Presidential hopeful Barack Obama will deliver the biggest speech of his life tonight, as he makes history by accepting the Democratic Party's nomination to become the first African American candidate for president on a major party ticket. 45 years to the day after Martin Luther King Jr. declared, "I Have a Dream," Obama will be the focus of an audience of 75,000 in Denver and millions around the world.
The Illinois Senator will cap his party's 4-day convention, a gathering that stressed unity, change, and hope for the future - all key tenants of Obama's campaign. There was some concern at the convention regarding the lingering divisions in the Democratic Party following the defeat of Hillary Clinton in the primary by Barack Obama. However, the New York Senator made her support for Obama clear, erasing much of the tension Tuesday.
Wednesday evening, with the help of a plea from his former rival, Barack Obama officially clinched the Democratic presidential nomination.
Former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., took to the floor of the Democratic National Convention and offered a motion to nominate Obama by acclamation, ending a traditional roll call of states that started earlier in the afternoon.
"With eyes firmly fixed on the future, in the spirit of unity, with the goal of victory, with faith in our party and our country, lets declare together with one voice, right here, right now that Barack Obama is our candidate and he will be our president," Clinton said.
However, Obama - who has appeared through live video feed at the conference - will now take to the stage himself. He joined the conference Monday through live video following a speech by his wife, Michelle Obama, and an appearance by their daughters. HE also made a brief surprise appearance following Biden's speech Wednesday.
His appearance Thursday will close out the convention and officially kick of the campaign in earnest. It will be the second time he has given a keynote speech at a convention. Only four years earlier, in 2004, Obama delivered a rousing speech at the Democratic National Convention.
Much has changed in the four years since, and Obama along with Delaware Senator Joe Biden as his running mate will hit the campaign trail running following the convention. His rival in the race for the White House, Arizona Senator John McCain, will attempt to steal some of Obama's momentum coming off the convention Friday by announcing his Vice Presidential pick.
Next week, the focus will be on McCain and his fellow Republicans, as the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota kicks off Monday. Following the conventions, the candidates have a few weeks to hit the campaign trail before meeting face to face for the first time on September 26th, when they begin a trio of debates leading up to the November election.
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