What Was the American Dream? Experts in the College of Letters and Science share knowledge about American society’s past, present and continuing potential. Affiliate Marianne Bitler Quoted in the UC Davis Letters & Science Magazine
July 02, 2025
UC Davis Letters & Science Magazine
Alex Russell and Maria Sestito
White picket fences. Green, manicured lawns. Children on
bicycles.
The “American Dream” conjures images of a suburban ideal and
elicits hope and optimism, especially for immigrants and for
those fighting for democracy in their own countries. At the same
time, entire segments of society have been denied equality,
freedom and life. Even today, the promise of the American Dream
for millions remains completely out of reach.
“There have always been contradictions in these expressions of
what America is, so the American Dream is also going to be
similarly conflicted,” said Louis Warren, W. Turrentine Jackson
Professor of U.S. Western History at UC Davis.
The American Dream as both idea and ideal, for all its
complications, has had an undeniably powerful role in shaping
values and aspirations in the U.S. and far beyond its borders. We
spoke with faculty and students in the College of Letters and
Science at UC Davis who represent a wealth of knowledge and
perspectives that help us think about American society’s past,
present and continuing potential.
