Opinion

LIZ PEEK: The left says the American Dream is dead, but millions prove otherwise

Only 46% of Americans now believe everyone can achieve the American Dream, down from 51% in just 2024

By Liz Peek Fox News

Published June 23, 2026 5:00am EDT

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On July 4th, Americans will celebrate the 250th birthday of our great nation. For two-and-a-half centuries, the United States has been a beacon to people everywhere seeking freedom – of religion, speech, assembly and others enumerated in the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to our Constitution.

The allure of America, and those promised rights, has never faded. Our country attracts millions of people each year who hope to live under that umbrella of freedom, and who want a shot at the American Dream.

What is the American Dream? The term was first coined in 1931 by historian James Truslow Adams, who wrote in his book "The Epic of America" about a society in which each person, no matter their parentage or origin, is free to pursue their dreams and ambitions, bound only by their own capabilities. That promise, articulated at the height of the Great Depression, when faith in the country was at rock bottom, was as true and uplifting then as it is now.

I have met hundreds of people who embody that promise: a cab driver from Egypt who arrived penniless in our country but whose son is getting a master’s degree in engineering, or our doorman from China who barely speaks English but whose daughter just became a doctor. I’ve talked to new immigrants from Cuba and Yemen and other repressive nations who delight in their newfound freedom and who cannot understand how so many Americans don’t value the........

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