American Dreams American Realities - All Lecture Notes PDF

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8/1.) What is this course about? What is an American? Defining the American character: -Carl Friedrich: ”to be an American is an ideal, while to be a Frenchman is a fact” -Robert Reich: (worked under President Bill Clinton) “For we have a national sense of identity rooted not in history, but in self...

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8/28 1.) What is this course about? What is an American? Defining the American character: -Carl Friedrich: ”to be an American is an ideal, while to be a Frenchman is a fact” -Robert Reich: (worked under President Bill Clinton) “For we have a national sense of identity rooted not in history, but in self-told mythology… our myths represent cultural memories and provide a sense of cultural meaning” -Robert Cruden: “American myths are essentially a mix of Christianity, Capitalism, and Democracy, in that order” -Myths act as a cultural glue that binds us together Can this course be offered as anything other than a history course in 50 years? -will these myths still be accepted in 50 years? -will these myths still be accepted when the minorities become the majority? Personal example) Grammy didn’t speak Spanish because she wanted to assimilate 2.) What is history? -***facts and interpretations*** -real stories are passed down, but each passing is affected by perspective and affiliation -interpretations- where you put a story in a newspaper or on the evening news -newspaper headlines- what’s on front page of one paper may be on the last of other -dig deeper, it changes the facts (story about murdered wife buried under dog) “We should not judge people in history based on the light of our time, but rather in terms of the best light of their times” ***All history is contemporary history*** -Benedetto Croce -all history has a present bias -constantly changing based on who’s telling it and bc people are asking different questions -we ask the questions of history that are important to us today -we study what is relevant and meaningful to us today and it reflects the questions that are important “To understand a thing fully is to know its history” -we are our parents If we know the history of a person, we can understand that person Myths -Society reconstructs their paths rather than faithfully recording them

“The novelist is the historian of the present, the historian is the novelist of the past” “The mythology of a nation is the intelligible mass of that enigma called the national character” -Richard Slotkin Jeep Leerssen? - “we know most foreign cultures, and much of our own culture, by reputation only” ***we know most societies by reputation only*** (joke about getting diff countries to go to the lifeboat) B. What is a myth and what is its function? A myth is an idea rooted in the past, interpreted in the present, looking forward, whose multiple functions are to offer hope and to justify the shortcomings of reality (society) Functions: 1- it can organize reality ex.) creation story- (God created earth in six days, Adam and Eve, pre-scientific model) 2- the problem with the myth is that if it is taken literally, it obscures reality ex.) some people still believe creation story, some people believe evolution 3- it can make reality bearable ex.) African American spirituals- helped them get through bondage -it’s mythology that gives you hope -“I’m suffering now, but when I get to heaven” -thought of heaven helps you get through an unpleasant reality C. Relationship between myth and history Nicholas cords and patrick gerster- “myth and history have always enjoyed a close working relationship, myths are the traditional stories a culture tells itself about itself.. Myth and reality are complementary elements of the historical record. The intersection of myth and reality occurs when people base their beliefs on the myths and act as if the myths were true” D. Relationship between myth and our action Encompassing myth→ group psyche → individual psyche→ actions → individual psyche → group psyche → encompassing myth Myths grow out of a need for justification

E. An overview of the myth Many of them are not unique to the united states But when you bring them together, they define the American physique 1- Success - the first, the greatest, the core myth We prefer success over status AND success is a process Myth- Rags to riches- most vivid illustration A land of opportunity, a land of mobility- whether or not you go back to your hometown The idea of the self-made person Counterargument for economic mobility- Only 6% of people in the bottom ⅕ make it to the top ⅕ If you’re born into poverty, you have a 5% chance of getting out of it, but yet the myth is still alive Because just like the lottery, someone wins, that keeps the myth alive, no matter the odds **If you accept the idea of the self-made person- if you don’t make it, then it’s your fault** Paige Smith- “how do we measure success? Americans in the absence of any traditional ways of authenticating themselves and finding themselves in the system, caste, clan, or order, have to depend primarily on money making” **Money making became the validation of personal work very early in our history** “Americans value everything on earth in response to this one sole question- how much money will it bring in” “What is man but a money-making machine” -haunts him “The american dream is a financial one, not an ethical one” We’re talking about the perception of the american dream myth 2- Frontier myth- new beginnings, rebirth, a second chance, unlimited opportunity “Opportunity is a birthright” Immigrants coming to america with desire of a better life “In england I was nobody, here I am somebody” - opportunity to recreate something His advice: 3-get bbq at bullets 9/1 Discussion: Homework- google millennial -Millennial, also known as Generation Y, is a demographic group following as Generation X.

