The Horatio Alger Association is a non-profit organisation set up in 1947 in order to re-establish the American public's faith in the American dream. They chose to use Horatio Alger Jr's name because of the strong message that his stories put across to his readers, the message that with hard work and integrity, anybody can go from a humble background to great success. The Horatio Alger Association also have an award they call the 'Horatio Alger Award' which they give out to men and women who they believe have achieved success through "honesty, hard work, self-reliance and perseverance over adversity". They also believe these people must be willing to help those less fortunate than themselves. They are carrying on the message put forward in Ragged Dick, the idea that by being like Ragged Dick, even a poor shoe shiner can make something of his life and become a respectable member of society. Which is exactly what the American Dream is. The videos on the websites homepage show various men and women who have already achieved their vision of the American dream, and are presumably there to inspire young entrepreneurs to live their life in the same way. All of the members shown on the website have come from poor, often immigrant families and have worked their way out of poverty to very important places in America.
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