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On November 4 th 2008 The World changed? BBC NEWS | World | Americas | US Elections 2008 | Obama's victory speech in full

Discuss Who do you think this man is? Which country is he from? What do you think his job is? Do you think he is an important man?

Group chat Who do you think the ‘founders’ are? What is democracy? What were the ‘lines that stretched around schools and churches.’ What ‘change’ has come to America. CBBC Newsround | World | Adam's American Election diary

CBBC Newsround | Pictures | In pics: Why is a black president a big deal? What the kids thought about this… Kids like you, the same age!

Why is a black president a big deal? Why is a black president a big deal?

In the 17th and 18th centuries hundreds of thousands of Africans were sold into slavery in America and made to work on cotton and tobacco plantations

In 1865 slavery was abolished, but black people still didn't have equal rights and had to go to separate schools, churches, and even had to play on different footie teams.

In 1955, this woman, Rosa Parks, sparked protests by refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man - which was against the law at the time.

The protests were led by this man, Martin Luther King, who said he had a dream that one day black and white people in America would be able to come together as equals.

In 1964 the country made a huge leap forward with the introduction of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which made it illegal to treat people differently because of their race.

But until now, the top job has always gone to a white man, so it's a huge deal for America, and the rest of the world, that Barack Obama has become president.