-Millennial is an identity given to a broadly and vaguely defined group of people. There are two wings of "Millennial" that are often at odds with each other: Generation Y (people born between 1981-1991) and Generation Z (born between 1991-2001). -often the children of the Baby Boomers -the generation is generally marked by an increased use and familiarity with communications, media, and digital technologies -in most parts of the world, their upbringing was marked by an increase in a liberal approach to politics and economics What are the characteristics of the millennials? -tech, internet, very different from our parents, 14 yr old ability to hack, social media, ability to communicate with people around the world and get news and seconds -most likely to question structures of american society and authority -people say self-centered :/ “me me me generation” -more civic minded? more empathetic, more willing to listen to other people’s stories, -open-minded, not stuck in our views -this perception that we’re all very shallow, people don’t take us very seriously -shallow vs powerful/intelligent (in tech/social media) -tendency to scapegoat millennials for any social issues -it’s not lazy, it’s just smarter- not wanting to go to applebee’s etc -rejecting American dreams -seen as pessimistic, but maybe just realistic -less attached to traditional views on politics/religion -entitlement -shared economy -big differences between us and people born in 1980 but also from kids younger than us -too big of a group to clump together -everyone has different lives, experiences, perspectives -can’t generalize Do you agree that you belong to the millennials? What do you think of the relationship between the millennials and American dreams? -reject it? -more practical -not accepted the same traditional views -modified it** -we’ve made it more accessible/at a younger age -not necessarily pessimistic, practical, people take that as cynical, but really not stuck in views, allows us to be open-minded -because of that we know that we’ve all had such different experiences especially from people born in 1980 that we can’t just clump us all together

-good motivational, function vs reality 9/4 3. The Agrarian Myth -Garden of Eden, Utopia, lay in the past -Thomas Jefferson- notes on the state of va- those who labor in the earth are the chosen people of god if ever he has a chosen people, whose breasts he had made his peculiar deposit for substantial and genuine virtue -sins of the past, we see the old world as corrupt -America is good and innocent, we’re not held down by sins of the past, we have family values -paints the perfect family- dad and children sitting at table, mom brings in turkey -speeches of vp of usa -independent farmer, individualist -captured in the old testament, must be bad bc it feels so good, preaching about sin- more interesting -it carries with it the idea of insane individualism -the idea of degeneration by violence, if there is an impure element in society ,then you have every right to pluck it out by violence -kkk, charlottesville -when extended, problems- insane individ and degeneration by violence -success myth and frontier myth- perfection/paradise promised in the future -agrarian myth- there was a time of perfection in the past -”make america great again” 4. The Foreign Devil Myth -the core of this myth is we define who we are by defining who we are not, identity by repudiation -first foreign devils- native americans -best selling book in native america- bible -second best selling- captivity narratives -the indians were heathens, if you were captured by them, they might convert you -stockholm syndrome- if you are captured by your enemy, sooner or later you will identify and take on the characteristics of your enemy -defining who we are not is a very powerful element of defining who we are -we declared independence July 2, 1776 -declaration of independence- released on july 4 as a propaganda document to explain to the public -blame it all on king george, “he has conspired with others (parliament) -second foreign devil- King george (the british) -third foreign devil- Roman Catholics- longest, most enduring foreign devil in america -lasted from the founding of the country/the beginning of the republic -roman catholic prejudice died in 1960- JFK

