Cambridge Essay: "What is the most interesting development in the last 50 years?"

The reality of the United States that existed only yesterday was that of individuals seemingly trapped in a nation of jaded ideals and fallen heroes, unable to recall the grandeur and pride that once swelled within the collective heart of a country dedicated to the pursuit of the highest goals of humanity. To live today is to bear witness to the resurrection of the kind of honesty and integrity many Americans once thought irrevocably damaged. To be a member of the electorate at this very moment is to take the reigns of power from those who have abused their position, making good on the implicit and explicit promises the United States has made to herself and her international neighbors—all manifest in a single moment of epic proportion: in the election of a single African American. No other moment in the last fifty years has so defined the sentiment of a nation, so exemplified the democratic process and the ideals that our country has striven to protect. No other act could have so definitively broken with the embarrassing actions of an administration that made the nation a virtual pariah on the international scene. The election of Barack Hussein Obama will forever stand as a momentous event in the history of the United States, epitomizing a new generation’s dedication to social justice and a hope for true democracy that can be shared with the rest of the world.
As a democratic union, the United States has historically depicted itself as a guiding radiance for underdeveloped or politically suppressed masses, touting its dedication to the key principle embedded in the purest democracy: equality. While an excellent torch to carry, the flame of egalitarianism has proven a dim one, indeed it has struggled to overcome this particular injustice since the establishment of the nation under our much-revered Founding Fathers who ensured that only a very limited portion of the white male population could fully participate in political activities. Although much of the population is quick to forget or suppress the memory of segregation and violent racism that defined our nation within our parents’ time, it cannot be denied that the specter of prejudice lingers in the United States even today.
Despite the nation’s lackluster record of implementing its touted ideals, Barack Obama stands as proof that the United States is not merely an oppressive entity disguised in seemingly virtuous trappings of rhetoric. He represents a new height in the movement toward civil rights and a divergence from the American fear of the “Other” that is still manifest in the legislative approach to immigrants, homosexuals, and presumed terrorists. By making this shift from the forty three white presidents that have preceded Obama, the people of the United States have shown their desire to create a nation that can truly embrace the progressive nature of the contemporary sociopolitical environment, standing for the first time as a true model of American democracy to a world that had come to express concern about the reality of the United States’s noble endeavors.
The international community has, indeed, looked with some shock and much celebration upon the President-elect, expressing a desire to renew faith where so much fear had amassed on both sides. Obama’s election marks the shift from a political worldview defined by leaders who felt compelled to embark on crusades against ill-defined foes, leading the nation to sacrifice its best attributes in favor of relatively miniscule gains. His very person embodies the new possibility of a role for America in the global arena, embracing our unique position as a nation of immigrants and recognizing our need to apply this knowledge and our reenergized ideals in a manner that is beneficial to the world. His hope for “change” is not one merely limited to the color of skin, but one that transcends national borders—not in the aggressive style of the Bush administration, but in a manner that seeks to share the best of ourselves in an international forum rather than imposing some misbegotten will.
While there is much skepticism surrounding the events leading up to November 4th and the possibility of real change manifest in a single individual or administration in the future, the truth remains that the election of Barack Obama is a testament to the progress that has been made in the United States—as intermittent or minimal as it has appeared at times. Obama represents the possibility of hope, the certitude of aspiring to greater heights by transcending the errors of the past through tenacity aimed at a noble endeavor. There is no doubt that this eventful night was more than the mere result of the immediate circumstances of this country. This election is the inevitable conclusion to the evolution in sentiment that has been developing in this nation. If anything, the last eight years of the Bush administration stand as the exception rather than the rule, pushing a realization that has been long coming in the United States. Like a nationalized manifestation of the famous statement made by Gandhi, we have come to understand that we must be the democracy we wish to see in the world. Barack Obama is the logical result of this conclusion, and the younger, educated generations that have supported him in his endeavor grant greater assurance of this significant change than the man alone could provide. History will record that the United States changed for the better yesterday. Today, the real battle begins