The Legacy of

of President Barack Obama

THE HISTORIC STORY OF THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN PRESIDENT IN
AMERICAN HISTORY
Today, we are close to the beginning of a new decade. In our lifetimes, we have witnessed amazing historical
events and new challenges. The struggle for racial equality and economic justice continues. The legacy of
President Barack Obama will be debated for years and decades to come. What is true is that President Barack
Obama has lived an extraordinary, interesting life. He is a man who married a beautiful, extremely influential
First Lady Michelle Obama and the couple has two very intelligent black daughters (whose names are Sasha
and Malia). The First Family has remained united firmly. Barack Obama is the first African American President
in American history. Before his Presidency, there was 9/11. The Bush administration along with
neoconservatives implemented their extremist foreign policy agenda from the Iraq War (before 2003,
Rumsfeld and others desired to bomb Iraq when Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11), the existence of the
Patriot Act, and to its torture policies.

As the 44th President of the United States, his Presidency (from 2009-2017) is marked by policies in dealing
with the economic recession, the continued existence of police brutality, the complex manifestations of the
war on terror, the Black Lives Matter movement, a lot of social issues, climate change, and continued debates
on health care. He has given numerous speeches that were progressive and he has expressed more
conservative speeches on family parenting and on other matters. His Presidency has existed in ups and
downs. It is greatly fair to outline what he got correct and wrong to order to designate a fair appraisal of his
ultimate legacy as President. He has shown great eloquence in his speeches and a massive Republican
opposition came his way. President Barack Obama has experienced great praise (from many quarters) and
criticism (from many quarters too). Barack Obama is known to try to bridge generational, political, and racial
gaps via his Philadelphia speech of 2008. He is also known to be serious about what he stands for. Therefore,
the time is right to show the world about his life and Presidency, so future generations can witness the
unvarnished truth. His great accomplishments and his great mistakes (i.e. continuing many of the same
policies from the previous Bush administration. Obama has been viewed by the establishment as a far better
manager of the national security state) will be shown here.

President Barack Obama's historic Presidency has changed the world

forevermore.
Early Life

To fully start, it is important to describe Barack Obama’s early life. Barack Obama was born on August 4, 1961
in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was born at the old Kapiolani Maternity and Gynecological Hospital at 1611 Bingham
Street. The Honolulu Advertiser and the Honolulu Star-Bulletin announced the birth of Barack Obama. His
father was Barack Obama Sr. and he was born in Kenya. Barack Obama Sr. lived from 1936-1982. Barack
Obama’s mother was Ann Dunham. Ann Dunham was born in Wichita, Kansas. She lived from 1942-1995.
Obama’s parents met in 1960 while both of them were attending the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Barack
Obama’s father was the university’s first foreign student from an African nation. Obama’s parents married
on the Hawaiian island of Maui on February 2, 1961. The couple would travel across the country to take
educational classes. Barack Obama lived a lot of his childhood in Honolulu, which is where his mother
completed college. His parents soon divorced in 1964. Later, Barack Obama also developed a close
relationship with his maternal grandparents too. By 1965, his mother married Lolo Soetoro from Indonesia.
In 1967, Barack Obama moved into Indonesia. In that location, he was raised by his mother and stepfather
Lolo. Barack Obama lived in Jakarta during this time. Barack Obama attended the Indonesian-language Santo
Fransiskus Asisi (St. Francis of Assisi) Catholic School around the corner from their house for 1st, 2nd, and
part of 3rd grade. Barack Obama came into Hawaii by 1970 in order for him to visit his maternal grandparents,
Stanley and Madelyn Dunham. Barack Obama’s younger sister is named Maya Kassandra Soetoro and she
was born on August 15, 1970.

Barack Obama came back into Hawaii in 1971 to live with his grandparents. There, he attended Punahou
School (at the 5th grade) and graduated from there in 1979. He loved basketball and he was a great people
person. His mother completed her coursework at the University of Hawaii for an M.A. in anthropology in
December of 1974. Ann Dunham traveled into Jakarta with May in August of 1975 while Barack Obama
decided to stay with his grandparents in Honolulu to finish his studies at Punahou School for his high school
years. Barack Obama had a unique childhood and he grew up in massive diversity by interacting with people
of diverse ethnicities or backgrounds. As found in many children of multiracial heritage, he faced insecurities
and questions about his own identity during his early life. His knowledge about his African father, who
returned once for a brief visit in 1971, came mainly through family stories and photographs.

Of his early childhood, Obama writes: "That my father looked nothing like the people around me—that he
was black as pitch, my mother white as milk—barely registered in my mind." Barack Obama wrote that he
used alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine during his teenage years to "push questions of who I was out of my
mind.” His “Dreams of My Father” book describes his life in great detail. After his teenage years, he stopped
using illegal drugs. He would attend parties with many African Americans too. The diversity of the culture of
Hawaii most definitely influenced his ideological outlook and his embrace of the values of mutual respect
and tolerance of the different races, creeds, and identities found in the human family. After high school,
Barack Obama moved into Los Angeles in 1979.

College Life

To understand the legacy of President Barack Obama, you have to understand his educational life. Barack
Obama studied at Occidental College for 2 years in Los Angeles, California. By February 18, 1981, he made
his first public speech. He called for Occidental’s divestment from South Africa (during the anti-apartheid
movement). In the summer of 1981, Barack Obama traveled into Jakarta, Indonesia to visit his mother and
half-sister Maya. He also visited the families of Occidental College friends in Hyderabad (in India) and Karachi
(in Pakistan) for 3 weeks. He later transferred to Columbia University in New York City. He majored in political
science with a specialization in international relations. During this time period of his life, he lived off campus
in a modest rented apartment at 142 West 109th St. He graduated with an A.B. from Columbia in 1983. Soon
afterwards, he worked at Business International Corporation and New York Public Interest Research Group.

Community Organizer

After working in New York for four years, Barack Obama moved into Chicago. In Chicago, he became a
community organizer. He worked for three years from June 1985 to May 1988 as director of Developing
Communities Project (or DCP). DCP is a church based community organization. It was at first made up of eight
Catholic parishes in Greater Roseland (Roseland, West Pullman, and Riverdale) on Chicago’s far South Side.
He was a DCP Director for 3 years. The staff grew from 1 to 14 in that timespan. Its annual budget grew from
$70,000 to $400,000. The program caused a job training program, a college preparatory tutoring program,
and a tenant’s rights organization in Altgeld Gardens. This was during the time of Mayor Harold Washington
of Chicago (who believed in infrastructure development, affirmative action, and ending patronage hiring. He
was the first African American mayor of Chicago) during the 1980's. Washington won his mayoral election by
forming a multiracial coalition to vote for him. Ironically enough, it would be a multiracial coalition that would
vote for Obama to be President of the United States of America in 2008 and in 2012. Barack Obama worked
as a consultant and instructor for Gamaliel Foundation, which is a community organizing institute. By the
summer of 1988, he traveled to Europe for three weeks and to Kenya for 5 weeks where he met many of his
paternal relatives for the first time.

Barack Obama entered Harvard Law School in late 1988. In an interview with Ebony in 1990, he stated that
he saw a degree in law as a vehicle to facilitate better community organization and activism: "The idea was
not only to get people to learn how to hope and dream about different possibilities, but to know how the tax
structure affects what kind of housing gets built where." At the end of his first year he was selected as an
editor of the Harvard Law Review based on his grades and a writing competition. In February 1990, his second
year at Harvard, he was elected president of the law review, a full-time volunteer position functioning as
editor-in-chief and supervising the law review's staff of 80 editors. Obama's election as the first black
president of the law review was widely reported and followed by several long, detailed profiles.

Barack Obama was elected by convincing a crucial swing bloc of conservatives that he would protect their
interests if they supported him. He listened to people like he listened to poor people in the neighborhood of
South Side Chicago, etc. Richard Epstein, who later taught at the University of Chicago Law School when
Obama later taught there, said Obama was elected editor "because people on the other side believed he
would give them a fair shake." When he was in law school, he worked as an associate at the law firms of
Sidley & Austin in 1989. In that place, he met his future wife, Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama. Newton
N. Minow was a managing partner. Minow would introduce Obama to some of Chicago’s top business
leaders. He worked at Hopkins & Sutter in the summer of 1990. Also during his law school years, Obama
spent eight days in Los Angeles taking a national training course on Alinsky methods of organizing. He
graduated with a J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard in 1991 and returned to Chicago. He has great publicity
from his election as the first African American president of the Harvard Law Review. He had a contract and
advance to write a book about race relations. The University of Chicago Law School wanted to recruit him to
join their faculty. So, they provided Obama a fellowship and an office to work on his book. He at first wanted
to write his book in one year. It took longer, because the book evolved into his own personal memoir. He
wanted to work without interruptions.

So, Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, traveled into Bali where he wrote for several months. The
manuscript was finally published as “Dreams from My Father” in mid-1995. He married Michelle Obama in
1992. They settled down with each other in Hyde Park. That is a liberal, integrated, and middle class Chicago
neighborhood. It has a history of electing reform minded politicians independent of the Daley political
machine. The couple's first daughter, Malia Ann, was born in 1998; their second, Natasha (known as Sasha),
in 2001. Their marriage caused them to form more links with Chicago politicians. One of Michelle’s best
friends is Jesse Jackson’s daughter, Santita Jackson. Santita is the godmother of Obama’s first child. Michelle
Obama once worked as an aide to Mayor Richard M. Daley. Marty Nesbitt, a young, successful black
businessman (who played basketball with Michelle's brother, Craig Robinson), became Obama's best friend
and introduced him to other African-American business people. Before the marriage, according to Craig,
Obama talked about his political ambitions, even saying that he might run for President someday.
Barack Obama was involved in Project Vote from April to October 1992. It was a nonpartisan voting drive
that helped Carol Moseley Braun to be the first black women ever elected to the Senate. He helped to
register up to 400,000 African Americans to vote in the state. His staff was made up of 10 and 700 volunteers.
Crain’s Chicago Business named Obama to its 1993 list of “40 under
Forty” powers to be. According to Sandy Newman, who founded
Project Vote, Obama "raised more money than any of our state
directors had ever done. He did a great job of enlisting a broad
spectrum of organizations and people, including many who did not
get along well with one another." The wealthy elite of Chicago from
the liberal crowd contacted Obama. Many of them would be his
supporters in his future political career. One of them would be
David Axelrod who would be head of his campaign for President.
The fundraising committee was chaired by John Schmidt, a former These pictures show Barack Obama
chief of staff to Mayor Richard M. Daley, and John W. Rogers Jr., a and Michelle Obama in college.
young black money manager and founder of Ariel Capital
Later, they would be among some of
Management. Obama also met much of the city's black political
leadership, although he didn't always get along with the older the most influential leaders of the
politicians, with friction sometimes developing over Obama's modern world during the 21st
reluctance to spend money and his insistence on results. "He really century.
did it, and he let other people take all the credit", Schmidt later
said. "The people standing up at the press conferences were Jesse Jackson and Bobby Rush and I don't know
who else. Barack was off to the side and only the people who were close to it knew he had done all the work."

From 1992 to 1996, Barack Obama taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School. He was
a senior lecturer from 1996 to 2004. He taught courses in due process and equal protection (including the
issues of voting rights, racism, and law). He joined Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland, which was a 12 attorney
law firm. It was involved in civil rights litigation and economic development. The firm worked with Chicago’s
black community for years. He wanted to go into politics. He was also a lawyer. He was involved in 30 cases.
He worked on voting rights cases. He worked in the Joyce Foundation. By 1995, Barack Obama announced
his candidacy for a seat in the Illinois state Senate and he attended Louis Farrakhan’s Million Man March in
Washington, D.C.

Barack Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996. He succeeded Democratic State Senator Alice
Palmer from Illinois’s 13th District. He gained bipartisan support for supported ethics reform and health care
laws. He sponsored a law that increased tax credits for low-income workers, negotiated welfare reform, and
promoted increased subsidies for childcare. Barack Obama was a state Senator from 1997 to 2004. He was
reelected in 1998. He sponsored bipartisan passage of legislation to monitor racial profiling by requiring
police to record the race of drivers they detained, and legislation making Illinois the first state to mandate
videotaping of homicide interrogations. He was U.S. Senator by November of 2004. By this time, he was an
early opponent of George W. Bush’s administration’s 2003 invasion of Iraq. He spoke out against the war in
October 2, 2002 and in March of 2003 in an anti-war rally. In 2004, Barack Obama gave his historic Democratic
National Convention speech of July of 2004. It was a very eloquent speech about hope, coming together, and
transcending political differences. Many in the media praised the speech.
U.S. Senator

Barack Obama was sworn in as a U.S. Congressional Senator on January 3, 2005. He was the only U.S. Senator
member back then who was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. He voted on legislation. He would
resign on November 16, 2008 before he was inaugurated as President. As a Senator, he fought for
immigration reform, the reduction of nuclear weapons, and financial transparency. In December 2006,
President Bush signed into law the Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy
Promotion Act, marking the first federal legislation to be enacted with Obama as its primary sponsor. In
January 2007, Obama and Senator Feingold introduced a corporate jet provision to the Honest Leadership
and Open Government Act, which was signed into law in September 2007. He worked with Democrats and
Republicans like Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana. He worked on many committees too.
“Let us be the generation that reshapes our economy to compete in the digital age. Let's set high
standards for our schools and give them the resources they need to succeed. Let's recruit a new
army of teachers, and give them better pay and more support in exchange for more
accountability. Let's make college more affordable, and let's invest in scientific research, and let's
lay down broadband lines through the heart of inner cities and rural towns all across America.”
-Barack Obama on February 10, 2007

His Historic 2008 Presidential Campaign

On February 10, 2007, Barack Obama announced his candidacy for President of the United States. He did so
in the front of the Old State Capitol building in Springfield, Illinois. He wanted to speak at that location as it
is viewed as symbolic since it was where Abraham Lincoln gave his historic “House Divided” speech in 1858.
In other words, Barack Obama wanted to break down divisions and want to form a unified America. Barack
Obama talked about ending the Iraq War, increasing energy independence, reforming health care, and other
themes. Throughout his campaign, he talked about the themes of hope and change. In fact, the theme of his
campaign would be "Hope and Change." Many celebrities and young people were enthusiastic supporters of
his campaign. There were many candidates in the Democratic Party Presidential primaries from Edwards to
Kucinich. Later, it was narrowed to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton (both Senators at the time). It was a
close campaign in the beginning and then Barack Obama gained the lead in pledged delegates. Barack Obama
won the early primary in Iowa. The reason for this was that Barack Obama’s campaign executed a historic
long range planning, better fundraising, better organizing, and a better usage of the delegate allocation rules.
Barack Obama winning the Iowa Caucus was historic and many people felt that he could win it all with that
victory. Barack Obama rejected the words of the cynics and pressed onward with his campaign. Hillary Clinton
won the New Hampshire primary in early January of 2008.

Barack Obama said “Yes we can” in his concession speech in the New Hampshire primary. On March 18,
2008, Barack Obama gave his “A More Perfect Union” speech in Philadelphia. It was historic and he shown
his remarks in response to remarks made by Reverend Jeremiah Wright (ironically enough, Wright told the
truth about many subjects from the evils of imperialism, the condemnation of Japanese people placed in
internment camps, the condemnation of slavery, and to the advocacy of racial justice). Barack Obama’s
speech tried to appeal to both black people and white people including all Americans in general. His tone
was conciliatory while acknowledging America has much to go on racial issues. In essence, the speech was
about forming unity in America. He talked about his biographical life story honestly and exposed the racism
shown by his white grandmother. Barack Obama called Wright’s comments wrong, but he realized that
black people have every right to express anger at injustices. To that end, he called for the African-American
community to "[bind] our particular grievances—for better health care, and better schools, and better
jobs—to the larger aspirations of all Americans" and for the white community to acknowledge the "legacy
of discrimination ... and current incidents of discrimination." The speech was very moderate, eloquent,
nuisance, and a representation of Obama’s conciliatory tone. It was a speech praised by many quarters.

Some believe that it was one big factor of him winning the Presidential election (along with the massive
support among African Americans, young people, college educated people, women, other minorities, etc.).
The primary competition between Hillary and Barack Obama was bitter. Bill Clinton said that Barack Obama
would be serving him coffee years ago and that was blatantly offensive. Many old guard civil rights leaders
supported Hillary Clinton and then supported Barack Obama later on. Barack Obama won the South Carolina
caucus. By June 7, 2008, Hillary Clinton ended her campaign and endorsed Barack Obama. So, Barack Obama
was the first African American Democratic nominee for President. On August 23, 2008, Barack Obama
announced his selection of Delaware Senator Joe Biden as his vice Presidential running mate. Barack Obama
gave his historic speech in the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. The crowd was over
75,000 in Invesco Field at Mile High. Over 38 million people worldwide watched his speech. He made
fundraising records, especially in dealing with small donations. The speech that he gave in Denver was once
again very eloquent.

On June 19, 2008, Obama became the first major-party presidential candidate to turn down public financing
in the general election since the system was created in 1976. John McCain was his Republican
opponent. They had three debates. The 2008 Presidential campaign was filled with many events. There was
the massive financial crisis. Obama was slandered by reactionaries as a Muslim, a socialist, not a citizen, and
other words. He was called names by racists. The Obama campaign used the Internet like Myspace and
Facebook to gather and grow supporters. Barack Obama traveled to Europe and the Middle East from July
23-28, 2008. From the start, the married couple of Jay Z and Beyoncé supported the Obama campaign.
Common, Russell Simmons, Kerry Washington, Mary J. Blige, and others did so as well. Voter registration was
very huge nationwide during the 2008 campaign. Many of the rallies of Barack Obama looked like concerts.
He appealed heavily to the young citizens of America. There were very long lines during the end of the
election. I saw long lines in Virginia too. Many people of diverse ages voted.

John McCain and Sarah Palin lost the election.

Victory and History

On November 4, 2008, Obama won the presidency with 365 electoral votes to 173 received by McCain.
Obama won 52.9% of the popular vote to McCain's 45.7%. He became the first African American to be elected
president. Obama delivered his victory speech before hundreds of thousands of supporters in Chicago's Grant
Park. Many people were cheering. Many were crying in celebration from Jesse Jackson to regular people in
the streets. People cheered in Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia and in places internationally. Time
Square had an enormous crowd of human beings cheering in great praise plus joy. Folks were waving flags
too. Folks were hugging. Among his family and friends, he gave his words of encouragement and jubilation.

The 2009 Inauguration

Tons of people know where they were when the first inauguration of President Barack Obama transpired. It
happened in the date of January 20, 2009. I was 25 years old and I remember the event like yesterday. After
his oath of office, he became the 44th President of the United States and the first African American President
as well. The Inaugural theme was “A New Birth of Freedom” which was a phrase from the Gettysburg Address.
It was used to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth year of Abraham Lincoln. On January 17,
2009, Barack Obama and others used a commemorative train tour from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C.
There were many events from the time of January 18 to 21, 2009. There were concerts, a national day of
community service on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, inaugural balls, and the interfaith inaugural prayer
service. There was a large audience to witness the swearing in of Barack Obama as President. There was the
first ever Neighborhood Inaugural Ball with free or affordable tickets for ordinary citizens. That time was a
transitional era in America as Barack Obama was the first President born from the 1960’s. Also, Barack Obama
in 2009 was about to deal with serious issues from the financial crisis, racism, foreign policy issues, etc.

Two committees planned by inauguration mostly. They were the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural
Ceremonies and the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Committee. Money was raised to make sure that it was
funded. Celebrity donors to the Presidential Inaugural Committee included Jamie Foxx, Halle Berry, George
Soros, and George Lucas. There were about one million public invitations to the inaugural ceremony of Barack
Obama. There was the "We are One" concert on the Lincoln Memorial on January 18, 2009. About 400,000
attended the concert. On Dr. King’s holiday (on January 19, 2009), there was the King Day of Service to
promote citizen volunteering in honor of Dr. King. Barack Obama visited Walter Reed Army Medical Center
privately with the families of troops recovering from wounds sustained from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
He visited Martin Luther King III to help teens in homeless shelters. Joe Biden hung drywall at a Habitat for
Humanity home in N.E. Washington, D.C. Biden's wife, Jill, their daughter, Ashley Biden, Michelle Obama and
the Obamas' daughters, Malia and Sasha, spent the morning at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium where they helped
thousands of volunteers prepare more than 85,000 care packages destined for U.S. troops overseas. Later
that evening, the President-elect hosted three separate bipartisan dinners to honor the service of John
McCain, Colin Powell and Joe Biden. Michelle Obama and Jill Biden hosted a children’s concert called “Kids’
Inaugural: We are the Future” event at the Verizon Center. Many people performed and spoke from Demi
Lovato, Queen Latifah, Corbin Bleu, Shaquille O’Neal, and Jamie Foxx. Michelle Obama wanted people to be
engaged including children to help homeless people, visit the elderly, and write letters to U.S. troops.

The inaugural ceremony took place at the West Front of the United States Capitol on January 20, 2009.
Evangelical pastor Rick Warren delivered the invocation. Vocalist Aretha Franklin sang “My Country, ‘Tis of
Thee.” Tons of performers were in the ceremony like Itzhak Perlman, Gabriela Montero, Yo-Yo Ma, Anthony
McGill, and others. Joe Biden took the oath of office from Associate Justice John Paul Stevens. Barack Obama
took the oath of office from Chief Justice John Roberts. It occurred shortly after noon. Then, President Barack
Obama delivered his address. It was a mixture of hope for the future and a realization that the recession was
still upon America. Barack Obama spoke about wanting accountability and responsibility in Washington. He
wanted ordinary people to be involved in the democratic processes of democracy. The speech was critical of
former Presidents too, especially George W. Bush. The 21 gun salute existed from the military. Poet Elizabeth
Alexander then delivered the inaugural poem, "Praise Song for the Day", and civil rights activist Joseph
Lowery, minister of the United Methodist Church, delivered the benediction. Afterwards, a luncheon took
place.
Then, the inaugural parade came about in Washington, D.C. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle
Obama walked in the parade to wave hands and to celebrate. They traveled on Pennsylvania Avenue. Vice
President Biden and his wife Jill walked the parade route at several points with their children Beau, Hunter
and Ashley. The parade lasted for 2 hours and many marching bands were a part of it. I saw the parade on
television. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama attended 10 official inaugural balls during
the evening of January 20, 2009. Barack Obama wore a tuxedo and Michelle Obama wore a white, one
shouldered sleeveless gown. It was designed by then 26 year old NY based designer Jason Wu. The famous
part of the events was the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball. It was held at Walter E. Washington Convention
Center. Barack Obama and Michelle Obama danced while Beyoncé sang her rendition of Etta James’ classic
“At Last.” Beyoncé Knowles-Carter was very emotional at the end of her powerful singing. Tons of people
attended the historic inauguration. Over 1 million people attended the inaugural ceremony. Kenya, the
United Kingdom, Israel, Mexico, Japan, Indonesia, and other nations had people who celebrated the
inauguration too. After January 20, 2009, the new era began and President Barack Obama’s future as
President has been filled with the good things that he has done and the mistakes that he has made. His
historic Presidency began in the midst of celebrations and high hopes.
The First 100 Days

The first 100 Days of the Presidency of Barack Obama lasted from January 20, 2009 to April 28, 2009. On the
eve of President Barack Obama's inauguration in January 2009, Obama's popularity reached 80 percent, and
large numbers of Americans had sky-high expectations for the incoming administration. A USA Today poll
showed that seven of 10 people believed the country would be better off after Obama's first term. Many
folks had high hopes of him of being a progressive champion for the people. Yet, as time goes on, we see him
as a person who governs mostly from the center-left including certain aspects of his foreign policy being not
progressive at all. Early onward, he quickly gathered support to support the economic stimulus package. The
law was the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. I agree with the tenure of the law, because
the Great Recession harmed millions of lives and emergency assistance is necessary and justified to help
those Americans suffering from economic turmoil. The bill passed the House in late January and it was passed
in the Senate on February 10, 2009 by a 61-37 margin.

