Hope And Change The First African American President Of...

Hope and Change? History was made in 2008. The first African American was elected President of the United States. In Barack Obama’s acceptance speech he described his election as a defining moment and one that would bring change to America. Has that change come? Race relations have always been a topic of great debate, even more so since an African American was elected President. Can a black president change the way people think about race and its place in everyday life? As we are in Obama’s last year of his second term it is obvious that racial bias has seen little improvement in the United States. Trending polls point to no improvement, recent high profile events are keeping it in the news and there has been no substantial decrease in unemployment among blacks in America. Since electing the first African American President in 2008, there have been many new topics that polls can concentrate on. Everything from what America thinks about the historic election to what they think the future will hold because of it. What is evident is that the polls speak of an America that may still have hope but is not so certain that change is coming. A poll in November of 2008 showed that sixty-seven percent of voters thought that Obama would have a good first term and sixty-nine percent said they made them feel hopeful. Fifty-two percent thought his election will lead to better race relations. When looked at through the eyes of black/white,Show MoreRelatedHope And Change : The First African American President Of The United States1091 Words   |  5 PagesHope and Change? History was made in 2008. The first African American was elected President of the United States. In Barack Obama’s acceptance speech he described his election as a defining moment and one that would bring change to America. Has that change come? Race relations have always been a topic of great debate, even more so since an African American was elected President. Can a black president change the way people think about race and its place in everyday life? As we areRead MoreHow The 2008 Election Affected African American History912 Words   |  4 Pagesbe one of the darkest moments in African American history and ends with the ultimate triumph and fulfilment of a dream. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was the spiritual and political leader of the Civil Rights Movement, was gunned down and assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, TN (History.com). Those responsible assumed that this senseless act of violence would thwart and quell the efforts of African Americans in the quest for equality in the United States of America, however, this deed cementedRead MorePresident John F. Kennedy1608 Words   |  7 Pageshas an opinion about the president. Whether they like the president or dislike the president, someone has an opinion. There are only a few good president in the history of America that people can actually say they liked and enjoyed where they lead this country. One of those few presidents was President John F. K ennedy. Elected in 1960 as the 35th president of the United States, Kennedy became the youngest and first Roman Catholic president. He won the hearts of many Americans with his youthfulness andRead MoreBarack Obama: Yes, We Can! Famous Speech680 Words   |  3 Pagesand first African-American president of the United States of America. Barack Obama is married to First Lady Michelle Obama and together have two children, Malia and Sasha. President Obama was elected November 4, 2008 and is still currently running in the office as President. Obama believes in change and is his inaugural focus for each campaign and overall aim of being President of the United States. The famous â€Å"Yes We Can† speech was delivered by Barack Obama, the first African-American PresidentRead MoreReconstruction And The Rights Of Former Slaves. In The998 Words   |  4 Pages1860s the United States was a nation that had been ripped apart by the Civil War and left in torn pieces. The war left many white southerners stripped of their slaves, land, and in destroyed towns with little to eat. The only people worse off than the white southerners at this point in history were the black southerners who had nothing to their names but the freedom they had recently been granted which left them penniless and searching for a place to go. In hopes of a resolution president Abraham LincolnRead MoreThe Declaration Of Independence : A Significant Year For The Country963 Words   |  4 Pageselection this year is important as both candidates are fighting for and desperately in need of the African-American vote to win. The irony in this election is that not that long ago Afri can-Americans were not even allowed to vote. This paper sets out the historical struggles the African-American people faced in obtaining suffrage. The 1700’s marked the boom of the slave trade. African-Americans could barely get the law to see them as people, let alone give them the right to vote. The DeclarationRead MoreThe Medi A Very Important Role Of Today s Society865 Words   |  4 Pagesspectacle. He argues how Barack Obama’s media techniques led the campaign in his favour in the United States’ presidential election of 2008 (Kellner, 2009). With much publication, broadcasting and advertising resources, Barack Obama was able to attract supporters through his culture and race. The first democratic spectacle was that of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. In the first time in history, an African-American candidate and a woman candidate were running for office. With both campaigners leadingRead More Americas First Black President Essay1163 Words   |  5 PagesFor many years, American Presidents were viewed as being white and powerful leaders. Why were they only white? Is it because Americans felt Blacks were not smart enough to run a country on their own? African Americans were viewed as less dominate people and have been discriminated because of the color of their skin. In 2008, Barack Obama was elected President of the United States making him the first black president ever. In this paper, I will discuss how Barack makes a change and if America canRead MoreArticle Summary : Barack Obama And Celebrity Spectacle884 Words   |  4 PagesBarack Obama’s media techniques led the campaign in his favour in the United States’ presidential election of 2008 (Kellner, 2009). With much publication, broadcasting and advertising resources, Barack Obama was able to attract supporters through his culture and race. The first democratic spectacle was that of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. In the first time in history, there had been an African American candidate and the first woman candidate. With both campaigners leading the election in differentRead MoreThe Selma Incident Of The Civil Rights Movement1320 Words   |  6 Pages On November 4th, 2008, American voters elected Barack Obama president of the United States, the first time an African American candidate has been elected to the office of the presidency. This historic election was described by John Lewis, a longtime civil rights activist as â€Å"what comes at the end of the bridge in Selma†. (413) This was a reference to the incident on March 7th, 1965 when â€Å"police officers used clubs and tear gas against a group of civil rights demonstrators led by the reverend Martin