7-1 Discussion

Running Head: THE OBAMA ELECTION IN 2008 2

THE OBAMA ELECTION IN 2008 2

The Obama Election in 2008

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Since time immemorial, elections cycles have come and go, in American society, leaders have been elected, others have lost their electoral seats, and leaders have fought in the courts. However, nothing had been so historical in any electioneering period in America than the election of President Barrack Obama as the 56th president of the united states of America in August 2008 (Ragsdale, 2019). But why was the election of Barrack Obama a historical moment in America? Several factors made that period so historical. Obama is the first African American to become an elected president of the united states.

History was made in America and the world at large when Obama was declared the winner in the presidential election in August 2008. The people of color in the united states have always been made to feel that America is not their land. African people's history in America began during the era of the slave trade and has evolved through the years, through oppression and racial abuse and segregation and non, even in their wildest dreams would have ever imagined a black African American heading the most prominent office on land. Several factors led to Obama's election in that period. The political sphere has been shifting over the years, and demographically speaking, young people have become very influential in the polls (Holscher, 2020). This is evident since most young people are racially tolerant and racially diverse compared to older people. The young voters are the ones who stood up to make a change. Consequently, making that election period historical by having the highest voter turnout, Joe Biden elected as the vice president and the first-ever roman- catholic member and also, Obama and his election campaign garnered the highest number of votes in history.

To conclude, the election of Barrack Obama in 2008 made him the first-ever person of African origin to hold the U.S. presidential office. He also became the highest ever voted American president and made Joe Biden the first Roman-Catholic member to hold the vice president's office. The historic moment was made possible by a demographical change in the political environment.

References

Hölscher, K. (2020). The voice of the youth: How personalized politics on social media affect youth voter turnout (Bachelor's thesis, University of Twente). Retrieved from

http://essay.utwente.nl/81620/

Ragsdale, L. (2019). The Obama Legacy in American Electoral Participation. In Looking Back on President Barack Obama's Legacy (pp. 25-46). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-01545-9_2