DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION 2008 Party gives Obama a place in history | Charlotte Observer

Barack Obama stepped triumphantly into history Wednesday night, the first black American to win a major party presidential nomination, as thousands of Democrats transformed their convention hall into a joyful, shouting celebration.

Former rival Hillary Clinton asked delegates to make their verdict unanimous “in the spirit of unity, with the goal of victory.” And they did, with a roar.

Competing chants of “Obama” and “Yes we can” surged from the convention floor. Later, Obama made an unscheduled appearance on stage, hugging his running mate, Joe Biden, and making brief remarks.

Obama's nomination Wednesday and his acceptance speech tonight are especially meaningful to many black Democrats, who weren't sure they'd live to see the day when an African American could rise to the nation's highest office. Read the stories of three such Democrats from the Carolinas, on 9A.