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Politicians love to talk about "the American dream." However, the phrase wasn't coined by an elected official. That distinction belongs to writer and historian James Truslow Adams. Adams penned it in his 1931 book "The Epic of America." Of course, he couldn't have known it would go on to define the type of life most Americans aspire to. In fact, in his book, the phrase seems to have an entirely different meaning. This page from the Library of Congress contains the original quote:
It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position. So, apparently Adams intended "the American dream" to be one of equality across class barriers. Over the years, the definition became more modest -- a white picket fence, 2.5 kids, and a manageable amount of credit card debt. Even so, the dream is just a dream to many.
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