ABSTRACT
In 1992, shortly before Sam Walton’s death, President George Herbert Walker Bush awarded him the Congressional Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Upon his death, Walton was the richest person in America. Bush’s award letter characterized Walton in the following terms: “An American original, Sam Walton embodies the entrepreneurial spirit and epitomizes the American Dream.” Through the iconic figure of Sam Walton, President Bush defined American freedom as synonymous with free market capitalism.
