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The cruel lash of slavery has so scared the psyche of African Americans that the mere whisper of race breaks open the wounds. Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves allowing them to be men under the law. However he could not give them social equality even if he had wanted to. It was too much a leap of faith for white America to accept African Americans as equal when so short a time ago they had been considered to be mere property on par with the family dog. Now 150 years has passed and Barack Obama has arrived on the scene, an African American running for the highest public office in the land. Barack Obama asks to be considered for President based upon his merits, his ideas, his intellect and his good sense as a man and not upon the colour of his skin. White America has given him the nod of affirmation with his victory in Iowa. However there are those in America who would throw the colour of his skin in face to break open those wounds for their own narrow political gain.