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BARACK
OBAMA
BY ANJANI MALLI REDDI
SYN
OPSIS
Born on August 4, 1961,
in Honolulu, Hawaii, Barack Obama is the
44th and current president of the United
States. He was a civil-
rights lawyer and teacher before pursuing
a political career. He was
elected to the Illinois
State Senate in 1996,
serving from 1997 to
2004.
SYN
OPSIS
1
He was elected to the
U.S. presidency in 2008. President Obama continues to
enact policy changes
in response to the issues of health care
and economic crisis.
Barack Hussein Obama was born on August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
SYN
OPSIS
2
His mother, Ann Dunham,
grew up in Wichita, Kansas, where her father
worked on oil rigs during
the Great Depression.
After the Japanese attack
on Pearl Harbor, Dunham's
father, Stanley, enlisted in
the service and marched
across Europe in Patton's
army. Dunham's mother,
Madelyn, went to work on
a bomber assembly line.
SYN
OPSIS
3
After the war, the couple studied on the
G.I. Bill, bought a house through the Federal Housing Program and, after several moves, landed
in Hawaii.
EA
RLY
LIF
E
Barack Obama's father,
Barack Obama Sr., was
born of Luo ethnicity in
Nyanza Province, Kenya. Obama Sr. grew
up herding goats in Africa, eventually earning a scholarship
that allowed him to leave Kenya and pursue his dreams of
college in Hawaii.
EA
RLY
LIF
E 1
While studying at the
University of Hawaii in
Manoa, Obama Sr. met
fellow student Ann Dunham, and they married on February 2,
1961. Barack was born
six months later.
EA
RLY
LIF
E 2
Obama did not have a
relationship with his father
as a child. When his son
was still an infant, Obama
Sr. relocated to Massachusetts to attend
Harvard University, pursuing a Ph.D. Barack's
parents officially separated
several months later and
ultimately divorced in
March 1964, when their
son was 2. In 1965, Obama
Sr. returned to Kenya.
EA
RLY
LIF
E 3
In 1965, Dunham married
Lolo Soetoro, an East–West
Center student from
Indonesia. A year later, the
family moved to Jakarta,
Indonesia, where Barack's
half-sister, Maya Soetoro
Ng, was born. Several
incidents in Indonesia left
Dunham afraid for her son's
safety and education so, at
the age of 10, Barack was
sent back to Hawaii to live
with his maternal grandparents.
EXC
ELL
ING
IN
SC
HO
OL
While living with his grandparents, Obama
enrolled in the esteemed
Punahou Academy, excelling in basketball
and graduating with
academic honors in 1979. As one of only
three black students at
the school, Obama became conscious of
racism and what it meant
to be African-American.
EXC
ELL
ING
IN
SC
HO
OL
1
He later described how he
struggled to reconcile social
perceptions of his multiracial
heritage with his own sense of
self: "I began to notice there
was nobody like me in the
Sears, Roebuck Christmas
catalog ... and that Santa was
a white man," he said. "I went
to the bathroom and stood in
front of the mirror with all my
senses and limbs seemingly
intact, looking the way I had
always looked, and wondered
if something was wrong with
me."
EXC
ELL
ING
IN
SC
HO
OL
2
Obama also struggled
with the absence of his father, who he saw
only once more after
his parents divorced,
when Obama Sr. visited Hawaii for a short time in 1971.
EXC
ELL
ING
IN
SC
HO
OL
3
"[My father] had left
paradise, and nothing
that my mother or grandparents told me
could obviate that single, unassailable fact," he later reflected. "They couldn't describe what
it might have been like
had he stayed."
EXC
ELL
ING
IN
SC
HO
OL
4
Ten years later, in 1981,
tragedy struck Obama Sr. He was involved in a serious car
accident, losing both of
his legs as a result. Confined to a wheelchair,
he also lost his job. In
1982, Obama Sr. was
involved in yet another
car accident while traveling in Nairobi.
