24 HOURS: 40 YEARS

In only 24 hours a milestone was laid for the transformation this country has undergone in less than one hundred years. The election of Obama as president of the United States exemplifies the transformation of the racial tensions, class differentials and hope.
This monumental election was celebrated in Grant Park where Obama gave his acceptance speech. In class, we viewed pictures of Grant Park that further exemplify the historical significance of Obama's election. 4o years ago Grant Park painted a scene of police beatings, protests, and chaos. This pictures depicted anti-Vietnam protesters diplaying their disgust and disagreement with the democratic convention where Hubert Hoover ratified the War on August 28th, 1968. The anti-Vietnam protestors were angry and disappointment with the American government. In less than 50 years the mindset of hope in our governments capacity to bring change has grown massively. The recent prideful and joyful pictures of November 4th exemplify the change in events that have occurred in Grant Park from the beatings of citizens by police man to a friendly signing of a girls t-shirt (click on link to understand parallel) by that same figure in society.
Similarly last night watching the election results around the TV in my living room people shared stories that highlighted the significance of Obama's presidency. My neighbor thought back to when he used to go to the movies with his aunt in Louisiana. The theater was segregated with the blacks upstairs and whites downstairs. Relating this time period to pragmatism versus idealism, the pragmatists of this time period would have viewed the realities of desegregation in our country as hopeless. They would never have envisioned blacks voting or even the unfathomable presidency of a African American male to have the supreme authority position in America. The historical event we achieved yesterday was as a country of idealists and true believers in "change" over the years. The balance of pragmatism vs. idealism helped Obama get elected president. Instead of the black and white segregation views our government had less than 50 years ago, the government has almost grown to view our society as one kind.