Like many laws, there is a catch. The stimulus law allocated 40 percent of the money to tax cuts and credits
to individuals and businesses. It was not a direct government jobs program modeled on the 1930’s era Works
Progress Administration. The stimulus package stopped a massive plunge into a worse depression, but the
unemployment rate continued to increase for numerous years until later on in his term. President Barack
Obama continued to advance the Bush team’s bailout of Wall Street banks. He reappointed Bush’s Defense
Secretary Robert Gates to run the Pentagon. Using only executive action, Obama could have unwound the
Bush administration bailouts for the bankers and pressured bankruptcy judges to reduce or wipe out
mortgage holders' debt. At the very least, he could have refused to allow executives from the bankrupt
insurance giant AIG to collect their multimillion-dollar bonuses from the taxpayers' dime.

Eric Holder is part of history too. Eric
Holder is the first African American
Attorney General in American history.
His wife is Sharon Malone. Like many
cabinet members, he has gone through
many triumphs and controversies.
There is no doubt that he loves his
family a great deal.
which shows an anti-progressive policy. On March 10, 2009, he called himself a New Democrat and a pro-
growth Democrat supporting free trade (which is about neoliberalism). President Barack Obama promoted
the goal of a nuclear free world on April 5, 2009.
Obama stated that he should not be judged by his first hundred
days: "The first hundred days is going to be important, but it’s
probably going to be the first thousand days that makes the
difference." I do agree with President Barack Obama signing
the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which is great legislation. It
relaxed the statute of limitations for equal pay lawsuits and
fights against gender discrimination. President Barack Obama
signed into law the expanded State Children’s Health Insurance
Program (S-CHIP). It gives benefits to millions of working
families. He signed new ethics guidelines designed to curtail
the influence of lobbyists on the executive branch. He ordered
the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba.
By the end of the first 100 days of his Presidency, 65% of
American approved of how Obama was doing and only 29%
disapproved. According to Gallup's First quarter survey in April,
President Obama received a 63% approval rating. Media
coverage was extensive of his Presidency. During this time, he
also appointed his administration cabinet members. Many
members of his early cabinet were Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton, Secretary of Treasury Tim Geithner, Attorney General
Eric Holder, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Secretary of
Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan,
etc. On February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama
announced that the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan will
be increased by 17,000 new troops by the summer. This comes
after a recommendation from Defense Secretary Robert Gates,
Domestic Policy Developments in his First Term

On some social issues, President Barack Obama was the most progressive on social issues in American history.
His domestic policy executive policies have been very clear. He signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009
to deal with lawsuits and promoting equal pay. He supported embryonic stem cell research and developed
strict guidelines on the research. He appointed two women to serve in the Supreme Court. One was Sonia
Sotomayor. She was nominated on May 26, 2009 and she replaced the retiring Associate Justice David Souter.
After discussions and a vote, Sotomayor was confirmed on August 6, 2009. She was the first Hispanic Supreme
Court Justice in American history. Barack Obama nominated Elena Kagan on May 10, 2010 to replace the
retiring Associate Justice John Paul Stevens. She was confirmed on August 5, 2010. This caused three women
to be on the Supreme Court simultaneously, which is the first time this has existed in American history. On
LGBT issues, Barack Obama is the most pro-LGBT rights President in U.S. history. On October 8, 2009, he
signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, a measure that expanded the
1969 United States federal hate-crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim's actual or perceived
gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. On October 30, 2009, Obama lifted the ban on travel
to the United States by those infected with HIV, which was celebrated by Immigration Equality. He repealed
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in December 22, 2010.

On March 11, 2009, Obama created the White House Council on Women and Girls, which forms part of the
Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, having been established by Executive Order 13506 with a broad mandate
to advise him on issues relating to the welfare of American women and girls. The Council is currently chaired
by Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett. Obama also established the White House Task Force to
Protect Students from Sexual Assault through an official United States government memorandum on January
22, 2014, with a broad mandate to advise him on issues relating to sexual assault on college and university
campuses throughout the United States. Co-chairs of the Task Force were Vice President Joe Biden and
Valerie Jarrett. The President gave loans to the troubled automotive industry (to companies like General
Motors and Chrysler). He signed into law the Car Allowance Rebate System, known colloquially as "Cash for
Clunkers", that temporarily boosted the economy. One of the most disgusting slander against President
Barack Obama was the Birther movement. Birthers believe that Obama wasn’t born in America, so he isn’t
qualified to be President. That lie has been promoted by many GOP members and far right extremists. The
truth is that President Barack Obama was born in America. Racism against Barack Obama continued
throughout his Presidency.

There have been debates about the debt ceiling too. The unemployment rate in America reached a peak of
10 percent in October of 2009. Later, it decreased to 9.7 percent in the first quarter of 2010. More declines
of the unemployment rate existed by 2012. Overall, the economy expanded at a rate of 2.9% in 2010. There
have been debates on whether the stimulus package has improved the economy. We do know that the
economy has grown during the Obama Presidency. Within a month of the 2010 midterm elections, Obama
announced a compromise deal with the Congressional Republican leadership that included a temporary, two-
year extension of the 2001 and 2003 income tax rates, a one-year payroll tax reduction, continuation of
unemployment benefits, and a new rate and exemption amount for estate taxes. The compromise overcame
opposition from some in both parties, and the resulting $858 billion Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance
Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 passed with bipartisan majorities in both houses of Congress
before Obama signed it on December 17, 2010.

On environmental issues, he agrees with the existence of climate change. He proposed regulations on gas
emissions. The April 20, 2010 explosion on the Gulf of Mexico destroyed an offshore drilling rig. The
environment was heavily damaged. BP still hasn’t had real accountability. The President visited the Gulf. He
promoted a federal investigation. A bipartisan commission existed to recommend new safety standards. He
then announced a six-month moratorium on new deepwater drilling permits and leases, pending regulatory
review. Many have criticized BP and Obama for desiring more federal government involvement. One of the
biggest accomplishments of the Obama Presidency was the health care reform law. It was one of his big
campaign promises. A stronger health care bill which had a public option was passed by the House on
November 7, 2009. The Senate passed its bill without a public option on December 24, 2009. On March 21,
2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed by the Congress. President Barack
Obama signed the bill into law by March 23, 2010. It was a historic time. It has a mixture of good and bad
parts in it. It had the good parts of protections for those with preexisting conditions, Medicaid expansion,
and other parts in it. Yet, it empowered private insurance companies too and it lacked a public option. Obama
called the November 2, 2010 election, where the Democratic Party lost 63 seats in, and control of, the House
of Representatives, "humbling" and a "shellacking.” He said that the results came because not enough
Americans had felt the effects of the economic recovery.

Foreign Policy Matters in his First Term

President Barack Obama wanted a new era of working together with Russia in 2009. He immediately
expressed a speech on March 19 to send outreach to the Muslim World. One of his historic speeches about
Muslims was done on June 4, 2009 in Cairo. It was held in the Cairo University in Egypt. The speech was called
“A New Beginning” where he wanted peace in the Middle East. He criticized the violence against Iranian
protesters in Iran back on June 26, 2009. On September 24, 2009, Barack Obama was the first sitting U.S.
President to preside over a meeting of the United Security Council. In March 2010, Obama made it clear that
he was against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supporting building Jewish housing projects in
predominantly Arabic neighborhoods in East Jerusalem. It is no secret that President Barack Obama didn’t
get along with Netanyahu since Netanyahu was so extreme. During the same month, an agreement was
reached with the administration of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms
Reduction Treaty with a new pact reducing the number of long-range nuclear weapons in the arsenals of
both countries by about one-third. Obama and Medvedev signed the New START treaty in April 2010, and
the U.S. Senate ratified it in December 2010. He sent many U.S. troops out of Iraq from 2009 to 2010.

