美国梦的含义

所谓的美国梦(American Dream)，有广义和狭义之分，广义上指美国的平等、自由、民主;狭义上是一种相信只要在美国经过努力不懈的奋斗便能获得更好生活的理想，亦即人们必须通过自己的勤奋工作、勇气、创意、和决心迈向繁荣，而非依赖于特定的社会阶级和他人的援助。通常这代表了人们在经济上的成功或是企业家的精神。许多欧洲移民都是抱持着美国梦的理想前往美国的。

美国学者普遍认为，《独立宣言》是美国梦的根基，自由女神像是美国梦的象征。“人人生而平等，造物主赋予他们若干不可剥夺的权利，其中包括生命权、自由权和追求幸福的权利。”这句话吸引了世界各地的男男女女来到美国实现自己的梦想。在《独立宣言》之后制定的宪法等各种法律为美国梦提供了法治保障，法治确保每个人都有机会实现自己的梦想，一个国家如果没有好的制度，个人再好的梦也难以实现。

人类有很多事情大家可以一起做，但大家不能一起做梦。对公民个体来说，各有各的梦：有的想成为体育明星，有的想成为电影演员，有的想成为科学家，有的想成为医生，有的想当工人，有的想当农民，有的想当商人，有是想成为政治家，有的就梦想有套房子有辆车过恬静、平淡的生活。这些形形色色的个体的梦孕育着美国梦的普遍性，那就是不管你出身如何，也不管你有何背景，只要你努力就可以实现自己的梦想。这正如美国作家托马斯·沃尔夫（Thomas Wolfe，1900-1938）对美国梦解释的那样：“任何人，不管他出身如何，也不管他有什么样的社会地位，更不管他有何种得天独厚的机遇……他有权生存，有权工作，有权活出自我，有权依自身先天和后天条件成为自己想成为的人。

美国梦对精神层面的追求远远胜过对物质的追求。美国历史学家詹姆斯·特拉斯洛·亚当斯（James Truslow Adams，1878-1949)在《美国史诗》（Epic of America）中写道：“美国梦远远超过物质范畴，美国梦就是让个人才能得到充分发展，实现自我。”他认为：“美国梦不是汽车，也不是高工资，而是一种社会秩序，在这种秩序下，所有男人和女人都能实现依据自身素质所能取得的最大成就，并得到社会的承认，而与他（她）的出身、社会背景和社会地位无关。

综上所述，尽管每个人的梦想不尽相同，但美国梦的共性就是“民主，自由，人权”。“民主”是一种政治制度，它是美国梦的土壤；一个国家如果没有一个好的制度，那国民只能做“白日梦”，任何美好的梦想就很难实现。“自由”是实现美国梦的方式，体现了美国梦对公民个体的尊重以及“以人为本”的治国理念；每个人可以有自己的梦想，可以用自己喜欢的方式实现自己的梦想；没有言论自由、出版自由、集会自由、结社自由、游行自由、示威自由、罢工自由、宗教信仰自由、通信自由等这些自由，就斩断了由梦想通向梦想成真的桥梁。“人权”是美国梦的内容，它包括生存权、受教育权、工作权、自由迁徒权、选举权和被选举权以及批评政府和追求幸福的权利等

“美国梦”包含几个要素:美国提供了人人都能成功的机会;成功取决于自己的才能和努力，而不是家世和背景;人人都拥有平等的权利;人人都有信仰的自由。

The so-called American Dream (American Dream), there are broad sense and narrow sense, broad sense refers to the equality, freedom, democracy; In a narrow sense is a kind of believe that as long as in the United States after a hard struggle will get a better life ideal, i.e. people must through their own hard work, courage, creative, and determined to prosperity, rather than rely on the particular social class and others' help. Usually this represents the people's economic success or entrepreneurial spirit. Many European immigrants are held the ideals of the American dream to go to the United States.

American scholars generally believe that the declaration of independence is the foundation of the American dream, the statue of liberty is the symbol of the American dream. "All men are created equal, the creator gave them certain inalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." This sentence has attracted all over the world men and women came to the United States to achieve their dreams. After the declaration of independence on the constitution and other laws for the American dream of the rule of law guarantee, the rule of law to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to achieve their dream, if a country without a good system, personal again good dream also difficult to achieve.

Humans have a lot of things we can do together, but you can't dream together. For individual citizens, each have each dream: to be a sports star, some want to be a film actress, some want to be a scientist, some want to be doctors, some want to be a worker, some want to be a farmer, some want to be a businessman, is want to be a politician, some will have a dream house have a car in a quiet, insipid life. These various individual dreams gestates the universality of the American dream, that is no matter how you born, no matter you have any background, as long as you work hard can achieve their dreams. Just as the American writer, Thomas Wolfe (Thomas Wolfe, 1900-1938) of the American dream, explains: "anyone, no matter how he was born, and whether he has what kind of social status, more no matter what he's advantageous opportunity... he has the right to live, have the right to work, have the right to be yourself, have the right to according to their own innate and acquired conditions become who they want to be.

The American dream, the pursuit of spirit is far more than the pursuit of material. American historian James, laszlo Adams, James Truslow Adams, 1878-1949) in the journal of the American Epic (Epic of America) wrote: "the American dream is much more than material category, the American dream is to make people to get full development, realize self." He thought: "the American dream is not a car, also is not high wages, but a social order, in this order, all men and women can achieve biggest accomplishment on the basis of their own quality can, and will be recognised by society, and with his (her) birth, social background and social status.

To sum up, although everybody's dream is not the same, but the commonness of the American dream is "democracy, freedom, human rights". "Democracy" is a kind of political system, which is the soil for the American dream; A country without a good system, the national "daydream" I do, any good dream is difficult to realize. "Freedom" is the way to realize the American dream, embodies the respect for the individual citizens of the American dream and the governing concept of

"people-oriented"; Everyone can have their own dreams, can realize their dreams in their own ways; No freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, freedom of association, freedom of parades, demonstrations, strikes such as freedom, freedom of religious belief, communication freedom, was cut off by the dream of the bridge to a dream come true. "Human rights" is the content of the American dream, it including the right to life, the right to education, work, the right of free