously free of these constraints.

There was a hope for egalitarianism. Martin Luther King invoked the American Dream in what is perhaps his most famous speech:

"Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends. And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream." (I have a dream)

In the 20th century, the American dream had its challenges. The Depression caused widespread hardship during the Twenties and Thirties, and was almost a reverse of the dream for those directly affected. Racial instability did not disappear, and in some parts of the country racial violence was almost commonplace. There was concern about the undemocratic campaign known as McCarthyism carried on against suspected Communists.

Since the end of World War II, young American families have sought to live in relative bourgeois comfort in the suburbs that they built up. This was aided as a vision by the apparent winning of the Cold War.

The concept of the American dream has been the subject of much criticism. The main criticism is that the American dream is false and misguided. These critics say that, for various reasons, it simply is not possible for everyone to become prosperous through determination and hard work. The consequences of this false belief can include the poor feeling that it is their fault that they are not successful. It can also result in less effort towards helping the poor since their poverty is "proof" of their laziness. The concept of the American dream also ignores other factors of success such as the family and wealth one is born into and inheritable traits such as intelligence.

A skeptical view would say that the American dream was built on aggressive colonialism. Many contend that the American Dream is impossible to understand without considering the 250 years of slave importation and labor, without which America's 'free market' economy would not have been able to develop to the dominant force it is in today's global marketplace.

Other critics point out the falsity of the implied view that everyone is entitled to succeed and become successful simply because they live in America. This can result in the view that the government should ensure equality of results and in the misguided institution of government welfare programs.

A critical comparison of the American dream and the experience of Italian-Americans is one of the themes in The Godfather film trilogy.

• American Beauty (1999 movie)
• Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman
• Easy Rider
• Immigration to the United States
• Nathanael West
• Fight Club
• The Great Gatsby
• Manifest Destiny