Tonight's highly anticipated address was the president's first speech to a traditional African American audience since taking office – causing a major level of expectation in the speech six months into his presidency.
"I stand of the shoulders of giants," Obama said of those who fought for civil rights it the past.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs down played the notion that tonight's speech is a first by the first African American U.S. president.
"I think the first speech to black America and the first speech to white America, the first speech to America was the inaugural address," Gibbs told reporters on Wednesday.
At last year's address candidate Obama promised the group that he would be back for their 100 year anniversary celebration as president.
"I will come back to you next year on that anniversary and I will stand before you as the president of the United States of America. And at that moment, you and I will truly know that a new day has come in this country we love."
The president's appearance was a homecoming of sorts to a community that has been lifted up by the election of the first African American president.
He told ABC's Ann Compton during a press conference in March that he recognizes the pride that African Americans have taken because of his election.
"Obviously at the inauguration I think that there was justifiable pride on the part of the country that we had taken a step to move us beyond some of the searing legacies of racial discrimination in this country," Obama said. "But that lasted about a day and, you know, right now the American people are judging me exactly the way I should be judged, and that is are we taking the steps to improve liquidity in the financial markets, create jobs, get businesses to reopen, keep America safe. And that's what I've been spending my time thinking about."
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