During his second term, he sent some U.S. troops back to Iraq to support the U.S. embassy and help Iraqi
forces to fight ISIS. He expanded drone attacks and increased military strength in Afghanistan. In 2011, the
United States vetoed a Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements, with the United States
being the only nation to do so. Obama supports the two-state solution to the Arab–Israeli conflict based on
the 1967 borders with land swaps. Barack Obama on June 2011 said that he supports Israel. One of the
biggest foreign policy mistakes of the Obama administration was its support of the NATO attacks in Libya.
The Arab Spring existed and it was divided into sincere protesters and agents of the Western intelligence
community (filled with NGOs, CIA backing, etc.). These protests in Libya started in February of 2011. By March
2011, rebels were been cashed by Gaddafi forces. U.S. forces were involved in airstrikes in Libya. Libya
experienced a massive crisis years later. As Cornell West has said in November 22, 2012 (to Shozab Raza in
an interview):

“…Well because discourse in America has moved so far to the Right that Romney is far Right,
and Obama is centrist. And a Rockefeller Republican in the 60’s and 70’s was in many ways very
much what Obama is now. He’s calling for cuts with little bit of revenue increase with the tax
from the well-to-do, but it’s going to be very modest, he keeps saying. There’s no serious talk
about a massive investment, private or public, for jobs, for decent housing, and for education.
And his foreign policy is not only continuous with Bush but in some ways even worse…”

The Syrian Civil War started in early 2011. Barack Obama wanted President Assad of Syria to go. On 2011,
American Navy Seals killed Osama bin Laden (in a large compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan). DNA testing was
used to confirm the body as Osama bin Laden. Minutes later, the President announced his death on national
TV. Celebrations existed in D.C., Ground Zero, and Times Square. By the beginning of 2012, the Barack Obama
Presidency experienced multiple foreign policy issues at once. The 2012 Presidential campaign would later
exist.
The 2012 Presidential Election

The 2012 Presidential campaign would be another victory for President Barack Obama. Yet, this campaign
would be tougher than his previous Presidential campaign. It would be closer in the election results. This 57th
quadrennial American Presidential election was historic. Barack Obama would defeat Mitt Romney. Mitt
Romney was involved in the Republican primary where he debated people like John McCain, Ron Paul, Newt
Gingrich, Marco Rubio, Jon Huntsman, Jr., Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, and other candidates. By May
of 2012, Mitt Romney won the Republican primary race mostly. He picked Paul Ryan, who is a known
reactionary especially on economic issues, as his running mate. Paul Ryan is a member of a new generation
of conservatives. The 2012 Presidential campaign centered heavily on the Great Recession and debates on
whether the economic recovery and job creation was powerful enough. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney had
three debates that dealt with budget issues, the Affordable Care Act, foreign policy, taxes, etc. Barack Obama
struggled in the first debate and did much better in the last 2 debates. Super PACs were used during this
campaign. The 2012 broke previous records in financing, fundraising, and negative campaigning. The
Republican nomination convention took place in August 2012 in Tampa, Florida. The Democratic National
Convention was held in Charlotte, North Carolina during September 2012. The Constitution Party National
Convention took place in Nashville, Tennessee. The Libertarian National Convention took place in Las Vegas,
Nevada. The Green National Convention took place in Baltimore, Maryland. The election ended completely
on November 6, 2012. There was early voting in September of 2012 too.

This was the time of voter suppression laws being first instituted massively (during the 21st century), which
restricted the types of materials that people could use to vote and even the times when people could vote.
Civil rights groups denounced such bad laws. Even former President Bill Clinton denounced them, saying,
"There has never been in my lifetime, since we got rid of the poll tax and all the Jim Crow burdens on voting,
the determined effort to limit the franchise that we see today." These voter suppression laws (which are
supported by the American Legislative Exchange Council or ALEC) are found in Florida, Georgia, Ohio,
Tennessee, West Virginia, Texas, Wisconsin, etc. Many third parties existed too. They include Jill Stein of the
Green Party, Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party, Virgil Goode of the Constitution Party, Rocky Anderson
of the Justice Party, etc.

President Barack Obama defeated Mitt Romney involving both the popular vote and the Electoral College.
Obama had 332 electoral votes to Romney’s 206 votes. Barack Obama carried every state and districts
(among states that allocated electoral votes by district) that he had won in the 2008 Presidential election
except North Carolina, Indiana, and Nebraska’s 2nd congressional district. His margin of victory has declined
from 2008. Most liberals and moderates voted for President Barack Obama. More women voted for Obama
than Romney. More single men and more single women voted for Obama than married men and married
woman. The vast majority of African Americans and people of color voted for President Barack Obama during
the 2012 election while the majority of white Americans voted for Romney. Young people younger than 40
mostly voted for Obama while those older than 40 voted mostly for Romney. Urban communities mostly
voted for Barack Obama. Suburbs, towns, and rural communities mostly voted for Mitt Romney. Those who
made less than $50,000 a year voted in the majority for Obama. Those who made more annual income voted
mostly for Romney. Therefore, we see a pattern here. President Barack Obama became the first incumbent
since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944 to win reelection with fewer electoral votes and a lower popular vote
percentage. Yet, Obama was the first two term President since Ronald Reagan to win both his presidential
bids with an absolute majority of the nationwide popular vote. Not since 1820 had three consecutive
American presidents succeeded in securing two consecutive terms. One of the most tragic mass shootings in
American history was the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that occurred on December 14, 2012 (at
Sandy Hook, Connecticut. I was 29 years old back then). A murderer named Adam Lanza shot and killed 26
people (including 20 children between the ages of 6 and seven years old). Still, extremist GOP members
refused to support even reasonable gun control legislation like expanded background checks. President
Barack Obama was publicly saddened and upset at the situation. Since 2012, mass shootings in America
unfortunately increased.
 An Overview of the 2012 Presidential Election
Date: November 6, 2012

538 is the number of total

electoral votes of the Electoral
College. 270 electoral votes are
needed to win

Turnout 54.9%

Nominee Barack Obama Mitt Romney

Party Democratic Republican
Home State Illinois Massachusetts
Running Mate Joe Biden Paul Ryan
Electoral vote 332 206
States carried 26 + D.C. 24
Popular vote 65,915,795 60,933,504
Percentage 51.1% 47.2%

This Presidential electoral college map shows blue denoting states and areas won by Obama/Biden.
The color red denotes the states and areas won by Romney/Ryan. The numbers show the amount of
electoral votes allotted to the winner of each state.
The Beginning of his Second Term

Barack Obama’s 2nd term started on his 2nd inauguration on January 20, 2013. He was sworn into office
again by the Supreme Court Justice Chief Justice John Roberts. During this time, he was promoting gun
control, the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and other issues.
During January 2, 2013, he pushed through a compromise bill that prevented the U.S. from falling off the
fiscal cliff. The problem is that the bill had many sharp spending cuts. By the end of January of 2013, he talked
across the country to promote reducing gun violence and to promote comprehensive immigration reform at
Del Sol High School in Las Vegas. During the start of February, President Barack Obama signed the No Budget,
No Pay Act of 2013 into law. He continued to promote gun control, but nothing massively changed in
Congress legislatively (because of the gun lobby and misunderstandings about what gun control is. To this
very day, some believe that gun control means a total gun ban of every citizen, which is a lie). The President
and First Lady attended the annual National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C.
on February 7, 2013. During his February 12 State of the Union address, the President announced a
drawdown of 34,000 troops from Afghanistan. Afghanistan continues to be a nation at war to this very day.

President Barack Obama did the right thing to sign the Violence against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013
back on March 7, 2013. President Obama visited Ramallah in the West Bank. That is the location where he
held a joint news conference with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and, later in the day,
Obama spoke at the Jerusalem International Convention Center. This occurred on March 21, 2013. On March
26, President Barack Obama visited the Stanley Cup winners the LA Kings and the MLS Cup winners the LA
Galaxy in the White House. Terrorism continues to be a problem in the world. On March 21, 2013, the
President said that Syria’s Assad regime would cross a red line if it used chemical weapons.

Black Lives Matter

The Boston bombing of April 15, 2013 changed the nation. It happened during the Boston Marathon (where
2 people used cooker devices to murder and injure innocent people). An authoritarian crackdown in Boston
happened and the murderers are caught. One bomber is killed. The other one was cornered by the police,
captured, placed on trial, and sentenced to death in 2015. In April, the President visited many world leaders
from Jordan’s King Abdullah to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. The Guardian published Edward
Snowden’s documents about massive NSA monitoring of American citizens (beyond just accused criminals).
This caused a renewed debate on civil liberties. To this day, Edward Snowden can’t come into America for
fear of arrest. Snowden (and other whistleblowers) made aware about the vast, slick, and in many cases
extrajudicial acts of the NSA. Obama talked about climate change too. In 2014, more developments
happened. He or Obama accused Moscow of invading and occupying Crimea in southern Ukraine, which is
inaccurate (as Crimea utilized a referendum to decide their own sovereignty). ISIS grows and Obama sent
about 275 armed personnel to Iraq to “advise” Iraqi forces fighting ISIS. Later, he authorized airstrikes against
ISIS positions in Syria.

