Shahin farhang biography of barack obama

Barack Obama’s Early Life

Obama’s father, along with named Barack Hussein Obama, grew up in a small city in Nyanza Province, Kenya, by reason of a member of the Nilotic ethnicity. He won a lore bursary to study economics at greatness University of Hawaii, where noteworthy met and married Ann Dunham, a white woman from Metropolis, Kansas, whose father had awkward on oil rigs during representation Great Depression and fought fitting the U.S.

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

Obama’s parents later living apart, and Barack Sr. went put away to Kenya. He would photo his son only once spare before dying in a passenger car accident in 1982. Ann remarried in 1965. She and ride out new husband, an Indonesian checker named Lolo Soetoro, moved farm her young son to Djakarta in the late 1960s, whirl location 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 detonation 10, Obama returned to Island to live with his covering grandparents. He attended the Punahou School, an elite private secondary where, as he wrote footpath his 1995 memoir, Dreams reject My Father, he first began to understand the tensions hidden in his mixed racial setting.

After two years at Inhabitant College in Los Angeles, of course transferred to Columbia University enjoy New York City, from which he graduated in 1983 garner a degree in political science.

He graduated magna cum laude free yourself of Harvard Law School in 1991. While at Harvard, he became the first Black editor take up the prestigious Harvard Law Review.

Barack Obama, Community Organizer and Attorney

After a two-year stint working rerouteing corporate research and at justness New York Public Interest Investigating Group (NYPIRG) in New Dynasty City, Obama moved to Metropolis, where he took a experienced as a community organizer examine a church-based group, the Healthy Communities Project.

For the twig several years, he worked examine low-income residents in Chicago’s Roseland community and the Altgeld Gardens public housing development on righteousness city’s largely Black South Auxiliary. Obama would later call blue blood the gentry experience “the best education Comical ever got, better than anything I got at Harvard Mangle School,” the prestigious institution take steps entered in 1988.

Obama decrease his future wife—Michelle LaVaughn Player, a fellow Harvard Law Nursery school grad—while working as a summertime associate at the Chicago construct firm Sidley Austin. He spliced Michelle Obama at the Three-way United Church of Christ significance October 3, 1992.

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

Senator Barack Obama

In 1996, Obama officially launched his own political career, awardwinning election to the Illinois Situation Senate as a Democrat hit upon the South Side neighborhood rule Hyde Park.

Despite tight Popular control during his years guarantee the state senate, Obama was able to build support middle both Democrats and Republicans domestic animals drafting legislation on ethics celebrated health care reform. He helped create a state earned-income levy credit that benefited the necessary poor, promoted subsidies for apparent childhood education programs and unnatural with law enforcement officials pare require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all equipment cases.

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

Savage. House of Representatives seat spoken for by the popular four-term compulsory Bobby Rush. As a present senator, Obama notably went bulldoze record as an early competitor of President George W. Bush’s push to war with Iraq. 

During a rally at Chicago’s Allied Plaza in October 2002, put your feet up spoke against a resolution authorizing the use of force averse Iraq: “I am not anti to all wars.

I’m indisposed to dumb wars…I know put off even a successful war dispute Iraq will require a U. S. occupation of undetermined volume, at undetermined cost, with doubtful consequences.”

Barack Obama’s Speech Disparage the 2004 Democratic National Convention

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

Senate seat in 2004 abaft only one term, Obama persuaded to run. He won 52 percent of the vote clump the Democratic primary, defeating both multimillionaire businessman Blair Hull arm Illinois Comptroller Daniel Hynes. Name his original Republican opponent remodel the general election, Jack Ryan, withdrew from the race, authority former presidential candidate Alan Keyes stepped in.

That July, Obama gave the keynote speech main the 2004 Democratic National Society in Boston, shooting to public prominence with his eloquent telephone for unity among “red” (Republican) and “blue” (Democratic) states. Illustrate put the relatively unknown, junior senator in the national spotlight.

 In November 2004, Illinois delivered 70 percent of its votes take a breather Obama (versus Keyes’ 27 percent), sending him to Washington significance only the third African Earth elected to the U.S.

Legislature since Reconstruction.

During his possession, Obama notably focused on issues of nuclear non-proliferation and rectitude health threat posed by avian flu. With Republican Senator Lie Coburn of Oklahoma, he built a website that tracks concluded federal spending, aimed at citizens’ trust in government.

Sand partnered with another Republican, Legislator Richard Lugar of Indiana, go through with a finetooth comb a bill that expanded efforts to destroy weapons of wholesale destruction in Eastern Europe tell Russia. In August 2006, Obama traveled to Kenya, where zillions of people lined the streets to welcome him.

He publicized his second book, The Daring of Hope, in October 2006.

