The American Dream: A Cultural History

In Samuel's (The End of Innocence: The 1964–1965 New York World's Fair) opinion, the American Dream is the defining and unifying national characteristic of Americans. He tells the story of the American Dream from its origins as a phrase popularized during the Great Depression to current interpretations. He documents how the dream has both informed, and been informed by, the forces of American history since James Truslow Adams coined the term in 1931 and defined it as "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." Building upon intellectual histories including Jim Cullen's The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea that Shaped a Nation and Cal Jillson's Pursuing the American Dream: Opportunity and Exclusion over Four Centuries, Samuel analyzes manifestations of the concept in magazines, newspapers, and other primary popular culture sources. His analysis of the dichotomy between hope and anxiety inherent in the dream provides a compelling read.