Following his victory in the2008 United States presidential election, then-President-electBarack Obama, who was 47 years old at the time, gave his victory speech[1] atGrant Park in his home city ofChicago,[2] on November 4, 2008, before an estimated crowd of 240,000.[3][4] Viewed on television and the Internet by millions of people around the globe, Obama's speech focused on the major issues facing the United States and the world, all echoed through hiscampaign slogan of change.[5] He also mentioned his maternal grandmotherMadelyn Dunham, who had died just two nights earlier.
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The speech heavily referenced the inaugural addresses of former presidentsJohn F. Kennedy andAbraham Lincoln, and also referred to speeches ofMartin Luther King Jr.[6]
Echoing Martin Luther King's "I've Been to the Mountaintop" address, he declared, "But tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America" and "The road ahead will be long, our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year, or even in one term—but America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there."[1] At another point in the speech he again referenced King when referring to the "arc of history", a phrase King used regularly, most notably after theSelma to Montgomery marches, saying "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice".
Obama directly quoted Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural address, by saying "As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection."
Obama also referred to Abraham Lincoln'sGettysburg Address by saying "... that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth".
Obama proclaimed, "It's been a long time coming, but ... change has come to America", an allusion to theSam Cooke song "A Change Is Gonna Come".[7][8]
Obama also made a reference to aprospective presidential pet for his daughters.[9][10]
Sasha andMalia ... I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the newpuppy that's coming with us ... to the White House.
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Obama spoke of the core issues facing the United States at the time, among them the2008 financial crisis, and theIraq War.[11]
Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education.[1]
On the 2008 financial crisis:
Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thrivingWall Street while Main Street suffers.
A message to America's enemies and friends:
To those — to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.
Forward-thinking challenges:
There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.[12]
To our future as Americans:
This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts 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.
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In his speech, Obama reflected on the hard times of the campaign and the "challenges that America would face ahead." TV coverage of the speech showedJesse Jackson andOprah Winfrey weeping in the crowd.[13][14] Obama's speech also marked the first time aPresident-elect referred positively togay Americans in an acceptance speech. Sam Perry experienced a brief moment of fame when Oprah Winfrey leaned on him while crying on his shoulder.
Grant Park was the location of manyprotests of the1968 Democratic National Convention, which were significant for ending in violence, riots andpolice brutality.CNN declared, "History gave Grant Park another chance Tuesday as the scene of a peaceful and jubilant celebration of Barack Obama's presidential victory."[15] Obama's speech has been praised as having "... the rare ability to cultivate the things that are common to all human beings, regardless of artificial and arbitrary distinctions."[16]
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One of the primary references within Obama's speech was toAnn Nixon Cooper, a 106-year-old resident ofAtlanta,Georgia.
She was born just a generation pastslavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky, when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons — because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.[17]
Obama also made reference to his popular campaign chant, "Yes We Can":
And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America — the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't; and the people who pressed on with that American creed: 'Yes, we can.'[17]
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Due to the general high security threat involved, Obama delivered the speech protected by two pieces ofbulletproof glass (2 inches (5.1 cm) thick, 10 feet (3.0 m) high, 15 feet (4.6 m) long) to each side of the lectern to deflect any shots from the skyscrapers overlooking Grant Park.[18][19] A no-fly zone was also imposed over the area, with only police helicopters allowed in the air.[19] The gathering involved the deployment of thousands of police, Army andSecret Service personnel. The event cost the Obama campaign an estimated $2 million.[20][21] Even with the large threat at hand, no arrests were made related to the event.
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Prior to Obama's emergence onto the stage, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" byStevie Wonder, "Only in America" byBrooks & Dunn, and "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" byJackie Wilson were played. When Obama,Joe Biden, and their families appeared on stage following the speech, music from the filmsRemember the Titans, composed byTrevor Rabin, andThe Patriot, composed byJohn Williams, was played.[22][23] "The Rising" byBruce Springsteen was also played following the speech (Springsteen had endorsed Obama).
City officials estimated the crowd at Grant Park to be 240,000 people.