EXC
ELL
ING
IN
SC
HO
OL
5
This time, however, the crash was fatal. Obama Sr. died on November 24, 1982,
when Barack was 21
years old. "At the time
of his death, my father
remained a myth to me," Obama later said, "both more and
less than a man."
EXC
ELL
ING
IN
SC
HO
OL
6
After high school, Obama studied at Occidental College in
Los Angeles for two years. He then transferred to Columbia University in
New York, graduating
in 1983 with a degree
in political science.
EXC
ELL
ING
IN
SC
HO
OL
7
After working in the business sector for two years, Obama moved to Chicago in
1985. There, he worked on the South
Side as a community
organizer for low-income residents in the Roseland and the
Altgeld Gardens communities.
LAW
CA
REER
It was during this time
that Barack Obama, who
said he "was not raised
in a religious household," joined the
Trinity United Church of
Christ. He also visited
relatives in Kenya, which
included an emotional
visit to the graves of his
biological father and
paternal grandfather.
LAW
CA
REER
1
"For a long time I sat
between the two graves
and wept," Obama said.
"I saw that my life in
America—the black life,
the white life, the sense
of abandonment I felt as
a boy, the frustration and
hope I'd witnessed in
Chicago—all of it was
connected with this small
plot of earth an ocean
away."
LAW
CA
REER
2
Obama returned from
Kenya with a sense of
renewal, entering Harvard
Law School in 1988. The
next year, he met Michelle Robinson, an
associate at the Chicago
law firm of Sidley Austin.
She was assigned to be
Obama's adviser during a
summer internship at the
firm, and not long after,
the couple began dating.
LAW
CA
REER
3
Their first kiss took place
outside of a Chicago
shopping center—where a
plaque featuring a photo of
the couple kissing was
installed more than two
decades later, in August
2012. In February 1990,
Obama was elected the
first African-American
editor of the Harvard Law
Review. He graduated from
Harvard, magna cum
laude, in 1991.
LAW
CA
REER
4
After law school, Obama
returned to Chicago to
practice as a civil rights
lawyer, joining the firm of
Miner, Barnhill & Galland. He
also taught part time at the
University of Chicago Law
School (1992-2004)—first as
a lecturer and then as a
professor—and helped
organize voter registration
drives during Bill Clinton's
1992 presidential campaign.
On October 3, 1992, he and
Michelle were married.
LAW
CA
REER
5
They moved to Kenwood, on Chicago's
South Side, and welcomed two daughters several years later: Malia (born 1998) and Sasha
(born 2001).
EN
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TO
IL
LIN
OIS
PO
LITIC
S
Obama published an
autobiography, Dreams
From My Father: A Story
of Race and Inheritance,
in 1995. The work received high praise
from literary figures like
Toni Morrison and has
since been printed in 10
languages, including
Chinese, Swedish and
Hebrew.
EN
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TO
IL
LIN
OIS
PO
LITIC
S 1
The book had a second printing in 2004, and was adapted for a children's version. The
2006 audiobook version of Dreams, narrated by Obama, received a Grammy Award (best spoken word album).
EN
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OIS
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LITIC
S 2
Obama's advocacy work led
him to run for a seat in the
Illinois State Senate. He ran
as a Democrat, and won
election in 1996. During
these years, Obama worked
with both Democrats and
Republicans to draft legislation on ethics, and
expand health care services
and early childhood education programs for the
poor. He also created a state
earned-income tax credit for
the working poor.
EN
TRY IN
TO
ILLI
NO
IS P
OLI
TIC
S 3
Obama became chairman of the Illinois
Senate's Health and
Human Services Committee as well, and
after a number of inmates on death row
were found innocent, he
worked with law enforcement officials to
require the videotaping
of interrogations and
confessions.
EN
TRY IN
TO
IL
LIN
OIS
PO
LITIC
S 4
Obama studied at Occidental College in Los
Angeles for two years.
He then transferred to
Columbia University in
New York, graduating in
1983 with a degree in
political science. After
working in the business
sector for two years,
Obama moved to Chicago in 1985.
