I am a middle-class Uruguayan who came to the United States in 2008 and am currently living the American Dream as a US citizen. When I came to this country, I saw a country of hope. I saw a country where there were many redemptive arc stories. Many aspirational and success narratives. Many stories of barriers being overcome. Many American Dreams.
But the current vibe tells us that the American Dream is dead. There is less hope and optimism around the American Dream today. There is more pessimism and nihilism—or at least that’s what we hear when critics, media, and politicians repeatedly tell us that the American Dream is dead. At a time when people might think the American Dream is not available to everyone, when people think the American Dream is only imaginary and not attainable, that’s when it’s time to examine, uphold, and promote the reality that the American Dream is alive and well, that people are living the dream every day across America. It is a time to inspire and set the record straight on one of the most amazing national characteristics that organically came into being and which is still seen today in the many spheres of everyday American life. It is time to live the dream and bring other people along for the ride.
The psychological boost that comes from believing in the ethos of the American Dream enables people to be more bold, aspirational, determined, and hard working. The American Dream is the vision statement of America. It continues to be about life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness as set in the Declaration of Independence. As James Truslow Adams once defined it, it is about a land where people live better, richer, and fuller lives regardless of where they started.
This Substack will delve into many aspects of the American Dream, discussing what it is and what it is not, what current attitudes are about the American Dream, highlighting stories of amazing Americans who have achieved the American Dream or are on their way to achieve it, and much more. This Substack is also just me living my own American Dream, trying to rekindle the promise of the American Dream for others, and lift barriers to human flourishing.
If you have your own stories and data points, feel free to reach out and share your insights and comments.
About Gonzalo Schwarz
Gonzalo Schwarz is the President & CEO of the Archbridge Institute. Gonzalo focuses on researching and writing about the American Dream, social mobility, the economics of human flourishing, economic development, and entrepreneurship. Gonzalo has a BA in economics from the Catholic University of Bolivia and an MA in economics from George Mason University.
Growing up around the world in Uruguay, Israel, Ecuador, and Bolivia, he saw firsthand how poverty and socioeconomic challenges affect individuals and societies. This led him to a lifelong curiosity about what leads people to flourish and achieve their fullest potential. In 2016, Gonzalo pursued his own American Dream and founded the Archbridge Institute, an organization dedicated to removing barriers that prevent individuals across the globe from bettering their lives.
Gonzalo has written for media publications such as USA Today, Newsweek, The Hill, Real Clear Politics, the Washington Examiner, and Merion West, among others. He is the author of the Archbridge Institute’s annual American Dream Snapshot and editor of two publications focused on social mobility in Europe and Latin America. Gonzalo has more than a decade of experience working for think tanks and policy organizations.
In his free time, Gonzalo loves to spend time with his family, read, and breathe soccer.
