Of the numerous political titles out there throughout the world, perhaps the most prestigious is that of the United States President. She/he is often referred to as the leader of the free world. Of the numerous U.S. Presidents we have had since our countries conception perhaps no other person has been more trained and equipped with the tools necessary to lead and run a country broken due to deficits and recessionary times as President Barack Obama. Here is his story and how he rose from what many would call an average upbringing to being the leader of the United States and to many people around the world.
Childhood
Barack Hussein Obama II was born August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii. His mother, Ann Dunham, was an English woman and his father, Barack Obama Sr., of African descent. Obama’s father was actually from the country of Kenya. His parents divorced in 1964. After the divorce Obama’s father chose to return to Kenya. His mother remained in Hawaii for a period and remarried.
Ann married an Indonesian student named Lolo Soetoro. After political conditions changed in Lolo’s home country the family was forced to return to Indonesia by the new leader Suharto. For four years Obama would go to school there, which he would later say taught him a great deal about other cultures and cultural respect. At the age of ten Obama returned to Hawaii to live with his grandparents and attended a college prep school until high school graduation in 1979.
College and Early Career Life
A young Obama attended college in Los Angeles in the fall of 1979. Two years later he would transfer to Columbia University in New York where he majored in political science. He also specialized in international relations. In ’83 Obama graduated from Columbia with his B.A. A few years later Obama would find himself moving to Chicago to pursue work. He was hired as director of Developing Communities Project.
Five years after graduating college, however, Obama would decide to return to school. He entered Harvard Law School in 1988. He excelled not only in school, but also in extracurricular activities. His activities as president of the Harvard Law Review would actually lead to a book deal with a publisher. This book eventually ended up becoming a sort of personal memoir of Barack Obama’s life. The book was published in 1995, titled Dreams from My Father.
From law school Obama would join the law firm Davis, Miner, Barnhill, & Gallad. This law firm as it would turn out focused on civil rights litigation and economic development of neighborhoods that were under privileged. Obama remained an associate for three years. He would remain of counsel for eight more years until 2004. Obama also taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from the early ‘90’s-2004.
Early Political Career
From law and his political science background from school Barack would then turn his sights to bigger things. Obama decided to run for a seat as Senator. He successfully took his seat in 1996 and focused in on helping the poor and needy. Obama worked on welfare reform and sponsored a law that increased tax credits for low-income workers. Obama would serve three terms in the Illinois Senate.
Not everything Obama tried worked however. He unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000. He didn’t let this failure stop him though. Obama delivered a career-making speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. After a groundbreaking victory to the U.S. Senate in 2004 Barack Obama once again turned his sights even higher, this time it would be the slot of President of the United States that Obama would set his eyes on.
Political Career: Presidency
Barack Obama began his run for Presidency in February 2007. After defeating wife of former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Obama became the first African American to be nominated for a major party. This was not to be the only history Obama created though. After a close and brutal run against Republican hopefuls John McCain and Sarah Palin, Barack Obama and his running-mate Joe Biden would clinch victory in November 2008,making Obama the 44th President of the United States and Biden Vice President. On top of all of his other historic accomplishments President Barack Hussein Obama stands also as the only U.S. President of African American descent.
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