The American Myth of Success: From Horatio Alger to Norman Vincent Peale

Tradition has it that every American child receives, as part of his birthright, the freedom to mold his own life… . However inaccurate as a description of American society, the success myth reflects what millions believe that society is or ought to be. The degree to which opportunity has or has not been available in our society is a subject for empirical investigation. It rests within the realm of verifiable fact. The belief that opportunity exists for all is a subject for intellectual analysis and rests within the realm of ideology. This latter dimension of the success myth is the primary focus of this book.