Amanda Kellar 2/7/12 GeneralTheme Essay Mrs.

Richardson The American Dream There are many general themes throughout American Literature. The one theme that seems to be consistly repeat it's self is the theme os the American Dream. The American Dream is considered to be made up of three major componets they are opportunity for prosperity, freedom, and success. One of the first people in American Literature to bring about the American Dream concept was Christoper Columbus. Columbus set out on his first voyage in 1492. His goal with the voyage was to develop a commercially viable Atlantic route to Asia. In the four voyages he made he intended to settle in the New World. Columbus was amazed by the richness of the land in the New World. He could then in return use the richness of the land to grow many crops, and prosper off of the land. With all the resources in the New World there could be food, textiles, and many churches for their religous needs. His down fall to this idea was when he got to the New World he seem to encouter more struggle than cooperation. The next major componet of the American Dream is freedom. The two most important people in literature to be involved with this concept was Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. Both Franklin and Jefferson was

appointed to a committee that was in charge of drafting the Declaration of Indepence. In the Declaration of Indepence these men state that all men are created equal and give certain rights. All men are given the rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Basically these are rights that are given to us and can't be taken away. The first right we are given is life this means we all have the right to live our life the way we want, and be able to make our own decisions. Liberty gives us the right to be able to think what we want. The pursuit of happiness lets us take any journey with out life that we choose as long as we dont break any laws in the process. Life , Liberty, and the Pursuit of happiness mainly says we have the right and opprtunity to succeed in America. Success is the last componet of the American Dream. Everyone's goal in life is to have success in whatever they choose to do. Many people throughout american literature has had great success. The one that stands out in my mind would be Mercy Otis Warren. Warren being called one of the most distinguished writers of the post- Revoluntionary period. In this period it was extremely hard on a woman as a writer. Some of her historical influences were Shakespeare, Milton, Pope, and Dryden. It was not til the 1790's that she began to publish her poems. Alot of odds were stacked against a woman writer in this period of time. Warren was able to give a voice to women's concerns in the post - Revolutionary period. She was able

to show women of this time that a woman could succeed in a man's world. These and more have played an important part in American Literature. The American Dream is still very much alive today. People today just like Columbus back then come to America for the richness of its land, and hopes o prosper from it. With the American Dream comes many resources that are not found in other places. We as citizens still have the three major rights of life, liberty , and the pursuit of happiness thanks to Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. Had these two men not been on the committee that drafted the Declaration of Indepence I would hate to see where America would be. Still today we go by the concept of "all men are created equal and given the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". Without women writers like Mercy Otis Warren giving a voice to women's concerns, we might not have had the chance to read other great women writers. She paved the way for women like Emily Dickinson and Harriet Beecher Stowe. The American Dream will always be a general theme in American Literature.