American Dream: Reality, Promise, or Illusion?

Authors of both nonfiction and fiction have defined the American Dream and offered varying viewpoints on the extent to which America fulfills the ideas implicit in this dream.

In this module, students will examine multiple texts and then frame an analysis as to whether or not, or to what extent, America fulfills these ideals. 

For this module, students will read: Excerpts from Letters From An American Farmer by Jean de Crevecoeur, excerpts from the U.S. Constitution and The Declaration of Independence, "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman, and "I, Too, Sing America" by Langston Hughes.

Prior to this module, students should have completed a study of "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald.