The image above titled 'Charleston, S.C., general view from St. Michael's Church' reinstates the ideals of the American Dream outlined by Jim Cullen and James Adams.
As Charleston's population increases significantly, it provides a more diverse society. Adams speaks of how the newcomers of America led to 'new interests and wider social opportunities'. These opportunities as such can be viewed clearly in this image due to the multiple establishments throughout the city whether social, educational, political or economical. Further on from this, the establishment of religion stated in the tile and seen in the distance shows unity within the society. The success of Charleston as a community extends the experience that Adams reflects on as to how 'every successive frontier of the many America has known'. Not only can the architectural structure of buildings reflect the successes but also the size as this could symbolise the ideals of success.
As well as this, the enrichment of multiple cultures within society and the outcome of this as seen in the image above correlates with Cullen's view that the American Dream has changed from its original definition and to one more so of that 'businessman cite achieving it as the ultimate goal of their enterprises'. The daring ideals of the American Dream outlined since the Declaration of Independence was formed is argued by Cullen as if America is 'a nation that has recreated' multiple times due to various individuals seeking their own personalised American Dream.
Sources:
Adams, J.T, The Epic of America, (Routledge, 1931) Ch.8
Cullen, J., The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea That Shaped a Nation, (Oxford, University Press, 2003), 3-10.
https://www.loc.gov/resource/det.4a05885/ , 'Charleston, S.C., general view from St. Michael's Church', c.1900, Library of Congress.
*Sorry that I uploaded this post late, I struggled to upload the image correctly.*

No comments:
Post a Comment