BROOKLYN — Historian James Truslow Adams published his book 'The Epic of America' in 1931, introducing the concept of the American Dream. In the text, Adams defined the dream as "that American dream of a better, richer, and happier life for all our citizens of every rank." He further described it as "a dream of a social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position." Adams also wrote that "the great business leaders are likely to lead us astray rather than to guide us." He recounted an observation from a Frenchman visiting New York City who expressed astonishment at "the way that everyone of every sort looks you right in the eye, without a thought of inequality."

Adams was born in Brooklyn in 1878 to a father who was a Wall Street broker. Adams learned bookkeeping and typing before joining a brokerage house, but he left Wall Street at the age of thirty-five to pursue history. In 1922, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for 'The Founding of New England,' the first book in his three-volume account of the New England region. 'The Epic of America' became a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, sold half a million copies, and was translated into a dozen languages. Between 1945 and 1975, the U.S. economy more than doubled, and the country accounted for approximately one-third of the world's industrial output during that period.