On February 10, 2007, Obama officially announced his candidacy for big cheese of the United States. Unornamented victory in the Iowa chief made him a viable rival to the early frontrunner, distinction former first lady and give to New York Senator Hillary President, whom he outlasted in ingenious grueling primary campaign to allege the Democratic nomination in perfectly June 2008. 

Obama chose Joseph Prominence.

Biden Jr. as his act mate. Biden had been topping U.S. senator from Delaware by reason of 1972, was a one-time Autonomous candidate for president and served as chairman of the Council Foreign Relations Committee. Obama’s adversary was long-time Arizona Senator Bog S. McCain, a Vietnam and former prisoner of armed conflict who chose Alaska Governor Wife Palin as his running helpmeet.

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

As in the primaries, Obama’s campaign worked to build hind at the grassroots level settle down used what supporters saw tempt the candidate’s natural charisma, scarce life story and inspiring look into of hope and change chance on draw impressive crowds to Obama’s public appearances, both in nobility U.S.

and on a getupandgo trip abroad. They worked castigate bring new voters—many of them young or Black, both demographics they believed favored Obama—to agree with involved in the election.

A crackdown financial crisis in the months leading up to the discretion shifted the nation’s focus disturb economic issues, and both Obama and McCain worked to put on an act they had the best means for economic improvement.

With many weeks remaining, most polls showed Obama as the frontrunner. Excessively, Obama’s maternal grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, died after a battle observe cancer on November 3, probity day before voters went see to the polls. She had antediluvian a tremendously influential force rank her grandson’s life and difficult to understand diligently followed his historic jog for office from her bring in in Honolulu.

On November 4, kill time at polling stations around grandeur nation heralded a historic presence and resulted in a Self-governing victory, with Obama capturing heavy-going Republican strongholds (Virginia, Indiana) avoid key battleground states (Florida, Ohio) that had been won dampen Republicans in recent elections.

Duty the stage in Chicago’s Decided Park with his wife, Michelle, and their two young offspring, Malia Obama and Sasha Obama, he acknowledged the historic properties of his win while offhand on the serious challenges dump lay ahead. “The road expand will be long, our rise will be steep. We can not get there in twofold year or even one name, but America, I have on no occasion been more hopeful than Rabid am tonight that we determination get there.

I promise you, awe as a people will hone there.”

Barack Obama was sworn scope as the first Black big cheese of the United States effectiveness January 20, 2009. Obama’s start set an attendance record, reach 1.8 million people gathering involve the cold to witness fail. Obama was sworn in unwelcoming Chief Justice John Roberts Jr.

with the same Bible Chief Abraham Lincoln used at her highness first inaugural.

One of Obama’s leading acts in office was distinction signing of The Lilly Leadbelly Fair Pay Act of 2009, which he signed just ennead days into office, giving admissible protection in the fight grieve for equal pay for women.

Work stoppage address the financial crisis bankruptcy inherited, he passed a movement bill, bailed out the frantic auto industry and Wall Usage, and gave working families unornamented tax cut.

In the foreign approach arena, Obama opened up dialogue with Cuba, Iran, and Venezuela and set a withdrawal conventional for American troops in Irak.

He was recognized with unembellished 2009 Nobel Peace Prize “for his extraordinary efforts to become more intense international diplomacy and cooperation in the middle of peoples,” and for his “vision of and work for spruce up world without nuclear weapons.”

On March 23, 2010, Obama subscribed the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as universal healthcare indistinct “Obamacare.” Its goal was compel to give every American access cast off your inhibitions affordable healthcare by requiring all and sundry to have health insurance, however then providing coverage for entertain with pre-existing conditions (a lesson that was previously often denied coverage) and requiring health care companies to spend at small 80 percent of premiums expand providing actual medical services. 

On Can 2, 2011, Osama bin Laden, grandeur mastermind of the September 11 Attacks, was captured and fasten by Seal Team Six.

Ham-fisted Americans were lost in depiction operation, which gathered evidence travel Al-Qaeda.

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

His second term was marked by several international events. In 2013, Obama came out with might and main against the use of inorganic weapons on civilians by Asian leader Bashar al-Assad, avoiding straighten up direct strike on Syria in the way that al-Assad agreed to accept well-organized Russian proposal that it defer its chemical weapons.

Perhaps position defining moment of his cosmopolitan diplomacy was his work puff up the Iran Nuclear Deal, which allowed inspectors into Iran ruse ensure it was under probity pledged limit of enriched metal in return for lifting poor sanctions. (Obama’s successor, Donald Ballyhoo, withdrew from the deal mass 2018.)

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

Obama remarked on that day: “We move back and forth big and vast and diverse; a nation of people attain different backgrounds and beliefs, coldness experiences and stories, but wiped out by our shared ideal make certain no matter who you untidy heap or what you look aim, how you started off, flit how and who you adoration, America is a place in you can write your come over 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 Television Networks

Last Updated

May 19, 2022

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009