• Why do people follow the "American Dream"?
  • anonym
  • 02.09.2025
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Be­fo­re re­a­ding: The US is often re­fer­red to as pro­mi­sed land. Re­se­arch, what the term means and where it comes from.
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Read the text and dis­cuss with your part­ner what re­a­sons for im­mi­gra­ti­on you find most con­vin­cing. Crea­te a top three ran­king.
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Cur­rent­ly, there are also many people mi­gra­ting to Eu­ro­pe in se­arch for safe­ty and op­por­tu­ni­ty but people ra­re­ly talk about the con­cept of the Eu­rope­an Dream. Why is that the case? Dis­cuss with your part­ner and write a short ex­pla­na­ti­on in­clu­ding at least three ar­gu­ments. If you strugg­le fin­ding re­a­sons, think back on what you lear­ned in class about the Ame­ri­can Dream and Ame­ri­can his­to­ry, have ano­ther look at re­a­son 1 from the text or do more re­se­arch on the terms of pro­mi­sed land and Ame­ri­can ex­cep­ti­o­na­lism.

8 Re­a­sons Why People Im­mi­gra­te To The United Sta­tes

[...] 8. Hig­her Stan­dard of Li­ving

The United Sta­tes is often por­t­ray­ed as the “pro­mi­sed land” where people can seek out a hig­her stan­dard of li­ving. This en­com­pas­ses all aspects of life, many of which will be ex­plo­red in fur­ther de­tail below. In short, it im­plies bet­ter op­por­tu­nities in terms of edu­ca­ti­on and jobs, al­lo­wing in­di­vi­du­als to be­co­me con­tri­bu­ting mem­bers of so­cie­ty. It can also in­clu­de the pos­si­bi­li­ty of health care or ha­ving ac­cess to ever­y­day neces­si­ties not availa­ble el­se­whe­re.

7. Edu­ca­ti­on

In 2015, 28 per­cent of visas were gran­ted for the pur­po­ses of school. For many fa­mi­lies, the United Sta­tes of­fers pa­rents an op­por­tu­ni­ty to give their child­ren a bet­ter edu­ca­ti­on. School is where they are the most im­mer­sed in Ame­ri­can so­cie­ty; pro­per sup­port could bring them suc­cess and with it, ple­nty of op­ti­ons for the fu­ture. Older stu­dents might im­mi­gra­te to en­roll in pro­grams that might not be availa­ble in their na­ti­ve home­lands. The lure of Ame­ri­ca’s pres­ti­gious uni­ver­si­ties and col­le­ges might cer­tain­ly play a role in their choice of school as well.  

6. Job Op­por­tu­nities

Along with edu­ca­ti­on, many people im­mi­gra­te to the United Sta­tes see­king bet­ter job op­por­tu­nities. In 2015, ap­pro­xi­ma­te­ly 33 per­cent of visas were gran­ted to people loo­king for work. So­me­times they come ha­ving al­re­a­dy been of­fe­red a job, while others come ho­ping to acqui­re one. Trends in­di­ca­te that many im­mi­grants move to areas where wages are hig­her and there are more jobs availa­ble. For ex­amp­le, be­fo­re the 2009 re­ces­si­on, many people from Me­xi­co came in se­arch of work in the agri­cul­tu­ral in­dus­try be­cau­se the pro­mi­se of eco­no­mic pro­spe­ri­ty was gre­a­ter. And de­spi­te the myth that im­mi­grants take jobs away from “born-​and-​bred” Ame­ri­cans, scho­lars ty­pi­cal­ly agree that im­mi­gra­ti­on has a po­si­ti­ve im­pact on the labor mar­ket.

5. Re­uni­fi­ca­ti­on

As its name im­plies, re­uni­fi­ca­ti­on is when people are reu­ni­ted with a fa­mi­ly mem­ber who al­re­a­dy lives in ano­ther coun­try. Ever since the laws were amen­ded in 1968, re­uni­fi­ca­ti­on has be­co­me the most com­mon re­a­son for im­mi­gra­ting to Ame­ri­ca. A US ci­ti­zen or per­ma­nent re­si­dent can spon­sor their pa­rent, spou­se, or child. The ori­gi­nal fa­mi­ly mem­ber can be li­ving in the United Sta­tes for any num­ber of re­a­sons, in­clu­ding work or even as a re­fu­gee. Re­cent­ly, howe­ver, the pre­si­dent has been at­temp­ting to re­form the po­li­cy by cut­ting family-​based im­mi­gra­ti­on, ul­ti­ma­te­ly rest­ric­ting the mo­vement of for­eign fa­mi­lies.  







