final draft american dream

Matt Gross
Nicole Hancock
English 101.3
01 April 2008
American Dream
When most people hear or talk about the American Dream they believe they are talking about strictly money, but another part of the American Dream is home ownership. Most people believe that if they get the money they can get a house but 10 to 15 percent of Americans live in apartments or rent homes for various reasons. If a person lives in an apartment they don’t truly know the feeling of owning there home. The thought of homeownership as part of the American dream was formed in the mid 1940’s. This part of the dream has progressed since it was added to the dream. And this part of the dream is not possible for every American citizen.
The thought of owning a home has been a major part of the American Dream since 1947 when real estate developers Levitt & Sons started the first planned suburban community. The reason the community was built was because during the Depression and World War II the number of houses being built was at a low point and because GI’s coming home from the war wanted to get married and start families and so they needed homes to do so. The community was built on Long Island on what was formerly a potato field. The community was known as Levittown and had 17,447 houses on that little piece of land. The average price of a home in Levittown ranged from $11,500 to $14,500. Levittown is now the blue print in which all neighborhoods are based upon.


Homeownership may be part of the American Dream but it has evolved over the years as the housing needs changed. As the amount of furniture, electronics, and living space families need to be able to keep with the life style they are accustomed to living. The appliances needed for a house has evolved from a refrigerator, a cloth washer, and an oven; to a washer and dryer, a deep freezer in some houses, a television, a computer, and a most importantly a microwave. The main reason the microwave has become the most important appliance to have in a home in our modern society is because we are constantly moving and never slowing down long enough to have three sit down meals a day so the microwave is easier and quicker to cook a meal in than an oven. And since we are a society that never slows down we are too busy to read the newspaper so television and the internet are the main news sources for the country. And since the nation gets there news from the television the amount of furniture needed has increased from a couch in a room to a seat for each member of the family to gather round the television. Since the amount of possessions has increased for a family the amount of space needed for each family has tripled since Levittown was built. In Levittown the average square footage was 700-800 square feet; the average square footage of a new house is now about 2,100-2,200 square feet above ground.
Home ownership is not possible for every U.S. citizen. There are numerous reasons why owning a home is not possible for many Americans. One reason some citizens can not buy a house is there credit score, the reason someone’s credit score would be low is because of debts for credit cards or money owed. Another reason a citizen could not buy a home is because people cannot find what they are looking for in a house for what they are willing to pay, today people are looking to get as much space and a up to date house for little money. Basically people want a mansion for the price of a shack. And the last reason someone might not be able to purchase a house is because of the economy itself. The economy is constantly changing; currently the economy is in a recession even though no one wants to admit it. The economy is in this recession due to three things; oil, the war, and the media scaring everyone. Oil is affecting houses because if people are throwing all there money in their gas tanks they don’t have money for much else. The war is hurting the housing market because the longer the war goes on the more money the nation spends and the economy is lowered into a worst state. And the reason the media is hurting the housing market is because it is only letting the public know that the economy is bad and that is scaring people into not spending their money which means that no money is going into the economy to help it. Home sales are currently down by about 40% since they started to recede in 2005.
Owning a house may be part of the American Dream but it is not possible for everyone. Owning a house as a part of the American dream started in Levittown. It has progressed over the years with the necessity to have more space and possessions. And It is now not available to everyone because of various reason including the families money status, not finding what they want for the price, and the economy itself.