The last leg of our journey wouldn’t have been the same without a stop in the National Capital, the heart of the American political world since the early days. After having spent a full year criss-crossing this wonderful country and visiting all of the lower 48 State’s Capitals, we eagerly wanted to be in Washington D.C. for the election of the 44th President and sound out public opinion and reaction. Taking into account the fact that we witnessed, on a daily basis, the long and arduous run to the presidency via our blog and poll, we somehow developed, along the way, a special relationship with many Americans and with a few candidates.
In line with what we did in all the other capitals, we’ve enjoyed visiting most of Washington historic sites as well as the Mont Vernon, estate of 1st President George Washington, the charming old town of Alexandria, Fredericksburg and its Civil War battlefields and Monticello, one of the most celebrated houses in the country, built by the 3rd President and architect Thomas Jefferson. Within the same area, we also visited the homes of both the 4th President, James Madison and the 5th President, James Monroe. Washington is not only about previous presidents, it’s a great cultural city with world-class museums and galleries all free of charge, with stunning art collections from all over the world. Our only disappointment was the visit of the National Capitol as only the rotunda, the old Senate and Chamber and the crypt are open to the public. As we have to stay in groups, photos are difficult to take and many areas are restricted.
Our thoughts on this historic election will be the focus of the last instalment of our blog, hoping that we’ll be able to communicate some of the memorable moments we had the chance to witness the night of the election and the following days either through our text or our photos.
We were in the National Capital on that rainy evening when at 11:00 P.M. the new President, the first African-American, was announced initiating an outcry of joy in the whole country. All along the evening, as we were walking in the streets of Georgetown, we could sense that the expectation was building. A special restlessness could be felt at the bar where we finally stopped to watch the returns among the crowd. We were in an area where 90% of the votes went to Mr. Obama, needless to say that the demonstrations were loud and rich in emotions of all kinds. We’ll never forget this unprecedented event which momentum had been building for over a year. We later went back home to quietly listen to the speeches and witness the overwhelming positive reactions spreading across the country and the world.
Let’s backtrack for a few moments…
It was in January 2006 when we embarked on a three-year journey across the United States of America. We could never anticipate then that we would witness such a significant historic event. Anyone interested in the history and culture of this country cannot avoid dealing with the issue of slavery and the fate of African-Americans. We didn’t expect that places, sites, museums and people that we were going to come across with would be so directly connected with historic events related to the one on Election Night.
Slavery was not invented by the American people. However, slavery like diseases imported by early Europeans has created injustices and devastation that are not yet entirely healed. In the course of our journey, we have learned about the history of Black people in America, starting with our visit in Jamestown (VA), the first settlement in 1607, plantations in South Carolina and Louisiana, debates at the Legislature of newly created States, debates at the National Legislature about the balance between pro-slavery and anti-slavery States, the Civil War, the Reparation Program, the Civil Rights and its long and difficult struggle -- the Underground Railroad, segregation, Jim Crow’s Laws, Selma, Birmingham, schools’ integration, Emancipation Law, the assassination of Martin Luther King, Voting and Equality rights. Museums dedicated to the African-American history in Detroit, Memphis, Atlanta and Cincinnati have allowed us to learn about the different phases of the African-American history and culture. Then, gradually followed the first times for the African-Americans... first mayor, first sheriff, first judge, first representative to the Congress and Senate (State and Federal governments), then but much later, the same involving women. In 1984, 1988 and 2004, Jesse Jackson was unsuccessful being nominated for his party. The recent Election of an African-American at the highest office in the country has changed forever the face of America and has proven once again that only in the United States of America, a story like the one of Barack Obama is possible.
His election at the Presidency is not solely the outcome of an historic evolution. He has reached this ultimate political office because of his exceptional skills, his determination and his desire to reach the top. He has, to a certain extent, imposed himself and forced the pace of the historic evolution and that is, we believe, a real achievement.
It will be interesting to witness the choices he’s about to make within the transition to ensure that he has the right people to assist and advise him. Then the First 100 days, the ultimate test for any new President.
There are huge challenges ahead of him and he has got his work cut out for him. However, we’re convinced that he has what it needs to become a great president.
As we so often heard in the course of our journey, « God Bless America » !
Suzette and Gilles Samson
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