-fourth foreign devils- communists, they are anti-capitalist and anti-christian -who was the foreign devils in the 90s- we couldn’t focus on a single one -foreign devils at 9/11- terrorism, brought us together again -9/11- served as a unifying point 5. City on a Hill Myth -beacon to the world -John Winthrop preaches a sermon about the colony that they’re going to found- we shall be a city on the hill, a beacon to the world -we shall be an example to the world -very quickly it shifts from the exemplary to the missionary -a war to make the world safe for democracy -leads to american exceptionalism- the idea that we are exceptional, that we are different from all other nations in history, we are god chosen people, we are democracy, we are good

**The point is that each new generation in the past has bought into these myths. What about 50 years from now? Where we enter the mythical structure, where we buy into it may depend on where we are from -If you are from the northeast, you are going to buy in at the point of the success myth -If you are from the west, you are going to buy in at the point of the frontier myth -If you are from south, the agrarian myth -The midwest, a combination of the agrarian and frontier myths

How we interpret the myths, depend on our intellectual, political, socio-economical background Depends on where we stand THERE IS NO ONE ANSWER Everyone even politicians buy into these myths but their interpretations differ 9/6 That was the overview of all the myths, now we’re going to go into more detail for each myth 1.) The Success Myth -an article about wheeler jefferson mannis -it says that he is proof that the american dream is a reality -”through dint of innovation and hard work is the essence of what the american dream is” -”anyone can be successful if they really work at for this is the land of opportunity” -”using only the tools of courage, faith and hard honest work” -whoever wrote the article captured the essence of the american dream/success myth -song= “Only In America”

-the success myth stand on a 3 legged stool -protestant hard work, individualism, puritan work ethic -came in the first ships -success over status -rags to riches, idea of opportunity, mobility, the self-made person, etc -class refers to stages and not caste -we ask the question- how real is upward mobility -Were the puritans puritanical? - Carl Degler- “Out of the Past” -to most americans and europeans, the core of is well known witnesim that the puritans not because of the torture of the bear but because of the pleasure of the spectators Puritanism-the haunting fear that someone somewhere might be happy Fundamental- all matters of pleasure, the typical godly puritan was a worker in the world **worker in the **world -rejects ideals of medieval catholicism -pleasure of the body were not to be forsaken -john calvin- calvinism- father of reformed protestantism -”the wine is from god but the drunkard is from the devil” -or you’re going to burn in hell -don’t have excess to pleasure -martin luther- if you dont lover wine woman and song, you’re a fool your whole life long -dancing was okay between sexes as long as it didn’t turn into What did the puritans wear, what kinds of clothes? -very plain - dumb answer Most restrictions on dress were because of class not aesthetic Clothes were sign of classes Medieval renaissance- colorful for upper classes Middle classes- very uncolorful clothes Long hair was acceptable on a high class puritanism But it was sign of vanity on a lower class person -marriage to the puritans was something more than an alternative to burning in hell -paul thought that women were the unclean vessels that tempt men -catholics: -if you can’t help yourself, get married so you don’t burn in hell -abstinence- can’t have sex until marriage -purpose of sex is to reproduce -women- are seen primarily has babymakers -puritans were against these views -women are a necessary good not evil -the use of the marriage bed is founded in man’s nature -they required that married men either leave the settlements or bring their wife over

-they allowed divorces, new england had the easiest divorce laws -deeply concerned about their ultimate salvation and living up to god’s commands -god sent you not into this world as a playhouse but as a workhouse -the puritan at his best was a moral athlete -more than most men, the puritans strove with himself and his fellow man to attain a moral standard higher than to be expected from such a creature -puritans were all linked by their belief in themselves, their morality, and their mission in the world -more concerned about salvation than any mundane matter, the puritan was compelled to be a fearless individual -americans today- it is the puritan heritage that we must look at as one of the principle influences -one of two white americans is calvinist of some nature -the relationship between work and wealth -the article talked about hard work and virtue, didn’t say anything about god -the virtue of work and wealth has remained in america -paradigm shifts -blessed are the rich bc they’ve worked hard -people are poor because they have no character and haven’t worked hard 9/11 The Success Myth- the basic myth There are two themes that underlie the success myth 1- puritanism 2- social darwinism Puritanism- came from the thought of john calvin Social darwinism- came from charles darwin Calvin- “God is absolutely sovereign” Developed a theology called tulip theology -the puritans believed T- total depravity- there is no good in human beings, they are all sinners, they are fundamentally bad, sin= selfishness, **everything we do is selfish, has a tinge of sin, is totally deprived “As happy as a martyr when the fire doesn’t light” U- unconditional election- you’re elected to salvation L- limited atonement At one ment- jesus made a sacrifice on the cross, so all our sins could be forgiven John calvin doesn’t think that it’s for everybody It’s limited to those he has chosen Before all time was created, you were elected or not