8 Re­a­sons Why People Im­mi­gra­te To The United Sta­tes

[...] 8. Hig­her Stan­dard of Li­ving

The United Sta­tes is often por­t­ray­ed as the “pro­mi­sed land” where people can seek out a hig­her stan­dard of li­ving. This en­com­pas­ses all aspects of life, many of which will be ex­plo­red in fur­ther de­tail below. In short, it im­plies bet­ter op­por­tu­nities in terms of edu­ca­ti­on and jobs, al­lo­wing in­di­vi­du­als to be­co­me con­tri­bu­ting mem­bers of so­cie­ty. It can also in­clu­de the pos­si­bi­li­ty of health care or ha­ving ac­cess to ever­y­day neces­si­ties not availa­ble el­se­whe­re.

7. Edu­ca­ti­on

In 2015, 28 per­cent of visas were gran­ted for the pur­po­ses of school. For many fa­mi­lies, the United Sta­tes of­fers pa­rents an op­por­tu­ni­ty to give their child­ren a bet­ter edu­ca­ti­on. School is where they are the most im­mer­sed in Ame­ri­can so­cie­ty; pro­per sup­port could bring them suc­cess and with it, ple­nty of op­ti­ons for the fu­ture. Older stu­dents might im­mi­gra­te to en­roll in pro­grams that might not be availa­ble in their na­ti­ve home­lands. The lure of Ame­ri­ca’s pres­ti­gious uni­ver­si­ties and col­le­ges might cer­tain­ly play a role in their choice of school as well.  

6. Job Op­por­tu­nities

Along with edu­ca­ti­on, many people im­mi­gra­te to the United Sta­tes see­king bet­ter job op­por­tu­nities. In 2015, ap­pro­xi­ma­te­ly 33 per­cent of visas were gran­ted to people loo­king for work. So­me­times they come ha­ving al­re­a­dy been of­fe­red a job, while others come ho­ping to acqui­re one. Trends in­di­ca­te that many im­mi­grants move to areas where wages are hig­her and there are more jobs availa­ble. For ex­amp­le, be­fo­re the 2009 re­ces­si­on, many people from Me­xi­co came in se­arch of work in the agri­cul­tu­ral in­dus­try be­cau­se the pro­mi­se of eco­no­mic pro­spe­ri­ty was gre­a­ter. And de­spi­te the myth that im­mi­grants take jobs away from “born-​and-​bred” Ame­ri­cans, scho­lars ty­pi­cal­ly agree that im­mi­gra­ti­on has a po­si­ti­ve im­pact on the labor mar­ket.

5. Re­uni­fi­ca­ti­on

As its name im­plies, re­uni­fi­ca­ti­on is when people are reu­ni­ted with a fa­mi­ly mem­ber who al­re­a­dy lives in ano­ther coun­try. Ever since the laws were amen­ded in 1968, re­uni­fi­ca­ti­on has be­co­me the most com­mon re­a­son for im­mi­gra­ting to Ame­ri­ca. A US ci­ti­zen or per­ma­nent re­si­dent can spon­sor their pa­rent, spou­se, or child. The ori­gi­nal fa­mi­ly mem­ber can be li­ving in the United Sta­tes for any num­ber of re­a­sons, in­clu­ding work or even as a re­fu­gee. Re­cent­ly, howe­ver, the pre­si­dent has been at­temp­ting to re­form the po­li­cy by cut­ting family-​based im­mi­gra­ti­on, ul­ti­ma­te­ly rest­ric­ting the mo­vement of for­eign fa­mi­lies.  







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4. Mar­ri­a­ge

When two people who live in dif­fe­rent coun­t­ries want to get mar­ri­ed, one usu­al­ly moves to the other per­son’s home­land. This has be­co­me a com­mon re­a­son for im­mi­gra­ti­on with the in­crease of on­line and long-​distance da­ting. In the United Sta­tes, the couple can apply for the K-1 visa which al­lo­ws the fiancé to enter the coun­try as long as they marry within ni­ne­ty days. At that point, the non-​US ci­ti­zen can apply for per­ma­nent re­si­den­cy. It is such a com­mon me­thod of im­mi­gra­ti­on, that cer­tain people will go this route as an easy way around the sys­tem; howe­ver, mar­ri­a­ges pu­re­ly to ob­tain a green card is con­side­red fraud and can lead to five years in pri­son and in­clu­de a $250,000 fine.  

3. Per­se­cu­ti­on and Vi­o­lence

Cur­rent events such as the Black Lives Mat­ter mo­vement is shed­ding light on the discri­mi­na­ti­on cer­tain de­mo­gra­phics face within the United Sta­tes. Re­gard­less, Ame­ri­ca is often view­ed as a safe haven by non-​US ci­ti­zens en­du­ring eth­nic, ra­cial, and re­li­gious per­se­cu­ti­on. In­di­vi­du­als and fa­mi­lies see­king asylum from vi­o­lence and war usu­al­ly im­mi­gra­te to the United Sta­tes in se­arch of safe­ty and sta­bi­li­ty. If they live in con­flict zones, they may be able to ob­tain a re­fu­gee sta­tus as long as they meet the de­fi­ni­ti­on and are of hu­ma­ni­ta­ri­an con­cern to the US go­vern­ment.  

