It was born with the first words of the Declaration of Independence. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by God, Creator, with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." These words have been lifted to colossal proportions and have founded the American Dream.
             This dream began with, "all men are created equal." These words do not discriminate. It does not say "some men," it says "all men." It doesn't say "all white men," it says "all men." Then this dream goes on to say another thing that distinguishes our nation and our form of government from any other in the world. It says that all men have certain basic human rights that cannot be compromised. They are rights that every man has and that no other man can take away.
             Since the founding fathers of our nation dreamed this dream, America has been divided. America has proudly professed the great principles of democracy to the world but it has sadly practiced the very opposite of those principles for centuries. The American Dream continues despite this because of America's ability to change. Never in the history of the world have so many racial groups and so many national backgrounds assembled together in one nation. America was created with a dream and that dream, the American Dream, is the mold that has helped shape this nation and its people.
             The American Dream has been a topic of writers since it was first dreamt. A place where anyone can become anything they want sounds almost too good to be true. So is it? In the myth of Ragged Dick, by Horatio Alger, the dream exists. Dick's dreams are fulfilled because of his kindness, hard work, and determination. In Looking for Work, by Gary Soto, Soto tells us his story from his perspective as an adult looking back at his childhood se...