Barack Obama took office as the first black president of the United States – a proud moment for many Americans. Obama’s election represented another advance in the slow but steady progress blacks have made in recent decades in gaining a greater foothold in political leadership, particularly in the U.S. House of Representatives and in the Cabinets of recent presidents. But they have procrastinated in the Senate and in governorships. While African-American politicians have held office on the local and state level since Alexander Twilight was elected to the Vermont state legislature in 1836, race discrimination and laws prohibiting African-Americans from voting limited the number of Blacks holding office until the 20th century. Since then many great African-Americans politicians have made their mark on shaping American history and public policy.
The significance of the 1893 World's Colombian Exhibition in regards to ragtime was that it was the first time large numbers of Americans were exposed to the style.