If god elects you, you cannot decline Connect 1-all of this throughout is gods action 2-yes you will persist in good works, but you are still totally depraved, you are still human, still sinner They lived in a vast virgin continent but couldn’t do anything People will soon revolt against this idea **Jonathan edwards- sinners in the hands of an angry god** Holds you like a spider, cast you into the fire, etc Then life is getting better, people are drifting away from this idea and religion Bc religion says you can’t do anything Great Awakening- 1720-1740 first american revival During exam time, note how many people go to church Philosophical ideas coming from europe- the Enlightenment, humanism, science, logic We don’t need divine revelation, all we need is logic This is the dismal case for everyone who hasn’t been born again You can’t do anything about your salvation John Calvin- took salvation out of the hands of god and put it in the hands of the individual 2nd big twist in puritanism- ^ 1st big twist- blessed are the poor -> those who have done well are favored by god (blessed are the rich) WE BELIEVE - puritans - significant shift Connect individualism and salvation now being an individual matter I- irresistible grace- can’t deny god’s will P-perseverance of the saint- will persevere in good works once chosen

Social DarwinismPreviously- Genesis Creation Story- beginning of man Then Charles Darwin writes Descent of Man and claims there’s an evolutionary process Things evolve from the lower orders to the higher orders In Descent of Man- specifically talks about a species evolving from a lower order into human beings Survival of the fittest- A struggle of existence resulting with the survival of the fittest There’s a discontinuity between man and God Key pt- It changes the order of nature from harmony to struggle- constant change, adaptation Then darwinism moves from the scientific, biological, natural world into social science world

Herbert Spencer- took biological principles and applied them to society, connected darwinism to society -part of the philosophy of the success myth was conveyed by herbert spencer→ start generic then get specific Bridge between science and social science Natural selection, survival of the fittest He adds something very significant to darwinism, **evolution equals progress** “Man in society is perfectible- should be able to do as he pleases and be protected to reach perfection- if evolution is inevitable, the govt should not intervene, the state should function only to protect each individual while they work out their own destiny, let the weak die out, ,don’t have income tax, sanitation laws, let wealth and big business rule, for accumulate wealth is the best evidence of fitness to rule” John Fiske- taught at harvard, “all science adds up to progress, but behind it all is a mastermind of benevolent god” - He imported god into this whole situation William Graham Sumner- professor at Yale -He believed in laissez faire- let it alone, don’t intervene -Saw two problems in govt intervention 1- some self seeking groups will try to control the govt for their own interest 2-some people who had diluted ideas might try to take over the govt Wrote in 1960 the book Folkways Certain unfit groups would try to use the govt to make up their deficiencies The govt should only guarantee the liberty of individuals Book- What the social classes owe each other- Nothing Conservative darwinism Competition promotes progress Sumner represents a synthesis of 1) protestant ethnic, 2) classical economics- invisible hand moving in the market, and 3) darwin’s natural selection

9/13 TA Day?? Anderson: -bible stories -story of city that gets destroyed -Velarde starts whipping a guy -sante fe new mexico 1731 -testimony -notion of indians as uncivilized

-trial goes on for a month -trial goes from local judge to a governor -governor orders four month exile to separate the two guys -went to different towns (pueblos) -tower of babel -everyone speaks different languages bc people were so ignorant -exile protects people from doing their sins and protects the town from crime -public and private does not exist*** -it’s important for everyone to know what you’re doing in private bc the whole city is affected -if you’re sinning, the whole city is damned -Catholicism tells people when to eat, what to eat, who to marry -Birth, baptism, and to ...