How America's Racist History Affected Barack Obama's Movement as President of the United States

Abstract

This essay aims to answer the question “How did America’s racist history affect Barack Obama’s work as president of the United States?” To answer this question, I will examine the following factors: the history of racism against Black Americans, definitions and rules of Blackness, and criticisms of Barack Obama’s work during his presidency. This essay considers if Obama’s presidency created advantages or disadvantages for Black people wanting to move into political spaces by comparing Black representation in political areas before and after his presidency. This assessment will discuss limitations to Black people entering these spaces, shown by the disproportionate numbers through historical context. I present a review of literature across a number of fields, including media and popular culture, education, identity research and public commentary of multiple political categories to develop conclusions about the type of leadership style utilized by Barack Obama. Examples from Obama’s presidency, critiques from others, and historical context are used to contextualize views and acceptance of race in political office.