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The American dream has changed substantially

By Jen Glantz of Bankrate |

Slide 1 of 8: Everybody dreams of something, whether it is to one day become financially independent, buy their very first house, become their own boss, or start a family. That’s why one of the most prominent, well-known, and revolutionary catch-phrases of the United States, for close to 90 years, has been the phrase of living the “American dream.” While the phrase has grown and expanded to mean many different things to many different people, its rise to popularity started in 1931 when famed historian and writer, James Truslow Adams, wrote in his book, “The Epic of America,” that “The American dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” Here’s a closer look at the American dream through the years:

The American dream

Everybody dreams of something, whether it is to one day become financially independent, buy a house, become his own boss, or start a family. That’s why one of the most prominent, well-known, and revolutionary catchphrases of the United States, for close to 90 years, has been the phrase of living the “American dream.”

While the phrase has grown and expanded to mean many things to many different people, its rise to popularity started in 1931, when the famed historian and writer James Truslow Adams wrote in his book “The Epic of America” that “the American dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.”

Here’s a closer look at the American dream through the years:

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