Unfulfilled promises become fewer and fewer every day. What might once have given people ambition and zeal has turned into a superficial, consumerist ideal. In the nation's youth, the American Dream was a promise to the people that failed to pass on its values ​​to future generations. This promise dates back to the principle that “all men are created equal,” and Dictionary.com's first definition defines the American Dream as “the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally believed to be available to every American.” This is the closest to the originally intended meaning of the American dream, which perhaps only a minority of the population still recognizes. Politics and economics have contributed to the significant shift in meaning and threaten to further devalue it. At the beginning everyone had to work hard to achieve their goals. This hasn't changed. However, these goals became more materialistic as people began to expect that certain things were entitled to them simply because of their designation as U.S. citizens. The original definition is inclusive to a broad audience, Americans, but general enough to allow for broad interpretation. For each person this dream had to be personalized, but over time the tangible derivatives of “freedom, equality and opportunity” triumphed over the individual effort to achieve goals within these ideas. At one point, a specific dream might have been the ability to provide for a family through pure and honest work, something unimaginable to some people no matter how much effort they put into it. Today many dream of being the latest contestant on “Deal or No Deal”, a “get rich quick scheme” even simpler than “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”. Instead of quality and diligence, more and more Americans... middle of paper... In order for the nation to realize the true intentions of the American dream, it is necessary to change the mindset of every person. Once people began to think about a greater cause, the betterment of the nation beyond their own lives, liberty, equality, and opportunity would once again be available to every American. However, the current increase in consumerism in everything from basic necessities to Christmas threatens to completely kill the American dream. More and more new and innovative things are constantly being created and pushing this consumerism to greater heights. People may never return to the ethic that hard work and quality of life will lead to happiness. Selfishness and greed are overpowering. However, with any luck, people may stop simply interpreting the American Dream as a materialistic entitlement, but instead as an inspiration to work towards a better future as it should be..