Has the Civil War Finally Been Won?

This op-ed article by Thomas Friedman from the New York Times may not be exactly along the lines of a feature article, but it provides a perspective of the 2008 election that dates far back in American History. Friedman suggests that Barack Obama's election as President of the United States marks the end of the Civil War, which began in 1861. The title of the article is "Finishing Our Work" and he discusses such civil rights movements as Brown vs. Board of Education and Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech. This election, though, was the necessary component in actually putting an end to the racial inequality that was fought for in the Civil War. Obama plans to name his inauguration speech "The rebirth of Freedom," in honor of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. He has been re-reading the works of Lincoln as President elect. It is clear to see that Obama is founding his ideals in those of past President's such as Lincoln and F.D.R. who had to work in the face of adversity to make a difference in a suffering country. Whether or not the Civil War has finally ended, as Friedman suggests, only time will tell. But, 147 years later, we're finally taking steps in the right direction.