2014 started with the Black Lives Matter movement going into the next level. Barack Obama’s response has
been a combination of powerful speeches and moderate, middle of the road speeches on police brutality and
race. He supported a task force on 21st century policing. He tries to balance his words in trying to curry favor
among both sides (i.e. BLM and the police), but that doesn’t work to convince either side all of the time.
Michael Brown was killed by the officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson or a suburb of St. Louis (during 2014).
Protesters exist in Ferguson and nationwide. Eric Garner was killed by one police officer in New York City as
well. Tamir Rice and Sandra Bland have died. Many activists go out in the streets to fight for change. Cop
terrorists should be brought to justice. The Black Lives Matter movement and the discussions about police
brutality continue to exist to this time in 2017. Obama came about to help with the Ebola crisis. The
Republicans take over Congress in the 2014 midterm elections. Obama has more difficultly to pass his laws.
Obama helps the Dreamers and uses executive orders to deal with immigration (he met with young
immigrants who support DACA, which is a legitimate policy), but he has deported more immigrants than any
other President in history (yes, more than Trump). By the end of December 2014, President Barack Obama
said that the end of combat mission in Afghanistan was in sight.

History has always been related to the Obama Presidency. She is Loretta Lynch. She was the
first African American woman to be Attorney General of the United States of America from
April 25, 2015, to January 20, 2017. She replaced former Attorney General Eric Holder.
Loretta Lynch was born in Greensboro, North Carolina on May 21, 1959. She is 60 years
old. She has been a federal prosecutor for years.
In 2015, another terrorist attack happened in January in Paris. It happened by people who attacked the
Charlie Hebdo offices (who spewed racist, Islamophobic, sexist, and xenophobic articles and pictures. Yet,
the people of that magazine should never have been murdered). One of the most horrific events of 2015 was
the June 17, 2015 Charleston shooting where one white racist murdered 9 innocent black human beings.
These Brothers and Sisters just wanted to worship God, but their lives were extinguished by one coward.
Many people in Charleston, South Carolina came together to oppose racism and get rid of the Confederate
flag from the state Capitol grounds (which should happen. This came after the heroic black woman Bree
Newsome tried to take the Confederate flag off from public property). In November of 2016, he or President
Barack Obama agreed to the Paris climate change agreement in dealing with climate change. 2016 would be
the start of the end of the Obama Presidency. President Barack Obama spoke in Hiroshima, Japan in May 27,
2016 to desire a “world without nuclear weapons.” Barack Obama supported the 2016 Hillary Clinton
campaign for President. Obama criticized Trump on many issues. He called Trump a “home grown
demagogue” during the Democratic convention in Philadelphia on July 28, 2016. Obama had his veto
overridden. The overridden veto by Congress was about a law that allowed 9/11 families to sue Saudi Arabia
for its accused role in the 9/11 attacks.

Trump won the election of 2016 which is a very horrific result. Republicans continued to control most of
Congress by 2016. Obama called Trump and issue his words of congratulations to him. By the end of 2016,
the Obama administration helped Trump and his team to transition into the White House. On December 28,
2016, Obama designated two new national monuments, protecting over 150m acres of land, including sacred
Native American sites, in Nevada and Utah. During Obama’s presidency, he has federally protected over 550
million acres with his executive powers. Barack Obama placed sanctions on Russia and he expelled 35 Russian
diplomats from the U.S. The reason is that the administration accused Russia of using a cyber-attack against
the Democratic National Committee during the 2016 election. Many in the intelligence community believe
that these actions contributed to Trump winning the election. To this day, investigations are happening to
find the truth. Cornell West is also right to expose Trump in the following terms:

“… Unfortunately, given the right-wing populist and authoritarian orientation of Trump, he uses that kind of
anguish to scapegoat Mexicans, Muslims and others, rather than confront the most powerful. Twenty-one
percent of those who voted for Trump do not like him, but they feel as if they had no alternative. And we
have to keep in mind, 42 percent of our fellow citizens didn’t go to the polls at all, already given up on the
system, you see. And so, the system itself now is in such a chronic crisis. And we said before the election
that Trump would be a neofascist catastrophe. And it’s very clear from his picks that he’s moving in that
direction…”
Historic Changes

The Presidency of Barack Obama have witness a massive amount of historical changes for America. Barack
Obama and Vice President Joe Biden including Valerie Jarett have promoted the fight against sexual assault
against women in college campuses. During this second term, economic inequality still grew. This is
represented on how there were nationwide strikes of fast food workers in desiring a higher minimum wage.
Barack Obama tried to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact (for 12 nations). People from across
the political spectrum opposed the pact because of diversity of reasons. Obama is a believer in climate
change. He said that he rejected the Keystone pipeline if it increases carbon pollution. He ended oil
exploration in the Arctic in January of 2013. He protected federal lands in conservation. He created 25 new
national monuments in his President. He protected a total of 553,000,000 acres (224,000,000 ha) of federal
lands and waters, more than any other U.S. president. In June 2015, the Court ruled 6–3 in King v. Burwell
that subsidies to help individuals and families purchase health insurance were authorized for those doing so
on both the federal exchange and state exchanges, not only those purchasing plans "established by the
State", as the statute reads. The President is the most pro-LGBT President in American history. During his
second inaugural address on January 21, 2013, President Barack Obama was the first President to call for full
equality for gay Americans. He supported the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision Obergefell v. Hodges, which
ruled that same sex marriage is legal nationwide.

During his 2nd term, he visited Africa with Michelle Obama on July of 2015. He spoke in front of the African
Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on July 29, 2015. He was the first President to do so. He gave his speech to
promote infrastructure, economic growth, education, etc. in Africa. He wanted to promote democracy in
Africa, but democracy works well when imperialism is gone. He wanted African nations to grow. President
Barack Obama in 2015 also spoke in Kenya on a diversity of issues. Also, he wanted to normalize relations
with Cuba by December of 2014. Secret meetings between Cuban and American officials started in the spring
of 2013. Both sides discussed about a calming down of tensions in Canada and the Vatican. Raul Castro shook
hands with Obama during the Nelson Mandela memorial service in Johannesburg in December 10, 2013. So,
there was a restoration of relations with Cuba. President Barack Obama announced the formal diplomatic
relations among Cuba and America on July 1, 2015. Embassies opened in Washington and Havana. Barack
Obama visited Havana, Cuba for two days in March 2016. He was the first sitting President to do so since
Calvin Coolidge in 1928. He shook hands with Cuban President Raul Castro on April of 2015 in Panama.

He signed the Iranian nuclear deal, which is one of his greatest foreign policy decisions. The deal happened
in July 14, 2015 and it allowed Iran to not acquire nuclear weapons with investigations and follow through.
By 2014, Obama worked with Russia to form a deal where Assad gave up chemical weapons. Chemical attacks
in Syria continued still.

First Lady Michelle Obama

First Lady Michelle Obama is a heroic woman who made history as the first black African American First Lady
in American history. Her eloquence, her grace, and her compassion are amazing. She is the wife to Barack
Obama and she has been his great supporter. To understand the legacy of Barack Obama, you must
understand about the life and accomplishments of Michelle Obama. In the beginning, Michelle LaVaughn
Obama was born on January 17, 1964 in Chicago.

