November 4, 2008Reputable sourceWell documented
Barack Obama Elected President
On the timeline · around November 4, 2008 ·
What happened
On November 4, 2008, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois defeated John McCain to become the 44th president and the first African American elected to the office, winning 365 electoral votes on a message of hope and change amid the financial crisis.
Why it matters
Obama's election was a landmark in a nation founded on slavery and long divided by race — a moment many thought they would never see, and a milestone in the long arc of the civil rights struggle.