Title: A Better Life | American RadioWorks
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Content: How did we come to define it? And is it changing? The American dream has roots in the nation's loftiest ideals - the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. So when did it also come to mean a house, a car and a college education? There are many facets to the American dream, including a strong belief in freedom, and a powerful desire to consume. An historian first coined the phrase "American dream" in 1931. He said it meant more than having "motor cars and high wages." But for many Americans, that's exactly what it was. The seeds for America's consumer expectations were planted during a time of widespread scarcity: the Great Depression.