obama+president

// of the // United States (2008)
 * Obama Elected 44th President

**



Overview
On Tuesday, November 4, 2008, history was made. A 47-year-old man by the name of Barack Obama was voted the first ever African-American man to become President of the United States of America. But this was not an easy feat- Democrat Obama was running against Republican Senator John McCain, a white man who had spent 5 1/2 years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam and then nearly three years in Congress. In terms of experience, McCain had the upper hand. But Obama seemed to make all the right choices- his pick for Vice President was previous Senator of Delaware Joe Biden. McCain's pick was a bit more controversial- Sarah Palin, former governor of Alaska, was not looked upon by many American citizens as a good choice for Vice President. 

Central Issue
When the ballots were cast and the votes were in, America learned that Obama beat McCain by 52 percent to 46 percent. As expected, Obama won tremendously among African American voters, but he also won among women and Latino voters. The younger generation (30 years and younger) were favored by Obama as well. The Electoral College seemed to be fairly consistent in their votes, Obama having won 2/3 of them. Both houses of Congress also hold strong majorities in Obama's favor, something that hasn't happened since 1993. Democrats will hold 258 of the 435 seats in the House and at least 54 of the 100 seats in the Senate, a majority over the Republican Party.

Conclusion
This election was a major change in history in numerous ways- there were a record number of voters at the polling stations, all energized by an election in which they would select either the nations's first black president or its first female vice president. The percentage of American's who voted broke a record from 1908- exactly 100 years! This election made not only a change in history, but also an impact on the people who lived through the civil rights movements of the 1960's. Such people include Representative John Lewis D-Ga., who stated “We have witnessed tonight in America a revolution of values, a revolution of ideals. There’s been a transformation of America, and it will have unbelievable influence on the world. I never imagined, I never had any idea I would live to see an African- American president of the United States." It will certainly be a change for the better.



References
1. //Obama 44th President//. MSNBC, 5 Nov. 2009. Web. . <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">Home Back to Milestone Events