The American Dream: America’s Best Hope for Unity
Originally published at RealClearHealth.com
With July 4th being celebrated in some corners and criticized in others, it’s no secret: We are a divided people. The recent overturning of Roe v. Wade is only the latest flashpoint.
Much ink has been spilled on the perils of polarization. But issues of the day have always divided Americans. Given our “melting pot” of backgrounds and beliefs, the complexity of America’s cultural climate inevitably leads to controversy unseen in other parts of the world.
In 1939, nearly 60 percent of Americans supported the U.S. sale of airplanes and other war materials to European allies, but more than 40 percent of Americans disagreed. Millions of Americans opposed the U.S. intervention against Nazi Germany, even as the evil of Hitler’s regime became more evident. Three decades later, 47 percent of Americans believed it was a mistake to send troops to Vietnam, while 44 percent supported military action.
The abortion issue is similarly schismatic. In 1973, 54 percent of Americans believed in legal abortion under certain circumstances. By 2018, 50 percent still did. While the “pro-life” designation has grown more popular over the decades, the ideological split remains roughly 50-50 now, just like it was at the turn of the 21st century.
Following America’s 246th birthday, today’s polarization feels worse because “common ground” seems to lose square footage by the day. Sport is no longer a safe space. Virtue signaling injects politics where it didn’t exist before. Once no-brainer points of consensus are now points of contention. Take national pride: In the early 2000s, 92 percent of U.S. citizens were extremely or very proud to be Americans. Today, fewer than 70 percent of Americans say the same.
While most Americans are still proud of their country, that pride has dimmed. Now more than ever before, national pride is controversial. The erosion of pro-Americanism only adds fuel to the firestorm of daily issues that divide us.
Unity becomes more challenging because we lack a starting point of good-faith trust. Before: “We disagree about abortion, but at least we both love America.” After: “We disagree about abortion and America, so we probably don’t agree about anything.” The divide grows deeper.
As a Millennial shaped by political polarization, I’ve come to the conclusion that the pursuit of more is America’s best hope for unity. The best hope for our coming-together, ironically, is individualism. It is the “American Dream”—the term first coined in 1931 by historian James Truslow Adams. The Adams definition is simple: “Life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.”
That is how the overwhelming majority of Americans can come together. Politics aside, virtually all Americans believe in improving their lot—their own or their family’s. When it hits close to home, improvement and fulfillment are unifying pursuits, regardless of demographic factors. Striving for self-betterment transcends creed and class.
The youngest Americans have witnessed other traditional unifiers become more divisive over time, especially in the last decade. In the 1960s, 98 percent of Americans believed in God. By 2014, 86 percent retained that belief. Today, only 81 percent of Americans still believe. The unifying force of Judeo-Christianity—once a given—is no longer guaranteed, and less so with time.
On the bright side, our collective belief in the American Dream may actually be picking up steam. According to recent research from the Archbridge Institute, 80 percent of U.S. citizens claim to have already achieved the American Dream or are on their way to achieving it—up from 74 percent in 2020. Among people aged 18 to 29 (my age group), 83 percent of Americans believe freedom of choice is “essential” to the American Dream—again, up from 2020. Young Americans may be more drawn to socialism than older generations, but freedom of choice remains highly popular.
A healthy family life is also important. The American Dream is not just about self-enrichment, and most Americans understand as much.
Of course, promising polling alone will not solve America’s polarization problem. Nor is the American Dream necessarily superior to Judeo-Christianity as a unifying principle. But good news is good news.
We can all reasonably agree, and most do: Freedom of choice is good. A healthy family life is good. And America is still a great place to pursue more.
That’s a starting point. There’s the common ground. As long as the American Dream remains a unifying force, there is hope for American togetherness.
Should the American Dream become divisive, then we will truly be doomed—together.
