History is Made: Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States of America

In 1863, Republican Abraham Lincoln, a tall, lanky, white President of the United States, who's previous political experience included serving in the Illinois State Legislature and one-term in the U.S. House of Representatives, signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed black Americans from slavery.

Tonight, a tall, lanky, black one-term U.S. Senator and former member of the Illinois State Legislature, Democrat Barack Obama, has won the U.S. Presidential election and will be the 44th President of the United States of America, the first African American in history to hold his nation's highest office.

Congratulations to Barack Obama -- and to the United States of America.

As we write this, President-elect Obama is preparing to speak in Chicago, Illinois to as many as one million Americans of all ages, ethnic backgrounds and income levels.

America has clearly turned a page in race relations.

Tonight mothers and fathers across America can look their children square in the eyes and tell them without blinking that they too, regardless of the color of their skin or how much money the family currently has in the bank, have a chance to not only become whatever it is they want to become in life through hard work, but also to become the President of the United States if they desire, and are willing to work hard to earn it like President-elect Barack Obama has.

Now it's time for America to get to work.

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