She was raised in the Southside of Chicago. Her father was Fraser Robinson III. He was a city water plant
employee and Democratic precinct captain. Her mother was Marian Shields Robinson. She was a secretary
at Spiegel’s catalog store. Marian Shields Robinson is still here today and she is 79 years old. She is the
maternal and only living grandparent of Malia and Sasha Obama. She lived in the White House when Barack
Obama was President. Michelle Obama’s ancestry comes from the American South. She is descended from
the Gullah people of South Carolina’s Low Country region. Her paternal great great grandfather was Jim
Robinson (who was a slave on Friendfield Plantation in South Carolina). Some of her relatives live in South
Carolina currently. Among her maternal ancestors was her great-great-great-grandmother, Melvinia Shields,
a slave on Henry Walls Shields' 200-acre farm in Clayton County, Georgia. Melvinia's first son, Dolphus T.
Shields, was biracial and born into slavery about 1860. In addition, a paternal first cousin once-removed is
the African-American Jewish Rabbi Capers Funnye, son of her grandfather's sister. Michelle Obama grew up
in a two story bungalow on Euclid Avenue in South side Chicago. Her great aunt lived downstairs from her. In
her youth, she employed playing Monopoly and other games. She read and saw family members on both
sides of her family. She and her family vacationed at times in White Cloud, Michigan. She and her other
brother Craig skipped the second grade.

Her father and her mother inspired her. Her father suffered from multiple sclerosis and this had a great effect
in her life. She made great grades. She was in a gifted class and she attended Whitney Young High School.
She was the classmate of Jesse Jackson’s daughter Santita. She took three hours to come into the high school
since it was located in the Near West Side. She experienced gender discrimination growing up. Michelle
Obama was on the honor roll for four years, took advanced placement classes, and was a member of the
National Honor Society. She served as student council treasurer. Michelle Obama graduated from high school
in 1981 as a salutatorian of her class. She came into Princeton University and graduated in 1983. Her brother
coached Oregon State University and Brown University as a basketball coach. Michelle Obama experienced
racism and other issues in Princeton. Yet, she never gave up. Many college kids drove BMWs and were
extremely wealthy. She was involved in the Third World Center (today’s it is called the Carl A. Fields Center).
This is an academic and cultural group that supported minority students. They had their own day care center
which was conducted after school tutoring.

As part of her requirements for graduation, she wrote a thesis titled Princeton-Educated Blacks and the Black
Community. To research her thesis, she sent a questionnaire to African American graduates. It wanted to
specify when and how comfortable they were with their race before enrollment at Princeton and how they
felt about it when they were a student and since then. Of the 400 alumni to whom she sent the survey, fewer
than 90 responded, and her findings did not support her hope that the black alumni would still identify with
the African American community, even though they had attended an elite university with all of the
advantages that accrues to its graduates. She majored in sociology and minored in African American studies,
graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in 1985. In 1988, Michelle Obama earned her Juris Doctor (J.D.)
degree from Harvard Law School. Her confidence has grown. Her faulty mentor at Harvard Law was the
famous progressive teacher Charles Ogletree.

Michelle Obama’s books of The Light We Carry and Becoming are some of the most
influential books of our generation.

Ogletree inspired her. She called herself both brilliant and black. Michelle Obama demonstrated and fought
for more minority representation as professors in Harvard. She worked for the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau. In
that organization, he helped low income tenants with housing cases. She is the third First Lady with a
postgraduate degree. The other first Ladies with the postgraduate degree are Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush.
Michelle Obama loved the opportunities that education gave her. Michelle Obama’s father, Fraser C.
Robinson III, passed away from complications from his illness in March 1991. She would later say that
although he was the "hole in my heart" and "loss in my scar", the memory of her father has motivated her
each day since. Around this time, her friend Suzanne Alele passed away from cancer. This was a turning point
in her life as she continued to help society and influence the world. Michelle Obama first met Barack Obama
when they were among the few African Americans at their law firm Sidley Austin LLP. She mentored him
while he was a summer associate. They started to have a relationship with a business lunch and then a
community organization meeting where he first impressed her. Before meeting Obama, Michelle had
previously told her mother that she would focus solely on her career.

The couple's first date was to the Spike Lee movie Do the Right Thing. Barack Obama opined that he and
Michelle had an "opposites attract" scenario in their interest for each other initially since Michelle had
stability through her two-parent home while he was "adventurous." They married in October 1992. Their 2
daughters are Malia Ann (born in 1998) and Natasha (also known as Sasha who was born in 2001). The Obama
family continued to live in the Chicago’s South Side until moving to Washington, D.C. Valerie Jarrett is one of
the couple’s closest friends and advisors. In their marriage early on, they scheduled date nights despite their
busy work lives. Michelle Obama is a Protestant Christian and has attended many churches from Shiloh
Baptist Church, St. John’ Episcopal Church (both of which are found in Washington, D.C.) and African
Methodist Episcopal Church. She worked as Assistant to the mayor in 1991. In 1993, she became Executive
Director for the Chicago office of Public Allies, a non-profit organization encouraging young people to work
on social issues in nonprofit groups and government agencies. She worked there nearly four years and set
fundraising records for the organization that still stood 12 years after she left. In 1996, Michelle Obama was
the Associate Dean of Student Services at the University of Chicago. She developed the University’s
Community Service Center. In 2002, she began working for the University of Chicago Hospitals, first as
executive director for community affairs and, beginning May 2005, as Vice President for Community and
External Affairs.

As early as 1996, Michelle Obama knew that Barack Obama would go into a political career, but she was wary
about the process. She campaigned for him during Barack Obama’s 2000 run for the U.S. House of
Representatives. Barack Obama would lose that election and win the Senate race later on. Barack Obama
decided to run for the Presidency in 2007. Michelle Obama wanted him to quit smoking as a condition to
support his run. During the historic campaign, she talked about race and education including motherhood.
Michelle Obama wrote her own speeches, made appearances with Oprah Winfrey, and increased campaign
participation greatly by February 2008. In the campaign, Michelle Obama was disrespected by racists and her
critics. She was falsely stereotyped as an “angry black woman” which is an evil misogynoir slur. Michelle
Obama responded by saying that she will continue to stand up and speak up.
 “…How we explain that when someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you don't
stoop to their level. No, our motto is, when they go low, we go high…”

-Michelle Obama’s DNC speech on July 25, 2016 in the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania.

Michelle Obama is known for her eloquent speeches and she is known for a great fashion style. Her historic
2008 Democratic National Convention speech in August of 2008 showed that she is her own woman. In the
speech, Michelle Obama said both she and her husband believed "that you work hard for what you want in
life, that your word is your bond, and you do what you say you're going to do, that you treat people with
dignity and respect, even if you don't know them, and even if you don't agree with them.” Michelle Obama
continued to campaign and gave interviews in October. By November 2008, Barack Obama has won the
election as the first black man to be elected President of the United States of America. During the early
months as First Lady in early 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama visited homeless shelters and coup kitchens.
She sent representatives to schools and advocated public service. She endorsed President Barack Obama’s
bills. She hosted a White House reception for women’s rights advocates in celebration of the enactment of
the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 Pay equity law. She supported the economic stimulus bill in visits to
the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and United States Department of
Education. She was involved in politics. She worked to promote the interests of military families, working
women, mothers, etc. She promoted education and the arts. First Michelle Obama appeared on the cover
and in a photo spread in the March 2009 issue of Vogue. She loves fashion a great deal.
She has traveled around the world. In April 1, 2009, she came into Buckingham Palace to met with Queen
Elizabeth II. She spoke to students in Mexico in April of 2010. Michelle Obama traveled to Africa for the
second official trip in June 2011, touring Johannesburg, Cape Town and Botswana and meeting with Graca
Machel. Michelle Obama was also involved with community events in the foreign countries. She had a more
active involvement in the 2012 Presidential campaign than the 2008 election. Barack Obama defeated Mitt
Romney in the 2012 election too.

One of First Lady Michelle Obama’s friends is Beyoncé.

