Racial tensions are a major problem in today's society. Barack Obama, the first elected African-American president, led America through cultural evolution. As the diversity of our country grows each day, it is important for citizens to recognize evolving racial tensions across the country. Racial tensions have always existed, especially here in the South, but they have particularly changed under Obama's presidency. Racial tensions have evolved in both positive and negative ways, affecting everyone in the United States. I will illustrate this by explaining the origins of racial tension, positive changes in racial tension, and negative changes in racial tension. Racial tensions have always been present in America and the origins of racial tensions can be traced back to the days of the English settlers. arrived in America in 1607. The settlers first came to America to find gold, but then decided to stay and build colonies. They were not qualified to farm and survive in an unfamiliar region like North America, and many of their people died quickly after arriving in America. The Powhatan Native American tribe, compassionate towards the newcomers, therefore helped them by letting them live in certain villages and also by feeding them (Tacay, Schupman). These passive relationships did not last very long because after the Powhatan tribe let them into their lives, the English settlers took advantage and began taking over their land. They ransacked villages for food and began to occupy more and more Indian land, they even killed women and children to do so (Tacay, Schupman). This caused much heartache and hostility between the Native Americans and the “white men.” This began to damage relationships such... middle of paper ...... votes from the African American community greatly affected the elections for Obama's presidency. “The Labor History of Mexican Immigrants.” The border. PBS and Web. April 26, 2014.Sojka. “The Impact of Obama on the Composition of Congress.” Race, Gender, and Class 20 (2013): 78-92. Print. Laura Sojka is a PhD/MPA student and graduate teaching assistant at the University of Alabama, where she is currently completing her degree in political science. In this article, Sojka aims to show how presidential candidate Obama broke racial barriers and explores the idea that Congress is beginning to become more diverse. This means that the composition of Congress is changing. “Slavery in America”. History.com. A&E Television Networks, and Web. April 27, 2014. Tayac, Schupman. “2.2 Colonial Relations between Indians and Whites”. Colonial relations between Indians and whites. Np, and Web. April 27. 2014.