1. The American Dream Zaynah Coleman Per. 2 Arts & Education

2. Importance of Topic The “American Dream” has changed and it is effecting our nation. The “American Dream” has become more of a hopeful idea in the minds of foreigners rather than a reality for our own people.

3. Thesis The idea of the “American Dream” has been manipulated over time to suit the newly adopted American way of life. If we get back to the basic principles that America was established upon by our forefathers, we will prosper as a nation.

4. Immigrants in Our Country 15% of the labor force of the US economy consists of immigrants Out of the total immigrant population, 80.5% are in the working age group (18-64) 4% of immigrants are illegal & 25-40% of the legal immigrants become illegal

5. Old Idea of American Dream Opportunity to build from “rags to riches”. You make your own life & future with your own hands. A good work ethic was all you needed to be successful “Many people watching tonight can probably remember a time when finding a good job meant showing up at a nearby factory or a business downtown. You didn't always need a degree, and your competition was pretty much limited to your neighbors. If you worked hard, chances are you'd have a job for life, with a decent paycheck, good benefits, and the occasional promotion. Maybe you'd even have the pride of seeing your kids work at the same company. That world has changed.”- President Obama

6. “American Dream” for Americans Today Fast Money No one wants to work for money anymore. They want it fast & they want it immediately.

7. History America was founded on the idea of freedom. Every man was entitled to equal opportunities. America was the “Land of Opportunity” & the place where all things were possible. From these ideas the image of the “American Dream” was developed.

8. Pictures This is a classic painting the “American Gothic” that has been adapted to suit the newly adopted “American” way of life.

9. President Obama’s State of The Union 2011 Speech

10. Closing Statements We can not just sit back and expect things to get better. If we do not readopt the original idea of hard work, blood, sweat and tears, we will not continue to prosper as a nation. We must merge the original and modern American Dream's so we can compete in this economically competitive world.

11. Bibliography http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/25/obama-state-of-the-union-_1_n_813478.html http://www.buzzle.com/articles/immigration-facts-and-statistics.html http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/State_of_the_Union/state-of-the-union-2011-full-transcript/story?id=12759395 http://smithmeadows.com/kitchen/farm-raised-local-valentin/attachment/american-gothic/ http://johntebeau.wordpress.com