The American Dream. Even if people disagree over how to define it—freedom, economic prosperity, a fresh start—that phrase resonates powerfully in the American imagination. It has proven so powerful, in fact, that several years ago Chinese leader Xi Jinping began promoting what he called “The Chinese Dream.” In recent years, however, numbers of Americans have come to believe that The American Dream is dead, dying, or beyond reach. This month historian Paul Croce asks us to re-examine The American Dream and to take this opportunity not to mourn but to redefine it.