Working for the American Dream

                 Have you worked with family, friends or neighbors for a common goal?  Americans in the 1800s worked together to make their dreams of freedom and equality succeed.
                 By the 1820s, Americans had defeated the powerful British empire in two wars.  They were just beginning to realize how rich in resources their new country was.  Everything seemed possible.
                 They believed it was their duty to work for the American dream.  Art and invention blossomed.  Even the terrible things, such as the Civil War, came about because people believed in the right to be free.
                 To learn more about this can-do spirit, The newspaper talked with the curator, or person in charge, of a new exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, "The Great American Hall of Wonders."  It will be at this museum in Washington, D.C., until Jan. 8, 2012.
Working for democracy
                 People in the United States believed knowledge was the key to keeping democracy strong.  Most people could read.  This was very unusual.  In the rest of the world, few people could read.
                 Americans threw themselves into learning ----- reading and going to classes and lectures.  They also made their own discoveries, art and inventions.
Exciting Ideas
                 In the 1800s, American imagination was sparked by six big things.  Three of these stirred up people's belief that America's natural resources were nearly without end.  These were:

• the buffalo
• Niagara Falls
• the giant sequoia (si-KWO-uh) tree

                Three other objects fired up Americans' belief that technology would help people succeed and find happiness.  These were:

• the clock
• the gun
• the railroad