BOSTON–On Nov. 4, 2008, history was made when Barack Obama became the first African American President of the United States of America. President-elect Obama gave the speech of his life that night, which will forever be remembered as the start of trying to mend this great nation.
When Obama stepped onto the stage at Chicago’s Grant Park, the unending crowd that had gathered to listen was screaming so loud with applause, it was hard for Obama to even begin.
When the crowd finally settled and Obama began, you could have heard a pin drop. Nobody wanted to interrupt this historic moment.
Obama started the speech by saying, “If there is anyone out there, that still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.”
Obama is known for his speeches and being able to inspire those who follow him. On that night, he took it all to the next level, making the point that “we have never been just a collection of individuals, or a collection of red states and blue states, we are and always will be the United States of America.”
This line was his attempt at gaining support from John McCain’s voters.
After he finished giving thanks to everyone who had made it possible, he said, “Above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to, it belongs to you.”
Obama’s purpose in this speech was to inspire America, to show us that together we can fix this nation’s problems, and that by coming together and electing the first African American president, we have shown that we are able to accomplish anything.
He furthers this point throughout his speech by telling us that this is only the beginning, and just because he was elected president, not all of our problems will go away; but if we all work together we can make difference.
He tried to enforce the unity of this country as he continued, saying, “In this country we rise or fall as one nation, as one people.”
The two parties are very separated, and it has taken away from the development of our country.
At the end of his speech, Obama ended with one final statement, “Out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people-Yes We Can.”
This speech is one that will be listened to for ages and the legacy of that day will be remembered in American history forever, but at the end we need to take the morals and values that he shared with us in that 20 minutes of victory, and apply them in our lives, and become a united people once again.