The White House--Then and Now

Last night Lyn and I were having a hard time finding anything to watch on TV.  We wound up watching a wonderful program about The White House.  It was a great HD tour of the mansion with some amazing photos and historical footage. (The picture above is said to be the very first photograph made of the White House, taken in 1846.)

One of the things that really moved me in watching it was the section on its original construction.  It was built almost entirely by slave labor.  It struck me as unbelievably poignant and ironic that in a mere nine days, an African-American family will be moving into that beautiful space--not to serve at the pleasure of the President, but AS the presidential family. Remarkable.

And then the thought hit me . . . if all the hooplah and speculation about Obama's birthplace actually being Kenya rather than Hawaii ultimately were proven to be true, it might be historical justice. Granted, it technically would be contrary to a Constitutional proviso; however, when one considers that most of the framers of the Constitution were themselves slave-owners or were in agreement with the practice, would such an infraction REALLY be all that big a deal?  

On January 20, history will once again be profoundly made.  Although I didn't vote for our new president, I am nevertheless in awe of the historical circumstances, and am thrilled to be alive at this amazing time.