Brief biography of barack obama
In , Barack Obama moved with his mother to Jakarta, where he lived for four years. At the age of 10, he returned to Hawaii to be raised by his maternal grandparents while his mother completed fieldwork in Indonesia. After finishing high school, Obama went on to study at Occidental College , where he gave his first public speech—a call for the school to divest from South Africa in protest of the country's system of apartheid.
In , Obama transferred to Columbia University, where he graduated with a degree in political science and English literature.
Biography of barack obama early life
In , Obama began studying at Harvard Law School. He became the first Black president of the Harvard Law Review in and spent his summers working at law firms in Chicago. He graduated magna cum laude in Obama married Michelle LaVaughn Robinson—a lawyer from Chicago he met while he was working in the city—on October 3, Together they have two children, Malia and Sasha.
In her memoir Becoming , Michelle Obama described their marriage as "a full-on merger, a reconfiguring of two lives into one, with the well-being of a family taking precedence over any one agenda or goal. He then moved to Chicago and became director of the Developing Communities Project.
Verity simmons biography of barack obama
After law school, Obama wrote his memoir, Dreams from My Father , which was widely acclaimed by critics and other writers, including Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison. Obama worked as a community organizer and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School for 12 years. He also worked as a lawyer during this same period. In , Obama made his foray into political life as a member of the Illinois State Senate.
He supported bipartisan efforts to improve health care and increase tax credits for child care. Obama was reelected to the State Senate in and again in In , Obama launched a campaign for U. He positioned himself as a progressive and an opponent of the Iraq War. As a senator, Obama served on five committees and chaired the European Affairs subcommittee.
He sponsored legislation to expand Pell grants, provide support for victims of Hurricane Katrina, improve the safety of consumer products, and reduce homelessness among veterans.
Biography of barack obama president: Through colorful Pictures and engaging storytelling, kids will discover how Obama's childhood in Hawaii and his experiences as a community organizer shaped his path to the White House. But this book isn't just about politics-it's about the values that guided Barack Obama throughout his life.
By now, Obama was a national figure and a rising star in the Democratic Party, having delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. Obama began his run for U. He was nominated after a very close primary race against key opponent Hillary Clinton , a former U. Obama chose then-Delaware Sen. Joe Biden to be his running mate.
The two campaigned on a platform of hope and change; Obama made ending the Iraq War and passing health care reform his primary issues. His campaign was notable for its digital strategy and fundraising efforts. Obama's main opponent in the presidential race was Republican Sen. John McCain. In the end, Obama won electoral votes and Within the first days of his presidency, Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of , a piece of legislation designed to address the worst effects of the Great Recession.
Leading economists broadly agreed that this stimulus spending helped reduce unemployment and avert further economic challenges. The legislation was designed to ensure that all Americans have access to affordable health insurance by subsidizing those who meet certain income requirements. At the time of its passage, the bill was quite controversial.
In fact, it came before the Supreme Court, which ruled in that it was not unconstitutional. By the end of , Obama had also added two new judges to the Supreme Court— Sonia Sotomayor , who was confirmed on August 6, , and Elena Kagan , who was confirmed on August 5, Both are members of the court's liberal wing. This was a major victory for Obama, winning him praise across party lines.
Obama launched his campaign for reelection in His main challenger was Republican Mitt Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts. On November 4, lines at polling stations around the nation heralded a historic turnout and resulted in a Democratic victory, with Obama capturing some Republican strongholds Virginia , Indiana and key battleground states Florida , Ohio that had been won by Republicans in recent elections.
We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you, we as a people will get there. To address the financial crisis he inherited, he passed a stimulus bill, bailed out the struggling auto industry and Wall Street, and gave working families a tax cut. In the foreign policy arena, Obama opened up talks with Cuba, Iran, and Venezuela and set a withdrawal date for American troops in Iraq.
No Americans were lost in the operation, which gathered evidence about Al-Qaeda. Barack Obama was re-elected for a second term in , beating out Republican Mitt Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan. The midterm elections proved challenging, as Republicans gained a majority in both houses of Congress. His second term was marked by several international events.
Verity simmons biography of barack obama full
In , Obama came out strongly against the use of chemical weapons on civilians by Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, avoiding a direct strike on Syria when al-Assad agreed to accept a Russian proposal that it relinquish its chemical weapons. Perhaps the defining moment of his international diplomacy was his work on the Iran Nuclear Deal , which allowed inspectors into Iran to ensure it was under the pledged limit of enriched uranium in return for lifting economic sanctions.
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Verity simmons biography of barack obama president
Congress when he sought the Democratic U. House seat in Illinois First District. He lost to incumbent Representative Bobby Rush by a margin of more than 2-to He was elected as the junior Senator from Illinois in November While serving as U. He resigned his seat in the U. Senate on November 16, Domestic policy decisions dominated the first Days of the Obama administration.
The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which encourages fair pay for all workers and established new methods of protesting unfair paychecks, was the first signed legislation of the administration. Grant Rutherford B. Hayes James A. Garfield Chester A. Roosevelt Harry S. Truman Dwight D. Eisenhower John F. Kennedy Lyndon B.
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