EN
TRY IN
TO
IL
LIN
OIS
PO
LITIC
S 5
There, he worked on
the South Side as a community organizer
for low-income residents in the Roseland and the Altgeld Gardens communities.
U.S
SEN
ATE
CA
REER
"Obama, encouraged by
poll numbers, decided to
run for the U.S. Senate
open seat vacated by
Republican Peter Fitzgerald. In the 2004
Democratic primary, he
won 52 percent of the
vote, defeating multimillionaire businessman Blair Hull
and Illinois Comptroller
Daniel Hynes.
U.S
SEN
ATE
CA
REER
1
That summer, he was
invited to deliver the
keynote speech in support of John Kerry at
the 2004 Democratic
National Convention in
Boston. Obama emphasized the importance of unity, and
made veiled jabs at the
Bush Administration and
the diversionary use of
wedge issues.
U.S
SEN
ATE
CA
REER
2
After the convention,
Obama returned to his
U.S. Senate bid in Illinois. His opponent
in the general election
was supposed to be Republican primary winner Jack Ryan, a wealthy former investment banker.
U.S
SEN
ATE
CA
REER
3
However, Ryan withdrew from the race in June 2004, following public disclosure of unsubstantiated
sexual deviancy allegations by Ryan's
ex-wife, actress Jeri Ryan.
U.S
SEN
ATE
CA
REER
4
In August 2004, diplomat
and former presidential
candidate Alan Keyes
accepted the Republican
nomination to replace
Ryan. In three televised
debates, Obama and
Keyes expressed opposing
views on stem cell research, abortion, gun
control, school vouchers
and tax cuts.
U.S
SEN
ATE
CA
REER
5
In the November 2004
general election, Obama
received 70 percent of
the vote to Keyes' 27
percent, the largest electoral victory in Illinois history. With his
win, Barack Obama became only the third
African-American elected
to the U.S. Senate since
the Reconstruction.
U.S
SEN
ATE
CA
REER
6
Sworn into office January
4, 2005, Obama partnered with Republican Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana
on a bill that expanded
efforts to destroy weapons of mass destruction in Eastern
Europe and Russia.
U.S
SEN
ATE
CA
REER
7
Then, with Republican
Senator Tom Coburn of
Oklahoma, he created a
website to track all federal spending. Obama also spoke out
for victims of Hurricane
Katrina, pushed for alternative energy development, and championed improved
veterans' benefits.
U.S
SEN
ATE
CA
REER
8
His second book, The
Audacity of Hope: Thoughts
on Reclaiming the American
Dream, was published in
October 2006. The work
discussed Obama's visions
for the future of America,
many of which became
talking points for his
eventual presidential
campaign. Shortly after its
release, it hit No. 1 on both
the New York Times and
Amazon.com best-seller
lists.
2008 P
RESID
EN
TAL
ELE
CTIO
N
In February 2007, Obama
made headlines when he
announced his candidacy for
the 2008 Democratic
presidential nomination. He
was locked in a tight battle
with former first lady and
then-U.S. senator from New
York Hillary Rodham Clinton.
On June 3, 2008, however,
Obama became the presumptive nominee for the
Democratic Party, and Senator
Clinton delivered her full
support to Obama for the
duration of his campaign.
2008 P
RESID
EN
TAL
ELE
CTIO
N 1
On November 4, 2008,
Barack Obama defeated
Republican presidential
nominee John McCain, 52.9
percent to 45.7 percent,
winning election as the 44th
president of the United
States—and the first African-
American to hold this office.
His running mate, Delaware
Senator Joe Biden, became
vice president. Obama's
inauguration took place on
January 20, 2009.
2008 P
RESID
EN
TAL
ELE
CTIO
N 2
When Obama took office, he
inherited a global economic
recession, two ongoing foreign
wars and the lowest international favorability rating
for the United States ever. He
campaigned on an ambitious
agenda of financial reform,
alternative energy, and
reinventing education and
health care—all while bringing
down the national debt.