2. Po­li­tics

Of­ten­ti­mes, such per­se­cu­ti­on and vi­o­lence is a di­rect con­se­quence of the po­li­ti­cal sys­tem that go­verns an im­mi­grant’s coun­try of ori­gin. Many of these sys­tems are to­ta­li­ta­ri­an re­gimes that re­fu­se to lis­ten to the voices of the com­mon people when it comes to mat­ters that con­cern the na­ti­on and their well­b­e­ing. As a de­mo­cra­cy, the United Sta­tes of­fers im­mi­grants a chan­ce for their voices to be heard. Of cour­se, it does not al­ways work out the way we in­tend, but the abi­li­ty to vote is a right and pri­vi­le­ge not given to many people around the world.

1. And Last­ly… Be­cau­se It Is Ame­ri­ca

This last re­a­son might be a litt­le bit of a cheat, but there is no deny­ing the im­pact the image of Ame­ri­ca has on people all over the world. Fu­e­led by po­pu­lar cul­tu­re old and new, many in­di­vi­du­als and fa­mi­lies are taken in by the very idea of the United Sta­tes. Who would not be mes­me­ri­zed by the glitz and glam of Hol­ly­wood, or the hustle-​bustle of mid­town Man­hat­tan? From sports to TV and ever­y­thing in bet­ween, Ame­ri­ca’s in­flu­ence ex­tends ever­y­whe­re, pro­vi­ding an en­ti­cing image for those in­te­res­ted in emi­gra­ting.



(source: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/8-reasons-why-people-immigrate-to-the-united-states.html, words: 813)

4. Mar­ri­a­ge

When two people who live in dif­fe­rent coun­t­ries want to get mar­ri­ed, one usu­al­ly moves to the other per­son’s home­land. This has be­co­me a com­mon re­a­son for im­mi­gra­ti­on with the in­crease of on­line and long-​distance da­ting. In the United Sta­tes, the couple can apply for the K-1 visa which al­lo­ws the fiancé to enter the coun­try as long as they marry within ni­ne­ty days. At that point, the non-​US ci­ti­zen can apply for per­ma­nent re­si­den­cy. It is such a com­mon me­thod of im­mi­gra­ti­on, that cer­tain people will go this route as an easy way around the sys­tem; howe­ver, mar­ri­a­ges pu­re­ly to ob­tain a green card is con­side­red fraud and can lead to five years in pri­son and in­clu­de a $250,000 fine.  

3. Per­se­cu­ti­on and Vi­o­lence

Cur­rent events such as the Black Lives Mat­ter mo­vement is shed­ding light on the discri­mi­na­ti­on cer­tain de­mo­gra­phics face within the United Sta­tes. Re­gard­less, Ame­ri­ca is often view­ed as a safe haven by non-​US ci­ti­zens en­du­ring eth­nic, ra­cial, and re­li­gious per­se­cu­ti­on. In­di­vi­du­als and fa­mi­lies see­king asylum from vi­o­lence and war usu­al­ly im­mi­gra­te to the United Sta­tes in se­arch of safe­ty and sta­bi­li­ty. If they live in con­flict zones, they may be able to ob­tain a re­fu­gee sta­tus as long as they meet the de­fi­ni­ti­on and are of hu­ma­ni­ta­ri­an con­cern to the US go­vern­ment.  

2. Po­li­tics

Of­ten­ti­mes, such per­se­cu­ti­on and vi­o­lence is a di­rect con­se­quence of the po­li­ti­cal sys­tem that go­verns an im­mi­grant’s coun­try of ori­gin. Many of these sys­tems are to­ta­li­ta­ri­an re­gimes that re­fu­se to lis­ten to the voices of the com­mon people when it comes to mat­ters that con­cern the na­ti­on and their well­b­e­ing. As a de­mo­cra­cy, the United Sta­tes of­fers im­mi­grants a chan­ce for their voices to be heard. Of cour­se, it does not al­ways work out the way we in­tend, but the abi­li­ty to vote is a right and pri­vi­le­ge not given to many people around the world.

1. And Last­ly… Be­cau­se It Is Ame­ri­ca

This last re­a­son might be a litt­le bit of a cheat, but there is no deny­ing the im­pact the image of Ame­ri­ca has on people all over the world. Fu­e­led by po­pu­lar cul­tu­re old and new, many in­di­vi­du­als and fa­mi­lies are taken in by the very idea of the United Sta­tes. Who would not be mes­me­ri­zed by the glitz and glam of Hol­ly­wood, or the hustle-​bustle of mid­town Man­hat­tan? From sports to TV and ever­y­thing in bet­ween, Ame­ri­ca’s in­flu­ence ex­tends ever­y­whe­re, pro­vi­ding an en­ti­cing image for those in­te­res­ted in emi­gra­ting.



(source: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/8-reasons-why-people-immigrate-to-the-united-states.html, words: 813)

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