Chasing the American Dream

Kairo Tudara-Pimentel Professor Flewelling English 116 6 November 2018 Research Paper A fundamental idea of the what a proper America would be where the American Dream could thrive is “An America where every person, no matter their race, their disability or their sexual orientation realizes the full promise of equality… ” (Bernie Sanders). Americans typically do not understand how challenging it is to move up in the world. There are numerous factors that make it exceedingly difficult to achieve the American Dream which include, the lack of benefits , a lack of jobs but most of all a lack of equality, especially for those of color This in fact drastically changes the meaning of that dream for people of color .

Throughout this paper I will focus primarily on immigrant children seeking an education and elaborate how this prevents them from achieving the American Dream as well as the challenges faced by today’s teachers and children in granting these children a fair education . Although one fourth of children in the US are immigrants or are U.S born child with immigrants parents , many schools are unequipped to meet these children’s academic needs. Immigrant youth commonly have to learn two languages, an incredible asset, but one that a majority of schools have not yet begun to support effectively.

Using different forms of communication in the classroom, along with supporting native language development, takes a great deal of pateince practice and skill .Also the demands of standardized testing typically forces schools instead to emphasize learning in English, thus neglecting the invaluable asset of children’s native languages. More than 1 million children today are affected by their undocumented status, which is about 1/3 of all immigrant youth. And those with an undocumented parent amounts to another 4.5 million U.S.-born youth. These children face obstacles because of their parents undocumented status, often related fears of being deported and poverty , and more, while the undocumented children themselves face increasing struggles with social mobility as they enter adolescence and hope to obtain equal work and education opportunities.

Even when children themselves are not aware of their families legal status, being the child of an undocumented parent or even an undocumented child negatively impacts a child’s development because the way the US society fails to adhere to their needs.. Hanson, Sandra L., and John Kenneth White. The American Dream in the 21st Century. Temple University Press, 2011. Concise summary: In the reading “The making and persistence of the American Dream” by John Kenneth and Sandra Hanson, The American Dream is explained as being a long and dominant theme in U.S.and especially within its culture, one with enduring significance. Unfortunately these are difficult times for those chasing the American Dream .

The editors of and contributors to The American Dream in the 21st Century examine the American Dream socially , historically, and economically and also consider its connection with religion ,politics, race, generation and gender. The conclusions presented in this short, reading provide both optimism for the faith that most Americans have in the possibility of achieving the American Dream and a realistic view of the faults and cracks in the dream. The last presidential election offered hope, but the experts Hanson and White warn about the need for better programs and policies that would make the dream more achievable for all or at least most Americans. How this source provides a greater understanding: This source is useful for my research paper because it shows the centrality and common core values of the American Dream.

This will help me explain to my audience what the American Dream should consist of and evaluate the problems within it. This source also has many quotes I plan on implementing in my paper as well many statistics and facts that will help bring credibility and further support my argument. Authority: John Kenneth White is a graduate of The University of Connecticut , he is now a professor of politics. He has taught at University since 1988. Professor and is an author of several books on political parties and the American Presidency. Sandra L. Hanson is a professor of Sociology and Research Associate at the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies at the Catholic University of America. She is also an author of several books on regarding politics.

Currency: the book was written in 2011. Although it is not recent it is still relevant. Scope: This article covers the policies/views that should be accepted in order to make the American Dream more achievable which include giving everyone a fair chance to reach his or her full potential, despite what one looks like or where they live. They also claim that basic tools and resources to provide for ourselves and our families should be provided. The article also provides statistics and polls regarding people beliefs about the American dream. Objectivity: This article does not seem very objective Accuracy: this article seems very data driven because of the many uses of statistics and quotes , however the statistics are primarily polls which are opinion based .

This article seems reliable because it shares common claims with other reliable articles such as “Rethinking the American Dream” Credibility: The credibility of this article is primarily based on who it was published by and the many factual quotes and statistics they provide. Dreamers pathway for social change in the U.S. The article focuses on their social status and the challenges facing them to explain the possible scenarios for a movement that has politicized a large number of young U.S. Americans. How it provides greater understanding: By reflecting on the politicization of undocumented youth and the analysis of minority association especially, Dreamers’ opportunities and challenges they face it shows centrality between the American value of education and the struggles of attaining such education as an undocumented youth.

Authority : Latino Outreach Strategist for the Southwestern Region Estefania Cruz rose to prominence after she joined Bernie Sanders camp of dreamers and she has used her platform to affect Hillary Clinton’s position on immigration and bringing awareness to the issue . Currency: this article was written 16 February 2018, so it is still very valid and relevant Scope: This article covers the policies/views that should be accepted in order to make an education for immigrants more attainable. The emerging field of immigrant and their characteristics, demands and general organization of the dreamers movement is highlighted throughout the article. Objectivity: This article seems subjective in the sense that it primarily focuses on the perspective of a immigrant and Dreamers.

