Throughout history, Western society has accepted the principle that people should be rewarded according to the worth of their contributions. When the United States became a nation, that principle was embodied in the American dream: the idea that any individual,through hard work, could advance from the most humble origins to the highest station, according to the worth of her or his contributions. Such opportunity was everyone’s birthright. To this day the American dream, with its emphasis on merit rather than privilege, is widely accepted.