An eagle soars high, free from the chains of Earth and its restrictions. This eagle is the United States of America, the most powerful nation in the world. The American dream is to get something for nothing. Founded by a small colony of Puritans seeking religious freedom in 1620, the United States has become a beacon of opportunity, where trash becomes treasure and anyone can become anything. However, I digress. Rather, I would argue that the American dream is about nurturing and earning something from nothing. Through personal trials and the wisdom of history, America speaks for itself when it shows that effort and action are rewarded far more than hopes, wishes, and stagnant torpor. I am a first generation American. Coming from two different countries, my Chinese parents made a living here in the United States. Through hard work and determination, my grandparents came here in the 1970s, bringing my future teenage parents to the land of opportunity for a better education and a better life. Their years of toil on foreign soil paid off when my parents graduated....