Letters From an American Farmer – wkst

Answer each question with a complete sentence. Incorporate the question as part of your answer.

1. What is the American Dream? (your opinion)

2. Do people come to the U.S. for the same reasons now as then?

3. Is the American Dream for some an American Nightmare for others?

4. Is the American Dream a possibility for everyone at the same time?

5. To what does Crevecoeur compare impoverished Europeans before their emigration to America?

6. What are the sources of the “invisible power” responsible for transforming humble European peasants into esteemed American citizens?

7. To what theme does Crevecoeur return again and again when describing life in America?

8. Summarize Crevecoeur’s definition of an American.

9. Crevecoeur implies that self-interest is a valuable quality because it motivates people to work harder. Is this a desirable quality?

10. Self-interest sounds much like Thoreau’s idea of “no government.” What are the similarities between the ideas of Crevecoeur and Thoreau?