The changes brought by the digital technology of Bill Gates and the war on terror following September 11 had become firmly embedded in the United States and throughout an interconnected, globalized world. In 2008 a new concern emerged with the arrival of the worldwide Great Recession. At the same time, many Americans rallied behind the presidential candidacy of Barack Obama with renewed hope. Obama’s election reflected sweeping demographic changes in the United States and brought reform, but Obama’s victory did not eliminate the deep political and cultural divisions in the nation or eradicate pervasive economic and social inequality.