Emma G. - Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

In the film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Mr. Smith is portrayed as a man with a humble upbringing and no government experience that quickly becomes a prominent figure in the Senate. In short, Mr. Smith defies all odds and achieves the American dream, an ideal that many Americans believe makes the United States exceptional. The American dream is the idea that Americans are presented with equal opportunity allowing them to achieve their greatest aspirations and goals simply with hard work. To become a prominent government figure, Mr. Smith remains confident in his ideas, stays persistent, and dedicated to uprising against corruption. Although Mr. Smith worked hard for change when appointed to his position as Senator, there are a couple things that give him an advantage over many Americans: he is a white man. In actuality, many Americans of color struggle to overcome institutionalized oppression. Many of today’s governing documents were written at a time where only white men had political power; Thus, many of today’s laws benefit white men. Whereas Mr. Smith had the opportunity to be considered to be political power, no man of color was. In addition, the other Senators shown in the film are also white men. The American dream is not possible for all Americans until all individuals–regardless of skin color, gender, sexual orientation, etc.–do not face discrimination.