The American Dream has been taken to a new level, for many, since Barack Obama was elected to be our new president. White males have headed our country since 1789, now a whole new dream has opened up for minorities. (1) I have been told since I was in grade school that there would come a day when a woman would be president. Funny, I never remember being told that an African American or a Hispanic could or would one day be chosen to run our country. This is truly a dream come true for those who marched and fought for civil rights. Many had hoped this day would come, but for others the doubt remained. Now and forever history has been changed. We have all witnessed the American Dream coming true for a whole new generation.
Although a woman was not chosen to head this country this election, women are making great strides. Just this week Gen. Ann Dunwoody became the first female four-star general in the U.S. military. (2) Again, this opens the doors for girls and women to dream even bigger. They now know that it is possible to achieve military greatness and be recognized for their accomplishments. This was just a dream for thousands of women in the past.
The American Dream means different things to different people, but the shear fact that we have the right to dream is such a great feeling. People may snicker at your personal dream, or they may even try to build obstacles to keep you from obtaining your dream, but with diligence and hard work your dream can come true. George Carlin once said, "It's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it". (3) I would have to disagree with him. This is, without a doubt, the best country in the world, and you can do or become anything you want if you believe in yourself and work hard.
(1) http://americanhistory.about.com/od/georgewashington/p/pwashington.htm
(2) http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/11/14/woman.4.star.general/index.html
(3) http://dialogic.blogspot.com/2008/02/george-carlin-its-called-american-dream.html
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