What happened at this time in US history?

While true at the time, the flag was removed in June 2015 after a racially-motivated mass shooting that took place in the capital.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btJODF-Z1oA

This now famous speech was originally delivered during Obama's campaign for the 2008 Democratic Party presidential nomination. While it was given in response to criticism over his association with the controversial pastor Jeremiah Wright, the speech more broadly serves to locate his historic campaign within the arc of US history.