By Jeffrey Baldwin

The Fourth of July is a celebration of America's founding ideals: freedom, opportunity, and the belief that anyone willing to work hard can build a better future.

But now that another Independence Day has passed, there's a question that deserves our attention: Is the American Dream getting harder to achieve? For many Hispanic families, the answer is increasingly uncertain. They continue to believe in the American Dream, but they also worry that it is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve.

For generations, Hispanic families have believed in a simple promise: that if they work hard, play by the rules, and take responsibility for their own future, they can build a better life for themselves and their children.

That promise has inspired countless sacrifices. It has motivated fathers and mothers to work long hours, entrepreneurs to start their own businesses, and entire families to leave uncertainty behind in search of new opportunities. That is the promise that is at the heart of the American Dream.

The American Dream is not dead. But confidence that the next generation will have the same opportunities is beginning to fade.

Our most recent national survey, conducted by The LIBRE Institute, tells that story. Hispanic families have not lost faith in hard work, personal responsibility, or the promise of America. What many are losing is the confidence that those values, alone, will be enough for the next generation to get ahead. In fact, 90% believe that it is more difficult to achieve the American Dream today than before, while 64% believe that the government makes it more difficult to progress. The rising cost of living, lack of affordable housing, economic uncertainty, and limited opportunities for social mobility have led many families to wonder if the path to success has become more difficult than it should be.

Parents wonder if their children will one day be able to buy a home. Small business owners are questioning whether they can continue to grow their businesses. Young people wonder if the opportunities that inspired previous generations will continue to exist for them.

This conversation is not just about inflation or house prices.

It's about whether the opportunity itself is becoming harder to find.

Our country's success has never been built solely on government programs or economic statistics. It has been built on the ability of ordinary people to improve their lives through hard work, innovation and determination. When people believe that their efforts can translate into progress, communities thrive. When they begin to doubt that such progress is possible, it also begins to erode confidence in the future.

This is especially important for Hispanic communities, which continue to be one of the most entrepreneurial and dynamic in the country. Latino-owned businesses have grown tremendously in recent years, creating jobs, strengthening local economies, and expanding opportunities in communities across the United States. However, starting a business, buying a home and achieving financial stability becomes increasingly difficult when the barriers to getting ahead continue to increase.

Protecting the American Dream means much more than preserving economic growth. It means ensuring that families have the freedom to build a better life. It means creating an environment where hard work is rewarded, education opens doors, and entrepreneurship can thrive.

At The LIBRE Institute we see those aspirations every day. Through financial education programs, educational opportunities and community work, we accompany people who strive to improve their lives and build a more promising future for their families. Their stories remind us that the American Dream is still very much alive, but we cannot take it for granted.

The good news is that Hispanic families have not lost faith in the values ​​that have long driven success. They still believe in hard work. They continue to believe in the opportunity. They continue to believe in the promise of America.

The challenge ahead is to ensure that these values ​​continue to generate opportunities, not only for this generation, but also for those to come.

The Fourth of July is behind us, but the conversation it should inspire is just beginning. Independence Day is much more than a celebration of our past. It is a reminder that the freedoms and opportunities we value must be protected if they are to endure.

The American Dream is not dead. But it's not guaranteed either.

Every generation has a choice to make: protect the opportunities that made that dream possible or risk becoming the generation that allowed it to begin to fade.

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