So What's This Thing Called the American Dream?

They called him Reinhart, but he would one day change his name to Ralph to sound more American than German. Huddled with his parents and three siblings in steerage class, he arrived at Ellis Island at the age of one. He grew up in Brooklyn, while his father scratched out a living as best he could. Henry had brought his family to America “to escape the Kaiser and his wars,” while seeking the freedom of a free land. Although he had very little, he thought himself rich. He had come to America, kissed the ground, and never looked back.

The street kids picked on Reinhart for being a “kraut,” but he...