Evening Lecture Series: The American Dream

Speaker: David Scudder

The American Dream, in the words of historian James Truslow Adams, is a dream “of a better, richer and happier life for all citizens of every rank.” He regarded it as “the greatest contribution we have as yet made to the thought and welfare of the world.” While the American Dream has been with us since the earliest white European settlers arrived here in the 17th century, what does the term mean? What have been its components and how have they affected America over the succeeding 300 or more years? David Scudder will describe the tensions between differing versions and visions of the American Dream, examine its successes and more recent attempts to reverse the progress.

Members: Free | Non-members: $10