Did Obama become president because he was black?

Answer 1

Many reasons.

1. The majority of America was ready for a Black president.
2. Many people before had advanced the African American cause before him. This included steps such as banning slavery, the right to enfranchisement (vote), banning segregation, decriminalizing mixed-race marriages, and the right to run for office.
3. Enough of America judged Obama based on his merits rather than his race.
4. Obama ran as a candidate who happened to be black, as opposed to a black candidate, eg Jessie Jackson.

Answer 2

No, not really. Although the fact that he became the first black president was inspiring to many people, there were a number of factors that contributed to Mr. Obama getting elected. He was young and charismatic (as opposed to John McCain, who was seen as old, and was not a very good public speaker); he was a total departure from eight years of the Bush administration (McCain was often regarded as someone who would continue those increasingly unpopular policies); and he offered a vision for America that was very hopeful, at a time when Americans were feeling a growing sense of frustration about the direction of the country. Mr. Obama was an inspirational and dynamic speaker, and even his political enemies had to admit he was very popular, especially with younger voters. All of those elements, in addition to his race (which certainly did make him unique in the annals of American presidential history), led to his victory in the 2008 election.

Answer 3

Yes, but this was only one of the reasons he was elected. Being Black alone is never enough to get someone elected, otherwise Jesse Jackson would have become president.