Accuracy: Credibility: The credibility of this article is primarily based on who it was published, and the author Estefania cruz is fairly credible due to her status as press secretary for Hispanic media./Latino Outreach Strategist for the Southwestern Region Elis, Mark. “State-Scale Immigration Enforcement and Latino Interstate Migration in the United States.”Concise summary:Legislation that made work and education difficult for unauthorized immigrants within their jurisdictions are highlighted throughout the article. This article also investigates how these devolved immigration enforcement laws affected the migration of Latinos to the states. How it provides greater understanding: Fear of discrimination as well as hostile policies towards immigrants has caused dreamers to be stripped of a equal opportunity and education.

Throughout the article it is elaborated what policies came about that greatly affected the immigrant undergraduates in their path to and equal education and opportunity . This correlates with one of my main points that an access to fair education is linked to one of the many core values of the American Dream. Authority: Mark Ellis is a Professor in the Department of Geography and Director of the Northwest Federal Statistical Research Data Center at the University of Washington, Seattle Currency: Published in 2016 this article is fairly relevant as it shares many of the issues revolving around immigrants and education that are still affecting them to this day. Scope :By drawing parallels between the immigration and education ,the underlined issue of children facing barriers is highlighted.

Because of their undocumented status, because of poverty, fears of deportation, and more, undocumented youth are faced with increasing barriers to social mobility as they enter adolescence and hope to find work education and an equal opportunity. Objectivity: Although this article does view the issue from more than one perspective thea article itself seems to lean towards a more subjective viewpoint Credibility : Being an scholar of research and teaching that focus concise summary: This essay argues that restoring the paths to legalization that once were laws, is the only realistic way forward to restore common sense to immigration law.

Thus essay also explains that this choice will stop excessive, wasteful, and expensive enforcement measures and invest in people who are making current and future contributions to families. How this provides greater understanding: This essay provides some solutions which I can suggest in my research paper. These include restoring needed paths to legalization, which benefit immigrant communities, the citizen family members and the U.S. economy as a whole. Authority: Assistant Professor at Boston College Law School Currency: This essay was written and published this year so it is still relevant Scope: This article covers developing legal solutions, examines the operation of existing immigration laws and call to restore needed paths to legalization.

Objectivity: This essay covers both perspectives of the issue from solutions to the possible consequences of the solution and is therefore objective. Accuracy: Credibility: According to Boston College Kari Hong is an expert in immigration, criminal, LGBTI issues, and immigration consequences of criminal convictions Massey, D S, et al. “Border Enforcement and Return Migration by Documented and Undocumented Mexicans.” Concise summary: This essay uses data to discuss the probabilities of departure and return for documented and undocumented people. According to this article migration is characterized by great circularity, but since the trump administration the circularity has declined markedly for undocumented migrants but increased dramatically for documented migrants.

How this provides greater understanding: This essay provides many statistical facts regarding the migration of immigrants that will help support and strengthen my research paper. For a long time, migration from Mexico to the United States has been largely driven by low-skilled, unauthorized workers seeking economic opportunity. However, in recent years, migration patterns have changed due to factors including immigrants seeking education. Authority: All authors are Princeton University graduates Currency: This article was published in 2015 , although almost 4 years old still holds relevance although the data may have changed in the past years. Scope: Despite long history of immigration, the United States has perceived immigration as a valuable resource and as a major challenge, the article draws on resources from the Migration Policy Institute (MPI);

The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2016 American Community Survey (ACS), 2017 Current Population Survey (CPS), and 2000 decennial census Objectivity: This article is very data driven and is therefore pretty objective Credibility: The credibility of this article is primarily based on who it was published, and the author is fairly credible due to their status as professor immigrant migration specialist at Harvard university Garnham, Juan Pablo. “Among the Children of Immigrants, an Educational Crisis.” Concise summary: This article covers how students are experiencing anxiety related to their immigration status Some students have already had parents deported; others have seen friends and their families targeted with arrest and detainment.

How this provides greater understanding: This article provides evidence that undocumented children seeking education face many obstacles and further supports my claim that the challenges facing them is detering them from achieving the American Dream. Authority: Juan Pablo Garnham is senior producer and editor of CityLab Latino Currency: The article is published March 1, 2018 so it is still very relevant Scope: This article shines light on not only the struggles for immigrant children seeking an education but the struggles for teachers parents and others seeking to grant these children a fair and equal education . Objectivity: This article primarily focuses on the perspective of undocumented children so it is therefore very subjective Credibility: Juan Pablo Garnham has worked for El Diario and NY1 Noticias, in New York. In his home country of Chile, he worked as a reporter for Qué Pasa magazine and El Mercurio newspaper.

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