Because these issues were
intertwined with the economic
well-being of the nation, he
believed all would have to be
undertaken simultaneously.
2008 P
RESID
EN
TAL
ELE
CTIO
N 3
During his inauguration
speech, Obama summarized the situation by saying, "Today I say to you that
the challenges we face
are real. They are serious and they are
many. They will not be
met easily or in a short
span of time. But know
this, America: They will
be met."
FIR
ST 1
00 D
AYS
Between Inauguration
Day and April 29, 2009, the Obama Administration took to
the field on many fronts. Obama coaxed
Congress to expand health care insurance
for children and provide legal protection for women
seeking equal pay.
FIR
ST 1
00 D
AYS
1
A $787 billion stimulus
bill was passed to promote short-term economic growth. Housing and credit markets were put on
life support, with a market-based plan to
buy U.S. banks' toxic
assets.
FIR
ST 1
00 D
AYS
2
Over his first 100 days in
office, President Obama
also undertook a complete
overhaul of America's
foreign policy. He reached
out to improve relations
with Europe, China and
Russia and to open dialogue with Iran, Venezuela and Cuba. He
lobbied allies to support a
global economic stimulus
package.
FIR
ST 1
00 D
AYS
3
He committed an additional
21,000 troops to Afghanistan and set an
August 2010 date for
withdrawal of U.S. troops
from Iraq. In more dramatic
incidents, he took on pirates
off the coast of Somalia and
prepared the nation for a
swine flu attack. For his
efforts, he was awardedthe
2009 Nobel Peace Prize by
the Nobel Committee in
Norway.
2010 S
TATE O
F U
NIO
N
He also challenged politicians to stop thinking of re-election
and start making positive changes, criticizing Republicans
for their refusal to support any legislation,
and chastizing Democrats for not pushing hard enough to
get legislation passed.
2010 S
TATE O
F U
NIO
N1
He also insisted that,
despite obstacles, he
was determined to help
American citizens through the nation's
current domestic difficulties. "We don't
quit. I don't quit," he
said. "Let's seize this
moment to start anew,
to carry the dream forward, and strengthen
our union once more."
CH
ALL
EN
GES
AN
D S
UC
CESSES
In the second part of
his term as president,
Obama has faced a number of obstacles
and scored some victories as well. He signed his health-care
reform plan, known as
the Affordable Care Act, into law in March
2010.
CH
ALL
EN
GES A
ND
SU
CC
ESSES 1
Obama's plan is intended to
strengthen consumers'
rights and to provide
affordable insurance
coverage and greater
access to medical care. His
opponents, however, claim
that "Obama care," as they
have called it, added new
costs to the country's
overblown budget and may
violate the Constitution with
its requirement for individuals to obtain
insurance.
CH
ALL
EN
GES A
ND
SU
CC
ESSES 2
On the economic front,
Obama has worked hard
to steer the country through difficult financial
times. He signed the
Budget Control Act of
2011 in effort to rein in
government spending
and prevent the government from defaulting on its financial obligations.
CH
ALL
EN
GES A
ND
SU
CC
ESSES 3
The act also called for
the creation of a bipartisan committee
to seek solutions to the country's fiscal issues, but the group
failed to reach any agreement on how to
solve these problems
CH
ALL
EN
GES A
ND
SU
CC
ESSES 4
Obama has also handled a number of
military and security
issues. In 2011, Obama helped repeal
the military policy, known as "Don't Ask,
Don't Tell," that prevented openly gay
troops from serving in
the U.S. Armed Forces.
CH
ALL
EN
GES A
ND
SU
CC
ESSES 6
He also gave the green light to a 2011
covert operation in Pakistan, in which a team of U.S. Navy SEALs killed infamous
al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
CH
ALL
EN
GES A
ND
SU
CC
ESSES 7
Obama made headlines again
in June 2012, when a mandate
included in his Patient
Protection and Affordable Care
Act (initiated in 2010) was
upheld by the U.S. Supreme
Court, thus allowing other
important pieces of the law to
stay intact. The law includes
free health screenings for
certain citizens, restrictions to
stringent insurance company
policies and permission for
citizens under age 26 to be
insured under parental plans,
among several other provisions.
