Each individual/ may define the American dream/ differently. But the general idea/ is that a person/ in the United States/ has the freedom/ to carry out his or her goals. It usually means/ a person/ has the chance/ to work hard, earn money/ and create a secure life.

For many people, this means/ being able to get a good education, have a good job/ and own a house. The expression/ is often linked to immigrants/ who have come to this country/ seeking more freedom/ or a better life/ than they could have/ in their own countries.

The definition/ appeared in nineteen thirty-one/ in a history book/ by James Truslow Adams, “The Epic of America.” He wrote/ that 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.”

Some people/ would say/ that the United States Declaration of Independence/ first defined/ the American dream. Thomas Jefferson/ wrote this document/ in seventeen seventy-six. It expressed/ why the American colonies/ decided to fight British colonial rule/ in order to become an independent nation. The Declaration of Independence/ states/ that "all men/ are created equal." And that they have the rights/ to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

In the nineteen sixties, the African-American civil rights leader/ Martin Luther King Junior/ had his own dream/ for America. He said/ that America’s declaration/ that "all men are created equal"/ is a great expression/ of the idea/ of democracy. But he noted/ that this dream/ was not a reality. He said/ that it was the moral duty of Americans/ to work so that racial minorities and people of different social levels/ could be treated equally.

An organization/ called the Center for a New American Dream/ deals with another kind of dream. Its goal/ is to help Americans/ live in ways/ that protect the environment, improve the quality of life/ and support social justice.