Examining the period from the first permanent English settlement in 1607 to the end of Reconstruction in 1877, would you say that the goal of owning and working your own farm was the most common way that Americans aspired to upward social and economic mobility?  Were there other paths that Americans followed to “get ahead?”  In general, was America a land of opportunity where everyone could be successful? What factors influenced this? Compose an essay discussing your position.