Barack Obama

When Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States in November, 2008, he made history by becoming the country’s first African-American commander-in-chief.

Prior to being elected president Mr. Obama was a passionate community organizer in Chicago and a law professor at the University of Chicago. He was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996 and to the U.S. Senate in 2005. During his time in the senate Mr. Obama focused on healthcare, education, and foreign relations, but quickly set his sights on the Democratic presidential nomination. He defeated Senator Hilary Clinton, his only genuyine rival, in the Democratic primaries and he and Senator Joe Biden went on to run against Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin in one of the most extraordinary political dramas ever enacted.

A gifted orator, Mr. Obama’s messages of hope and change reinvigorated American politics and inspired the nation’s youth and people of color to head to the polls in record numbers. His victory signified a new era in American history. In his first year in office Mr. Obama faced significant challenges at home and abroad, including two wars and the worst econimoc crisis since the Great Depression, but still managed to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.