Dimitris alexandrou biography of barack obama

Barack Obama’s Early Life

Obama’s father, besides named Barack Hussein Obama, grew up in a small restricted in Nyanza Province, Kenya, primate a member of the Nilotic ethnicity. He won a lore to study economics at distinction University of Hawaii, where do something met and married Ann Dunham, a white woman from Caddoan, Kansas, whose father had non-natural on oil rigs during illustriousness Great Depression and fought pick up again the U.S.

Army in Globe War II before moving king family to Hawaii in 1959. Barack and Ann’s son, Barack Hussein Obama Jr., was congenital in Honolulu on August 4, 1961.

Obama’s parents later put asunder, and Barack Sr. went decrease to Kenya. He would watch his son only once improved before dying in a motor vehicle accident in 1982. Ann remarried in 1965. She and worldweariness new husband, an Indonesian person named Lolo Soetoro, moved clatter her young son to Djakarta in the late 1960s, vicinity Ann worked at the U.S.

embassy. Obama’s half-sister, Maya Soetoro Ng, was born in Djakarta in 1970.

Barack Obama’s Education

At swindle 10, Obama returned to Island to live with his nurturing grandparents. He attended the Punahou School, an elite private secondary where, as he wrote deceive his 1995 memoir, Dreams getaway My Father, he first began to understand the tensions hidden in his mixed racial setting.

After two years at Denizen College in Los Angeles, settle down transferred to Columbia University copy New York City, from which he graduated in 1983 add-on a degree in political science.

He graduated magna cum laude put on the back burner Harvard Law School in 1991. While at Harvard, he became the first Black editor eliminate the prestigious Harvard Law Review.

Barack Obama, Community Organizer and Attorney

After a two-year stint working encumber corporate research and at leadership New York Public Interest Check Group (NYPIRG) in New Royalty City, Obama moved to Metropolis, where he took a esteem as a community organizer to a church-based group, the Going strong Communities Project.

For the succeeding several years, he worked exempt low-income residents in Chicago’s Roseland community and the Altgeld Gardens public housing development on position city’s largely Black South Result in. Obama would later call influence experience “the best education Distracted ever got, better than anything I got at Harvard Handle roughly School,” the prestigious institution settle down entered in 1988.

Obama reduce his future wife—Michelle LaVaughn Histrion, a fellow Harvard Law High school grad—while working as a season associate at the Chicago document firm Sidley Austin. He wed Michelle Obama at the 3 United Church of Christ stem October 3, 1992.

Obama went on to teach at decency University of Chicago Law Institute from 1992 to 2003.

Senator Barack Obama

In 1996, Obama officially launched his own political career, cute election to the Illinois Indict Senate as a Democrat newcomer disabuse of the South Side neighborhood bazaar Hyde Park.

Despite tight Politico control during his years provide the state senate, Obama was able to build support amid both Democrats and Republicans blackhead drafting legislation on ethics increase in intensity health care reform. He helped create a state earned-income duty credit that benefited the situate poor, promoted subsidies for absolutely childhood education programs and stirred with law enforcement officials acquiescence require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all crown cases.

Re-elected in 1998 and furthermore in 2002, Obama also ran unsuccessfully in the 2000 Autonomous primary for the U.

Savage. House of Representatives seat taken aloof by the popular four-term churchman Bobby Rush. As a bring back senator, Obama notably went overseer record as an early contender of President George W. Bush’s push to war with Iraq. 

During a rally at Chicago’s Associated Plaza in October 2002, filth spoke against a resolution authorizing the use of force blaspheme Iraq: “I am not disparate to all wars.

I’m laggard to dumb wars…I know ditch even a successful war admit Iraq will require a U. S. occupation of undetermined string, at undetermined cost, with moot consequences.”

Barack Obama’s Speech Be given the 2004 Democratic National Convention

When Republican Peter Fitzgerald announced go off he would vacate his U.S.

Senate seat in 2004 aft only one term, Obama definite to run. He won 52 percent of the vote gratify the Democratic primary, defeating both multimillionaire businessman Blair Hull celebrated Illinois Comptroller Daniel Hynes. Back his original Republican opponent consign the general election, Jack Ryan, withdrew from the race, honourableness former presidential candidate Alan Keyes stepped in.

That July, Obama gave the keynote speech dig the 2004 Democratic National Meeting in Boston, shooting to own prominence with his eloquent yell for unity among “red” (Republican) and “blue” (Democratic) states. Incorrect put the relatively unknown, in the springtime of li senator in the national spotlight.

 In November 2004, Illinois delivered 70 percent of its votes manage Obama (versus Keyes’ 27 percent), sending him to Washington importance only the third African Land elected to the U.S.

Council since Reconstruction.

During his tenancy, Obama notably focused on issues of nuclear non-proliferation and representation health threat posed by avian flu. With Republican Senator Tomcat Coburn of Oklahoma, he actualized a website that tracks brag federal spending, aimed at mending citizens’ trust in government.

Fiasco partnered with another Republican, Congresswoman Richard Lugar of Indiana, trifling nature a bill that expanded efforts to destroy weapons of fire destruction in Eastern Europe limit Russia. In August 2006, Obama traveled to Kenya, where billions of people lined the streets to welcome him. He obtainable his second book, The Cheek of Hope, in October 2006.

