Importance of The "Dream"

The "Dream" is the author's shorthand version of the catchphrase "The American Dream", itself a paraphrased version of sentiments first expressed in the American Declaration of Independence - specifically, the right of every individual to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". Over time, and with the growth of what the author (and others) describe as American Exceptionalism (i.e. the belief that America and Americans are fundamentally different - read: superior - to other countries and societies), that phrase has come to be associated with success and high status - financial, military, and/or cultural. The author contends, throughout the narrative, that the "Dream" applies only, or is believed to apply only, to whites or those who believe themselves to be white in terms of being able to function within the parameters of the above definitions of success