Hundreds of thousands of Americans poured into the nation’s capital to witness a day that will enter history: the day the United States’ first African-American President takes office.

The first black U.S. President would have probably preferred to take office at a better time. The nation is going through a very tough period. The colossal financial crisis and the two wars waged by the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan are surely giving Obama a lot to worry about.

However, despite these worrying issues, the hundreds of thousand of Americans who took Washington D.C. by storm have a sky-high level of enthusiasm about this event. It is not only the first change of administration since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, but, more important, Martin Luther King’s dream more than comes through today: America has its first black President.

Barack Obama, the nation's fourth youngest president, at 47, is expected to call on Americans to embrace a new culture of responsibility when he addressed the nation and the estimative two million people gathered in Washington for the event. It would actually be one of the largest gatherings in Washington's history, but incomparable with the tens of millions of Americans and foreigners who will watch the President’s historic inauguration address.

President Obama is expected to take oath outside the U.S. Capitol, which slaves helped build. The 44th U.S. President will swear on the bible that was used in 1861 at the inauguration of another president from Illinois who serves as an inspiration for Obama: Abraham Lincoln. The latter’s Emancipation Proclamation put an end to slavery in the United States.

Obama will hold his first speech as the United States President from a spot situated 2 miles from the Lincoln Memorial, where 45 years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. held a famous and inspirational speech known as “I have a dream” in which he urged America not to judge people by the color of their skin, but for their character.

Considering the historical importance of the moment, the expectations for Obama’s speech are tremendously high. As he did during his speech delivered from the pre-inaugural train journey from Philadelphia to Washington, Obama is expected to call upon American citizens to “adopt” a new declaration of independence against "ideology, small thinking, prejudice and bigotry."

Obama will have to carry a heavy burden left by the Bush administration, but most Americans think he can do it. Most polls show that U.S. citizens believe Obama is on track to turn the crumbling economy around and solve the problems of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.