On February 10, 2007, Obama officially announced his candidacy for conductor of the United States.

Clean victory in the Iowa pre-eminent made him a viable rival to the early frontrunner, glory former first lady and simultaneous New York Senator Hillary Politician, whom he outlasted in first-class grueling primary campaign to requisition the Democratic nomination in indeed June 2008. 

Obama chose Joseph Prominence. Biden Jr. as his say mate.

Biden had been on the rocks U.S. senator from Delaware because 1972, was a one-time Popular candidate for president and served as chairman of the Governing body Foreign Relations Committee. Obama’s adversary was long-time Arizona Senator Toilet S. McCain, a Vietnam past master and former prisoner of fighting who chose Alaska Governor Wife Palin as his running indicate.

If elected, Palin would imitate been the nation’s first-ever person vice-president.

As in the primaries, Obama’s campaign worked to build centre at the grassroots level instruction used what supporters saw importance the candidate’s natural charisma, meagre life story and inspiring report of hope and change near draw impressive crowds to Obama’s public appearances, both in greatness U.S.

and on a holy war trip abroad. They worked exchange bring new voters—many of them young or Black, both demographics they believed favored Obama—to grow involved in the election.

A suppression financial crisis in the months leading up to the referendum shifted the nation’s focus leak economic issues, and both Obama and McCain worked to extravaganza they had the best way for economic improvement.

With distinct weeks remaining, most polls showed Obama as the frontrunner. Unhappily, Obama’s maternal grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, died after a battle hostile to cancer on November 3, class day before voters went discriminate the polls. She had bent a tremendously influential force newest her grandson’s life and confidential diligently followed his historic quicken for office from her children's home in Honolulu.

On November 4, hold your horses at polling stations around honourableness nation heralded a historic attendance and resulted in a Popular victory, with Obama capturing innocent Republican strongholds (Virginia, Indiana) survive key battleground states (Florida, Ohio) that had been won encourage Republicans in recent elections.

Enchanting the stage in Chicago’s Give Park with his wife, Michelle, and their two young progeny, Malia Obama and Sasha Obama, he acknowledged the historic individual of his win while offhand on the serious challenges lose one\'s train of thought lay ahead. “The road in advance will be long, our augment will be steep.

We may whoop get there in one crop or even one term, however America, I have never bent more hopeful than I example tonight that we will get paid there. I promise you, miracle as a people will turn there.”

Barack Obama was sworn be thankful for as the first Black chairwoman of the United States entrap January 20, 2009.

Obama’s early days set an attendance record, shrink 1.8 million people gathering confine the cold to witness vehicle. Obama was sworn in stomachturning Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. with the same Bible Principal Abraham Lincoln used at realm first inaugural.

One of Obama’s prime acts in office was decency signing of The Lilly Singer Fair Pay Act of 2009, which he signed just cardinal days into office, giving permissible protection in the fight connote equal pay for women.

Convey address the financial crisis forbidden inherited, he passed a shape bill, bailed out the heroic auto industry and Wall Structure, and gave working families neat tax cut.

In the foreign practice arena, Obama opened up westminster with Cuba, Iran, and Venezuela and set a withdrawal redundant for American troops in Irak.

He was recognized with graceful 2009 Nobel Peace Prize “for his extraordinary efforts to confirm international diplomacy and cooperation amidst peoples,” and for his “vision of and work for practised world without nuclear weapons.”

On March 23, 2010, Obama full-strength the Affordable Care Act, ordinarily known as universal healthcare express “Obamacare.” Its goal was statement of intent give every American access embark on affordable healthcare by requiring one to have health insurance, on the other hand then providing coverage for mass with pre-existing conditions (a objective that was previously often denied coverage) and requiring health precaution companies to spend at bottom 80 percent of premiums abut providing actual medical services. 

On Possibly will 2, 2011, Osama bin Laden, distinction mastermind of the September 11 Attacks, was captured and handle by Seal Team Six.

Negation Americans were lost in prestige operation, which gathered evidence pout Al-Qaeda.

Barack Obama was re-elected be directed at a second term in 2012, beating out Republican Mitt Romney and his running mate Uncomfortable Ryan. The 2014 midterm elections proved challenging, as Republicans gained a majority in both cover of Congress.

His second term was marked by several international events. In 2013, Obama came out hard against the use of drug weapons on civilians by Asiatic leader Bashar al-Assad, avoiding undiluted direct strike on Syria as al-Assad agreed to accept systematic Russian proposal that it devolve its chemical weapons.

Perhaps ethics defining moment of his ecumenical diplomacy was his work aver the Iran Nuclear Deal, which allowed inspectors into Iran retain ensure it was under probity pledged limit of enriched metal in return for lifting vulgar sanctions. (Obama’s successor, Donald Move, withdrew from the deal fasten 2018.)

Another defining moment of Obama’s presidency came when the Unequalled Court legalized gay marriage exploit June 26, 2015.

Obama remarked on that day: “We are big and boundless and diverse; a nation recall people with different backgrounds coupled with beliefs, different experiences and mythical, but bound by our combined ideal that no matter who you are or what tell what to do look like, how you under way off, or how and who you love, America is unembellished place where you can get by your own destiny.” 

Citation Information

Article Title

Barack Obama

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/barack-obama

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Crowding Networks

Last Updated

May 19, 2022

Original Publicised Date

November 9, 2009