The American Dream
A definition
The term was first used by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America which was written in 1931. He states: "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.
the American Dream has become the pursuit of material prosperity - that people work more hours to get bigger cars, fancier homes, the fruits
of prosperity for their families - but have less time to enjoy their prosperity. Others say that the American Dream is beyond the grasp of the
working poor who must work two jobs to insure their family’s survival. Yet others look toward a new American Dream with less focus on
financial gain and more emphasis on living a simple, fulfilling life
The Triangular trade between Europe/ Africa & the Caribbean island / America in the 18th century
A Slave ship
A slave who has been whipped
The American Dream for Black - Afro Americans
Picture ONE: This is A slave market / Buying and selling human beings in Northern Africa was seen as natural.
Men, women & children were treated like cattle. families were separated to make the slaves more vulnerable.
This Triangular trade between Europe/ Africa & the Caribbean island / America in the 18th century was a profitable Business
exchanging goods from one continent to the next . To justify Slavery, black people were described as a degenerate race.
The black Americans were the first immigrants who did not chose freely to come to the USA, it was imposed to them.
Picture TWO: A famous comic strip by a French artist: Bourgeon
It shows the living conditions of slaves, their treatment, how they travelled on board of slave ships (“Les negriers”).
African Slaves were called Ebony wood because of their colour & their precious value as a labour force.
Picture 3/4
Black Americans working in cotton fields in Southern American plantations.
They were whipped or killed if their masters were not pleased with them. Some tried to escape north to Canada.
Picture 5 : The civil War (guerre de Session) opposed the industrial northern states to the agricultural South of the USA
The war lasted 4 years and caused many victims. The north in blue won the battle and the slaves were set free.
However the motives of this war were more economical than humanitarian.
Picture 6 Abraham Lincoln became President of the Usa and enforced a law for equality & freedom for all the American
Citizens. He was assassinated in 1865.
Picture 7: Black Americans were free to move where they wanted but they were not treated equally.
They were separated from the white people in every public places. They suffered from Racial discrimination.
After the civil war the KU-KLUX-Klan was formed and many black people were lynched and killed by white racialists.
Picture 8 in the 1950s Rosa Park, an American seamstress caused a major revolution. She refused to leave her seat
at the back of the bus to a white man. She was sent to prison.
Picture 9, MartinLuther King a Baptist minister heard of her case and organised non violent demonstrations all around
The USA (sittings / marches…). The world started becoming aware of the unfair black condition. Rosa Parks was set free and
Kennedy passed laws to make racial segregation illegal.
Martin L King who is famous for his speech “I have a dream” in Washington was assassinated in 1968.
Picture 10 in the sixties a new generation of black militants: Malcolm X , a Muslim preacher had a more aggressive approach
with the black panthers to fight racialism. He was assassinated in 1965
Picture 11: a museum for people not to forget this dark moment in American history
Pict 12: a photo of Rosa Parks who is able to sit wherever she wants in the bus and travel freely.
Picture 13 a painting by Norman Rockwell to denounce the treatment of black students who wanted to attend white schools.
The government had to send officers to escort children and students to school.
Picture 14 a famous photo by Margaret Bourke White to illustrate that the black Americans did not benefit from the American
dream of prosperity
Picture 15 one of the first black woman involved in politics : Condoleezza Rice worked in the Bush administration.
She was quite harsh. Her steps were not very popular in Europe.
Picture 16: The first American president in the popular series 24Hours”.
David Palmer is shown as a very charismatic, courageous & intelligent president. In its way this fiction contributed to make The
figure of a black president natural.
Picture 17 In real life the first black candidate for presidency.
An educated young man very popular among intellectuals. He advocates change but has to face a strong conservative
Opposition. He is perceived as dangerous, subversive and could become a target if he is elected.