In his speech to accept the Republican Party’s nomination for the U.S. presidency, Donald Trump promised to “bring back the American dream,” and was met with cheers. In a speech to announce her candidacy for the same job in 2019, now-Vice President Kamala Harris invoked the “American dream” three times.
Come election season, American politicians and pundits will invariably trot out the phrase, whether to claim themselves as a product of the American dream or to blame their opponents for its demise. (Sometimes both.) The nearly century-old ideal that the United States promises riches and upward mobility to anyone from any background, class or country of origin, is a well-known trope in popular culture and the global consciousness.
The Canadian dream and Australian dream offer similar promises of a better life. These ideas are expansive — a dream not only for existing citizens but a beacon for newcomers to these countries where immigration is foundational.