Reasons for Vicotry

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Obama's Policies

The main concerns of the American people in 2008 were the war in Iraq and the growing economic crisis.

Obama's promises

Barack Obama promised the American people that he would bring the country out of the Iraq War as quickly as possible.
Other policies that he pledged to the American people were:
- Make healthcare more accessible to all
- Bring in tighter gun controls
- More liberal views on same-sex marriage
- Ending tax cuts for the wealthy
- Solving the economic crisis
- Stricter labour and environmental standards.

The 'Bush Effect'

Many people attributed Obama's victory in 2008 to the hatred the American people had for George W Bush’s Republican policies.
- They feared if they voted in another Republican, those policies would continue.
- The unpopular Iraq War and the economic crisis had both occurred under a Republican Administration.

Lehman Brothers

For example, the massive bank Lehman Brothers went bankrupt during the Republican Administration.
This caused a trail of subsequent economic disasters in the USA; all of which were blamed on Republican ‘light touch’ regulations that allowed the American financial sector to go unmonitored.

Obama's Skill as a Politician

Obama was a more attractive presidential candidate than McCain for many people in America. He also had a more effective team running his campaign.

Oratory Skills

Obama used the rhetoric of his ‘American Dream’ which gained him much support in the American polls in the lead up to the election.
He was charismatic and an excellent orator which encouraged more people to vote for him.

Personal qualities

Barack Obama showed the American people that he was an educated, likeable, self-confident, driven and intelligent person.
Obama appeared to be someone who remained calm under pressure and that would do his best for all people in America.
Obama was also considerably younger than McCain (the Republican Candidate) which made him more relatable to younger Americans.
- Indeed, McCain's health seemed to falter as the campaign raged on.

McCain and Palin

McCain also made the mistake of employing Sarah Palin in his campaign team.
- Palin was not liked by many Americans. In the campaign she made derogatory and ignorant comments about Africa, claiming it was just one country.
- Palin also said openly that Barack Obama didn't ‘see America the way you and I see America’. Many people believed this comment to be a reflection of her white supremacist beliefs.

Internet

Obama raised more money for his campaign than McCain so, he was able to create more advertising to further his popularity.
Obama created a website where visitors could register their interest in his campaign.
Once their details were obtained they were regularly contacted by the campaign team. The team established links between supporters.
By creating links, Obama was able to unite more people to join in supporting him.
- Obama posted a YouTube clip to support his local pastor and it received 5.2 million views.

1‘Free at Last’ 1865-77

1.1The Thirteenth Amendment

1.1.1The Civil War & The Thirteenth Amendment

1.1.2The Impact of the Civil War

1.1.3Economic, Political & Social Position of Ex-Slaves

1.1.4Political Settlement & Andrew Johnson

1.2Radical Reconstruction, 1867-77

1.2.1The Fourteenth Amendment

1.2.2The Fifteenth Amendment & The Civil Rights Act

1.3The Backlash

1.3.1White Supremacy Groups

1.3.2The End of Reconstruction 1887

2The Triumph of ‘Jim Crow’ 1883-c1890

2.1Jim Crow Laws & Civil Rights Cases

2.1.1Jim Crow Laws

2.1.2Voting Rights

2.1.3Scientific Racism

2.1.4Civil Rights Cases

2.2Resistance and Migration

2.2.1The Northern States & Black Resistance

2.2.2Early Migration

2.2.3The Great Migration

2.2.4Race Riots

2.2.5Migration Case Study: Harlem

3The New Deal and Race Relations, 1933–41

3.1Failure to Address Black Grievances

3.1.1The Democrat Party & the Anti-Lynching Bill

3.2The New Deal

3.2.1The New Deal

3.2.2The Alphabet Agencies

3.2.3The PWA, WPA & the NYA

3.2.4Benefits

3.2.5Impact of the New Deal & Eleanor Roosevelt

3.2.6Gone With the Wind

3.3The Second World War

3.3.1The Experience of War

3.3.2The Home Front

3.3.3The White Flight

3.3.4Restrictive Covenants

4‘I have a dream’, 1954–68

4.1Civil Rights Activities, 1954–63

4.1.1The Desegregation of Schools

4.1.2The Montgomery Bus Boycott

4.1.3SCLC & Birmingham

4.1.4SNCC

4.1.5CORE

4.2Civil Rights 1964-68

4.2.1Civil Rights Act 1964 & Voting Act 1965

4.2.2Ghettos & Poverty

4.2.31966 - 1968

4.3Malcolm X & The Black Panthers

4.3.1The Nation of Islam & Malcolm X

4.3.2Divisions in the Civil Rights Movement

4.3.3The Black Panthers

4.4Literature, Film & Television

4.4.1Racial Attitudes in Literature from 1850-2009

4.4.2Racial Attitudes in Film from 1850-2009

4.4.3Racial Attitudes in Television from 1850-2009

5Obama's Campaign for the Presidency, 2004–09

5.1The Late 20th Century

5.1.1Migration Back to the South in the 20th Century

5.1.2The Status of Black People 1968-2009

5.2Barack Obama & his Political Career

5.2.1Barack Obama's Life

5.2.2Senator for Illinois

5.2.3Running as Presidential Candidate

5.3Reasons for Obama's Victory

5.3.1Reasons for Vicotry

5.3.2The Significance of Obama's Victory

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