|
Lincoln,
Luther King and Obama - a very long road indeed
Where were you
when you heard the news that Obama had won? Whilst his victory was
widely predicted his actual achievement of ending 216 years of white
domination of the White House cannot be overstated.
The significance
of his victory cannot be overestimated for the issue of race has
plagued the country since before its independence from Britain and
eventually provoking a civil war, the most lethal conflict in American
history causing 620,000 deaths.
Obama's election
ends a legacy of slavery and racial tension which began with the
arrival of slave ships to the then British colonies in America and
were it not for the leadership of the sixteenth president Abraham
Lincoln, would have seen the country split in two. Lincoln introduced
the thirteenth amendment which abolished slavery. But laws passed
do not mean attitudes change and Lincoln's courage in re-interpreting
Thomas Jefferson's words enshrined in the constitution that 'All
men are created equal' cost him his life.
In 1922 the
large Lincoln Memorial, one of Washington DC's most visited attractions,
was built to commemorate his role in beginning the process of ending
racism. A process continued by the prominent civil rights leader
Martin Luther King Jr. who chose the Lincoln Memorial to deliver
his now famous 'I have a dream' speech. Again his efforts to unite
a divided nation led to his assassination.
America has
long been proclaimed as being the place where dreams are possible.
Obama has re-ignited the belief that this is true. His dream is
now reality but only thanks to the sacrifices made by others. This
election has changed the way America sees itself. The weight of
the world is now on Obama's shoulders, the state of the economy,
two military engagements and a resurgent Russia but that is for
tomorrow. Today it is worth pausing to remember what a profound
milestone has now been passed.
|
