I was there by virtue of my press credentials, not as a delegate, but like most of those who crowded into what was then the Atlantic City Convention Center I failed to recognize what would eventually become a history-making event at that convention, an event which it can be said has now culminated with the nomination of Barack Obama as the Democratic standard bearer in Denver.

First a bit of background. For one thing the Atlantic City Convention Center in those days was not the Convention Center that most people know today. That one was opened in 1997. The original convention center is located next to Trump Plaza on the Boardwalk and is now known as Boardwalk Hall. Built in 1924, it was considered an engineering marvel, its main hall with its curved roof, built with no supporting pillars, was at that time the largest unobstructed room in the world.

Most people probably remember that Convention Center as the original site of the Miss America pageants in the days when Bert Parks hosted the televised show and accompanied the winner’s coronation stroll down the runway with a somewhat raspy rendition of "Here she comes, Miss America."

Throughout its long span as Atlantic City’s Convention Center the hall was the scene of literally thousands of conventions, exhibitions and shows, but none was probably as wild as the 1935 meeting of the American Federation of Labor during which John L. Lewis, the feisty head of the United Miner Workers Union, became so enraged by something William Hutcheson, president of the carpenter’s union, said that he later encountered Hutcheson in a hallway and decked him with a punch to the jaw. Following that convention Lewis organized the powerful CIO (Congress of Industrial Organizations) which eventually merged with the AFL in 1955.

But to get back to that Democratic convention in late August of 1964. It was possibly the most emotional political convention ever held. John F. Kennedy had been assassinated less than a year before and while the delegates knew they were there to nominate Lyndon Johnson, who as Kennedy’s vice president was now the incumbent, the first order of business was to pay tribute to the fallen president. That role fell to Robert Kennedy who was scheduled to deliver a few words as an introduction to a short film prepared to honor his brother’s memory. However, when Bobby Kennedy himself appeared on the podium the delegates and guests came to their feet and began a spontaneous, rhythmic applause that last for almost a half hour. When it finally died down Bobby Kennedy was in tears and had difficulty delivering his remarks.

That convention’s last impact, however, came from something that occurred during the official seating of the delegates, although no one, least of all me, realized that history was being made at the time. In fact, considering the somber atmosphere of the convention and the foregone conclusion of Johnson’s nomination, it’s probable that most delegates resented the controversy. The issue concerned the seating of the all-white, anti-civil rights delegation from Mississippi by a rival group which called itself the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP). The MFDP challenged the validity of the state’s official delegation on the basis that it had been elected at a primary conducted under Jim Crow laws which included polls taxes, literary tests and other requirements to effectively excluded blacks from voting. A number of leading liberals in the party sided with the MFDP and offered a compromise proposal which would provide the black delegation with two non-voting seats on the floor.

That proposal was rejected by the MFDP and its Vice Chair Fannie Lou Hamer, the granddaughter of slaves, who declared, "We didn’t come all the way up here to compromise for no more than we’ve gotten," a statement which resulted in many of her previous supporters calling her unreasonable.

Fannie Lou Hamer, however, saw her crusade succeed when in 1965, Lyndon Johnson, who went on to easily win election following that convention, signed the Voting Rights Act which outlawed discrimination and paved the way for Southern blacks to participate fully in elections.

And now, 44 years after the Democratic Party offered to compromise with a black delegation by offering it two non-voting seats, a Democratic Convention has nominated a black man for president. Fannie Lou Hamer died in 1977. If she can look down from heaven she must be smiling.