When Barack Obama took the oath of office to become the president of the United States Tuesday afternoon, he became the first African American president to be elected to the office and proved to many that the work of leaders such as  Martin Luther King Jr., who was honored one day earlier, was not in vein.

The symbolism and connection between the two days, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Inaugural Tuesday, simply could not be ignored during the inaugural process. Obama did not ignore it, and neither did much of America.

Estimated crowds of more than one million people from across the country packed Washington, D.C. to watch the 44th president take his oath. Those in Raleigh who could not make the trip to the capital watched the inauguration wherever they could. Citizens watched the inauguration in dorm rooms and apartments, in coffee shops and in restaurants, in Witherspoon Cinema and even live on the Internet. The 44th inauguration ceremony truly transformed into a national event that drew everyone in, regardless of race, gender or political point of view.

After Obama took his oath and officially became the leader of the nation, he spoke to the crowd assembled on the National Mall and told them about how he planned to move America forward in meeting the challenges facing the country. He spoke of the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He talked about national security and told the crowd about how important fixing America’s economy would be during his presidency. Obama admitted to all present that the challenges he faces as he enters his term are ‘many.’ But he assured the crowd that the challenges ‘will be met.’