When it comes to politics, change can happen overnight. Just think, less than two years ago the big question on everyone’s mind was if Rudolph Giuliani would be able to beat Hilary Clinton in the presidential election. Then came Barack Obama’s huge lead in the polls over John McCain. At one point, people believed that John McCain’s choice for vice-president would be Mitt Romney, and then the country was introduced to Sarah Palin.

America does not need to wait around for Barack Obama to bring about change. The fact is that American politics change. Things change in the economy as well as in American society, without having to wait around for some political messiah to show you how to find the Promised Land.

Some significant changes in political history include:

• The Civil Rights Movement
  The Civil Rights Movement was a political movement for equality and the elimination of racial discrimination that occurred between 1955 and 1968. The movement brought popular rebellion and great civil unrest. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, banning racial, religious and national discrimination in public accommodations or employment.
• Voting age lowered to 18
  President Richard Nixon signed the 26^th Amendment, which lowered the minimum voting age to 18. The amendment was a response to student activism in protest of the Vietnam War, as well as the Supreme Courts overruling of the decision in Oregon vs. Mitchell.
• Anti-war activity
  One of the most important political changes occurred in the sixties when so many people opposed the Vietnam War. Political rallies were held around the nation’s capital, sparking a new breed of political activism.
• Women’s liberation
  A series of campaigns for reforms on a number of different issues, including domestic violence, reproductive rights, equal pay, sexual harassment, maternity leave, sexual violence and voting rights. Women’s liberation has brought forth a vast variety of cultural and social changes, impacting familial relations, gendered language, relationships and the presence of women in society.
• The demise of the draft
  Following the end of the Vietnam War in 1973, Congress did away with the military draft in favor of an Army that is made up solely of volunteers. The draft was abandoned primarily because of protests as well as the general belief that such a thing as the draft was utterly unfair. However, this was not the first time the draft faced opposition. In 1863 during the Civil War, riots occurred in New York City.

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