The Ideals of the American Dream

The American Dream itself is an ideal scenario of the cultural, economic and political environments. According to the American Dream, one should be able to embrace whichever culture he wants. He should have the freedom to choose the religion and culture he wants to subscribe to.

The economic aspect of the American Dream on the other hand is that one is financially capable with a stable job, without having to worry about his livelihood in the future. It is the complete opposite of what was portrayed by Kit Kittredge's family's plight in the show Kit Kittredge, where her father loses his job and plunges into poverty during the Great Depression.

Politically, I feel that the American Dream is one where anyone has the freedom to express his or her opinions freely, and has a say in who governs the country. This is definitely present in the United States, for the people have a high degree of freedom of speech, and elections are held every four years, with literally anyone being able to run for the office.

I think that these three aspects of the American Dream can be achieved together. Political and cultural freedom both advocate the acceptance of others who have differing opinions as compared to our own, and might even go hand in hand. These two factors are already considerably present in our society today, for most people do have the right to choose their religions, cultures and even political affiliations. The economic aspect of the American Dream, which is financial stability however is harder to attain, for there would always be people who are of lower income, or even unemployed. However, it is still possible for all Americans to have an American Dream, for everyone has their own version - their own expectations - of the dream. It is the government's role to ensure that all or at least the majority of these Dreams are met, or made easier to achieve.

Watts Riots

The Watts Riots indeed changed the way people viewed racial equality in the United States at the time. What some might have been completely oblivious to, it brought to the surface: that there was racial discrimination and suppression of the Blacks all over the country.

From researching for this assignment, I learned of the injustice African Americans had been suffering from, way before the Watts Riots even broke out. These racial discriminations, after being overlooked for so long, finally burst out in the form of the most violent riots Los Angeles had ever seen. Thus, this teaches us of the repercussions of inequality and reminds us to be fair and just

Learning that it was just not a handful of people but a large audience who to

ok away these lessons was comforting. The Watts Summer Games, new scholarships and school programs, and such other changes resulting from the Watts Riots assures us of the public learning the these important lessons.

I feel that even though there is more racial harmony and understanding no

w, it is still important to remind ourselves of the fragility of our differences, and continue to foster relationships among different races. Thus, more activities with this aim, such as the Watts Summer Games should be held.

1965 Watts Riots

The 1965 Watts Riots started on August 11, 1965, when California Highway Patrol officer Lee Minikus pulled over Marquette Frye, a 21-year old African American for suspected drink driving. As the police officers tries to subdue Marquette, the crowd of onlookers grow larger, witnessing this brawl. Ultimately, Marquette, his mother and brother were all arrested and a riot broke out, with the conception that the police officer had arrested Marquette because of his racial bias. From this, five days of riots, the biggest in the history of L.A. broke out, killing 34 people and causing more than $40 million of property damage.

This event is a pivotal point in changing people's perception of different races outside of their own, and starting to think about whether there really is racial equality in their society. This is the beginnings of the uplifting of the minority classes.

In my research, I would be looking for the effects of the Watts Riots;physically and mentally, and the lessons people learned from it and ways they applied those lessons. They would be evidences such as more racial integration and equality, and measures taken to reduce the risks of such disasters happening again, and maybe even the negative effects of the Watts Riot to serve as a counterargument.