DENVER -- The acceptance speech by Barack Obama symbolizes the arc of civil rights in America over the past three generations.

At the 1924 Democratic convention, which nominated West Virginia's only presidential candidate John W. Davis, there was only one black delegate who was an alternate. And he allegedly had to be escorted from the floor to ensure his protection. Although that 1924 convention defeated a condemnation of the Ku Klux Klan by only one vote, the national image of the Democratic Party was that of a white man's party.

A generation later, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I have a dream" speech.

Barack Obama at the time was only 2 years old, and the number of black delegates at the 1960 convention had risen to only 22.

Now, exactly 45 years to the day since King spoke, Obama gave his acceptance speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The audience at the stadium Thursday not only heard a good speech, but also became eyewitnesses to political history.

When the roll call was started Wednesday, West Virginians saw a familiar face in the "Madame Secretary" who conducted the proceedings - Shenandoah resident Alice Travis Germond. As secretary of the Democratic National Committee, she is responsible for calling the roll at the convention for the nominations for president and vice president.

Before Germond called for the states to vote, Madeline Albright gave a speech supporting Obama. She served as President Bill Clinton's secretary of state and as Sen. Hillary Clinton's foreign policy adviser during the primary campaign. Tuesday, she sat with the West Virginia delegation in the same row as many of the state delegates. Apparently, it was one of the few empty seats in the center that the first woman secretary of state could find.

The night of nomination ended with a vote of acclamation for Obama's nomination offered by Hillary. All delegations had cast their votes at 4 p.m., well before the roll call vote. So the votes of the West Virginia delegates were cast and counted, but because the roll call was stopped, the Mountain State was one of many that did not get to announce the result.

The existence of a contingency plan in the voting procedure reflected the continued concern that some Clinton supporters would stand firm. But the careful ritual of public unity went off as planned, as Hillary had the opportunity to ask for a voice vote for her nomination rival.

These arrangements were known to the West Virginia delegation ahead of time. The delegates came to the convention meeting dressed in their yellow polo shirts - an attractive color that makes it easier to read the blue print on the shirts.

DENVER -- The acceptance speech by Barack Obama symbolizes the arc of civil rights in America over the past three generations.

At the 1924 Democratic convention, which nominated West Virginia's only presidential candidate John W. Davis, there was only one black delegate who was an alternate. And he allegedly had to be escorted from the floor to ensure his protection. Although that 1924 convention defeated a condemnation of the Ku Klux Klan by only one vote, the national image of the Democratic Party was that of a white man's party.

A generation later, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I have a dream" speech.

Barack Obama at the time was only 2 years old, and the number of black delegates at the 1960 convention had risen to only 22.

Now, exactly 45 years to the day since King spoke, Obama gave his acceptance speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The audience at the stadium Thursday not only heard a good speech, but also became eyewitnesses to political history.

When the roll call was started Wednesday, West Virginians saw a familiar face in the "Madame Secretary" who conducted the proceedings - Shenandoah resident Alice Travis Germond. As secretary of the Democratic National Committee, she is responsible for calling the roll at the convention for the nominations for president and vice president.

Before Germond called for the states to vote, Madeline Albright gave a speech supporting Obama. She served as President Bill Clinton's secretary of state and as Sen. Hillary Clinton's foreign policy adviser during the primary campaign. Tuesday, she sat with the West Virginia delegation in the same row as many of the state delegates. Apparently, it was one of the few empty seats in the center that the first woman secretary of state could find.

The night of nomination ended with a vote of acclamation for Obama's nomination offered by Hillary. All delegations had cast their votes at 4 p.m., well before the roll call vote. So the votes of the West Virginia delegates were cast and counted, but because the roll call was stopped, the Mountain State was one of many that did not get to announce the result.

The existence of a contingency plan in the voting procedure reflected the continued concern that some Clinton supporters would stand firm. But the careful ritual of public unity went off as planned, as Hillary had the opportunity to ask for a voice vote for her nomination rival.

These arrangements were known to the West Virginia delegation ahead of time. The delegates came to the convention meeting dressed in their yellow polo shirts - an attractive color that makes it easier to read the blue print on the shirts.

When the rules were suspended, the West Virginia delegation erupted along with the other 5,000 delegates in the arena. One of the delegates received a text message saying, "The delegation looks good. Now raise the roof."

It was ironic that Hillary would call for a suspension of rules to accommodate a vote by acclamation. During the last few weeks of the hard-fought contest, she was engaged in a rules debate over the seating of the Florida and Michigan delegations.

But Obama's narrow margin allowed this convention to become a coronation.

And it avoided repeating the nightmare of 1924 - the convention that nominated John W. Davis after more than 100 ballots.

Until the 1930s, nominated candidates went through the ritual of having a delegation come to their hometown and officially notify them. The notification ceremony reflected a time when candidates did not come to the convention and continued even after they did come.

Franklin Roosevelt broke that tradition when he became the first winning nominee to address a convention. In the summer of 1932, he arrived dramatically by plane from New York.

Obama's surprise entrance was less theatrical, but still dramatic. As he walked on the stage in casual attire, he praised his wife, the Clintons and his running mate, Joe Biden - each of whom told a compelling story and made a pitch for party unity.

On Thursday, Obama went to a stadium and had time to tell his story and make his pitch for party unity. His historic speech marked both the end of the 2008 Democratic convention and the start the 10-week sprint to the November general election.

Robert Rupp is a political historian at West Virginia Wesleyan College.