The American Dream's Evolution from Depression-Era Coinage to Global Brand

A New Yorker article by Jill Lepore traces the phrase "the American Dream" from its 1931 coinage by historian James Truslow Adams in "The Epic of America" through its transformation into a national creed and global brand. Adams defined it as a land where life should be better for each generation. The phrase was popularized during the Great Depression, later co-opted by advertisers and politicians. By the 21st century, it became a vessel for disillusionment, with declining economic mobility and rising inequality. The article examines how the term has been used to sell everything from cars to presidential campaigns, and how its meaning has shifted from collective opportunity to individual wealth. Lepore notes that the phrase appears in over 100,000 books and countless speeches. The piece reflects on the gap between the dream's promise and reality, citing data on stagnant wages and reduced social mobility. It concludes that the American Dream remains a powerful but contested idea, often invoked to critique the very conditions it once described.