CH
ALL
EN
GES A
ND
SU
CC
ESSES 8
In a 5-4 decision, the
Court voted to uphold the
mandate under which
citizens are required to
purchase health insurance
or pay a tax—a main
provision of Obama's
health-care law—stating
that while the mandate is
unconstitutional, according to the Constitution's commerce
2010 State of the Union.
CH
ALL
EN
GES A
ND
SU
CC
ESSES 9
On January 27, 2010,
President Obama delivered
his first State of the Union
speech. During his oration,
Obama addressed the
challenges of the economy,
proposing a fee for larger
banks, announcing a
possible freeze on government spending in
2010 and speaking against
the Supreme Court's
reversal of a law capping
campaign finance spending.
CH
ALL
EN
GES A
ND
SU
CC
ESSES 1
0
He also challenged politicians to stop thinking of
re-election and start making
positive changes, criticizing
Republicans for their refusal
to support any legislation,
and chastizing Democrats
for not pushing hard enough
to get legislation passed. He
also insisted that, despite
obstacles, he was determined to help American citizens through
the nation's current domestic difficulties.
CH
ALL
EN
GES A
ND
SU
CC
ESSES 1
1 "We don't quit. I don't
quit," he said. "Let's seize this moment to
start anew, to carry the dream forward, and strengthen our union once more."
CH
ALL
EN
GES A
ND
SU
CC
ESSES 1
2
Obama made headlines again in June 2012, when a mandate included in
his Patient Protection
and Affordable Care Act (initiated in 2010)
was upheld by the U.S.
Supreme Court, thus
allowing other important pieces of the law to stay intact.
CH
ALL
EN
GES A
ND
SU
CC
ESSES 1
3
The law includes free health
screenings for certain citizens,
restrictions to stringent insurance
company policies and permission for
citizens under age 26 to be insured
under parental plans, among several
other provisions. In a 5-4 decision,
the Court voted to uphold the
mandate under which citizens are
required to purchase health
insurance or pay a tax—a main
provision of Obama's health-care law
—stating that while the mandate is
unconstitutional, according to the
Constitution's commerceclause, it
falls within Congress' constitutional
power to tax. The Supreme Court
ruling has been deemed a victory for
Obama, who is nearing the end of his
first presidential term.
2012 C
AM
PIG
AN
As he did in his 2008
run, during his campaign
for a second presidential
term, Obama has focused much of his effort on grassroots initiatives. Celebrities
such as Anna Wintour
and Sarah Jessica Parker
aided the president's
campaign by hosting
fund-raising events.
2012 C
AM
PIG
AN
1
Some political polls have shown that Obama has a tough fight ahead of him, against Republican opponent Mitt Romney
and Romney's vice-presidential running mate, U.S. Representative Paul
Ryan; other polls have
show quite the opposite.
2012 C
AM
PIG
AN
2
At a campaign event in
Maryland in June 2012,
Obama asked for the crowd's
support and pledged to
continue the work he began
in his first term, saying, "So if
you're willing to stick with
me and fight with me ... I
guarantee you we will move
this country forward. We will
finish what we started. And
we’ll remind the world just
why it is the United States of
America is the greatest
nation on Earth."
2012 C
AM
PIG
AN
3
Obama made headlines
after the first presidential
debate with Mitt Romney
in early October 2012.
Romney gave a strong
performance, receiving
praise for his speaking
skills from citizens and
critics alike; Obama's
performance received
lukewarm reviews. Most
critics agreed that Romney won the first
debate.
CLO
SIN
GNow Barack Obama
has won a election and is our president until 2016.
Mr. President is still the best
president in the world!!!
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