Throughout the 2 terms of President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama has received great popularity
among the American people. She came into Washington, D.C. in 2013 to celebrate the 50th year anniversary
of the 1963 March on Washington. She came into Selma with her husband to remember the 50 year
anniversary of the March from Selma to Montgomery event (in March of 2015). In July 2015, Obama
journeyed to Coachella Valley while coming to Los Angeles for that year's Special Olympics World Games. In
October 2015, Obama was joined by Jill Biden and Prince Harry in visiting a military base in Fort Belvoir,
Virginia, an attempt on the prince's part to raise awareness to programs supporting harmed service
members. In December 2015, Obama traveled with her husband to San Bernardino, California, to meet with
families of the victims of a terrorist attack that occurred two weeks earlier.
A large part of her legacy is her Let’s Move! campaign. This campaign was about promoting healthy eating
and exercise for children and adults. She planted a White House organic garden. Let’s Move! started in
January of 2010. On February 9, 2010, the First Lady announced Let's Move! and President Barack Obama
created the Task Force on Childhood Obesity to review all current programs and create a national plan
towards change. She wanted to fight childhood obesity. Michelle Obama stated that her goal was to make
this effort her legacy: "I want to leave something behind that we can say, 'Because of this time that this
person spent here, this thing has changed.' And my hope is that that's going to be in the area of childhood
obesity." Her 2012 book American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across
America is based on her experiences with the garden and promotes healthy eating. Many Republicans
criticized her, but Her Let’s Move! Campaign was highly successful in gaining awareness and improving lives.
Michelle Obama toured America in supporting Democratic candidates in the 2010 midterm elections. In
March 2014, Michelle Obama visited China along with her two daughters Malia and Sasha, and her mother
Marian Robinson. She met with Peng Liyuan, the wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, visited historic and
cultural sites, as well as a university and two high schools. Michelle Obama continues to support her husband
and she supported Hillary Clinton's 2016 Presidential campaign. Today, she is living her life and she has made
history as a great black woman.
Cultural Impact

The Presidency of Barack Obama has had a huge cultural impact nationally and internationally. Many
celebrities praise him. They are extremely numerous. They include people like Anthony Bourdain, Tina
Knowles, Jason Wu, Jessica Alba, Nia Long, Jim Belushi, Jack Black, Ashton Kutcher, Rashida Jones, James Earl
Jones, Ashley Judd, Common, Jamie Foxx, Jay Z, Beyoncé, Drew Barrymore, Alec Baldwin, Angela Lansbury,
Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Rosario Dawson, Robert De Niro, Danny DeVito, Michael Douglas, Kirk Douglas, Fran
Drescher, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert Redford, etc. Many international leaders welcome him
to speak in their nations. He is an African American who traveled internationally since his youth. He has a gift
to communicate eloquently and appeal to people from across nationalities and races. He has been influenced
by many social movements. He can play basketball and he can sing. He has won numerous awards and
acknowledgements for his literature and other actions. President Barack Obama is part of the Internet age
and more and more young people have been engaged in political issues during the Age of Obama. He has
been called a hip hop President too, because of many reasons. One is that President Barack Obama is the
first President who has a strong affinity to love hip hop music as he is a fan of hip hop. He admits that he
loves to listen to a diversity of music including music from Jay Z to other artists. On April 17, 2009, then
candidate President brushed his shoulder off when he campaigned against Hillary Clinton. He has allowed
rappers to perform in the White House. The President worked with Kendrick Lamar to promote his My
Brother’s Keeper program. Many young people respect the President Barack Obama. Obama has inspired the
youth in many endeavors. Black culture was shown by President Barack Obama while he was in the White
House. Culture has a very strong influence in our own lives.
The End of an Era

At the month of December during 2016, the beginning of the end of the Presidency of Barack Obama
commenced. It was a time of an end of an era. On December 2, he held a bilateral meeting with Secretary
General designate Antonio Guterres of the United Nations. He spoke in MacDill Air Force Base in Florida in
December 6 to talk about how terrorism is a dangerous threat in the world. He noted the 75th anniversary
of the World War II Pearl Harbor Attack on December 7, 2016. He signed the 21st Century Cures Act on
December 14. This law was a bipartisan effort to expand funding for medical research. President Obama signs
the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act of 2016, which makes it illegal to use a bot to purchase tickets
online. This was done in December 15. He held his last press conference of 2016 on December 16. Later, he
and his family take a vacation on Air Force One to Hawaii. This was part of their annual holiday vacation. The
end of 2016 was a time for relaxation for President Barack Obama and his family. On December 23, 2016, he
signed into law the annual defense spending bill which would increase military pay and require all new
recruits to be issued athletic shoes made in the United States. By the date of President Obama visits the USS
Arizona Memorial with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe to honor the 2,300 Americans who died on
December 7, 1941. January 2017 would be the final time of his time as President. He came back to the White
House after his annual Hawaiian vacation on January 2, 2017.

On the next day, the 115th United States Congress started. He comes to visit Democratic lawmakers to try to
send a message of trying to save the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, because many Republicans
wanted to repeal and replace the law. On January 6, 2017, he hosted a farewell party at the White House
with many celebrities like Kelly Rowland, Jordin Sparks, Al Sharpton, Beyoncé and Jay Z, etc. On January 10,
President Barack Obama delivered his farewell speech at McCornick Place in his hometown of Chicago. He
welcomed the 2016 World Series champion Chicago Cubs to the White House. He later commuted the
sentences of General James Cartwright and Chelsea Manning. On January 19, 2017, President Obama grants
330 commutations to nonviolent drug offenders. That was the most acts of clemency that Obama granted in
a single day and the most granted on one day in U.S. history by any president.
 “…And so we must forge a new social compact – to guarantee all our kids the education they
need; to give workers the power to unionize for better wages; to update the social safety net to
reflect the way we live now and make more reforms to the tax code so corporations and
individuals who reap the most from the new economy don’t avoid their obligations to the
country that’s made their success possible. We can argue about how to best achieve these
goals. But we can’t be complacent about the goals themselves. For if we don’t create
opportunity for all people, the disaffection and division that has stalled our progress will only
sharpen in years to come…Going forward, we must uphold laws against discrimination – in
hiring, in housing, in education and the criminal justice system...”
-President Barack Obama’s farewell speech in Chicago on January 10, 2017

Goodbyes and Legacy

January 20, 2017 was the final day of President Barack Obama’s Presidency. He leaves the White House with
First Lady Michelle Obama. His successor is the xenophobic right wing demagogue Donald Trump. Trump is
the 45th President of America. Now, it is important to evaluate his legacy as a President. I lived throughout
President Barack Obama’s tenure. So, his legacy is always a mixture of the legitimately great policies that he
made along with his mistakes. Form the start of his Presidency, he wanted to promote a new society where
people can come together to formulate solutions. He wanted a transformation generationally of society. Yet,
he found out that the same bigotries and injustices continued to exist. He saw Democratic majorities in the
Congress and Republican majorities in the Senate. He experienced slander by his critics and hagiography by
his supporters. The truth is that President Barack Obama has advanced capitalism and neoliberalism. On
some social issues, he is the most progressive President in history without question. On foreign policy issues,
he has expressed many of the similar polices from the Bush and Clinton administrations. President Barack
Obama has realized that many Republicans care more about party than truth or logic. The Great Recession
(which was created by a Wall Street credit bubble that exploded) harmed millions of America. Obama’s
policies did create millions of jobs (about 11.3 million jobs, which is great news), but many of these jobs were
low wage. His policies prevented a permanent depression in America as the unemployment rate in 2016 is
much lower than in 2009.

Likewise, economic inequality has increased during his term. One part of his legacy is the passage of the
Affordable care Act, the Iranian nuclear deal (which is one of his greatest accomplishments), the Dodd Frank
Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (which had legitimate parts in it), and other policies. My
Brothers Keeper is a program from the Obama administration which tried to give black and people of color
male youth opportunities in education and jobs. He repealed don’t ask don’t tell. He continued drone strikes
in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen. He expanded troop deployments in Afghanistan. I don’t
agree with that. President Obama’s foreign policy is blatantly non-progressive by supporting the coup in
Honduras, supporting aggressive acts against whistleblowers, he blocked habeas corpus rights for enemy
combatants, sending arms to Saudi Arabia plus Israel, etc. These policies grew the military industrial complex
and the national security state in an antithesis to human civil liberties. On issues of race, he talks about
“personal responsibility” and moderate views. The ACA lacks a public option and many parts of it have been
crafted by the insurance industry. The law was a compromise with good and bad parts in it.

He talked about criminal justice issues too. President Barack Obama spoke about criminal justice issues in a
prison before too. According to Pew Research Center and United States Bureau of Justice Statistics, from
December 31, 2009 to December 31, 2015, that inmates sentenced in US federal custody declined by 5%
under US President Obama. This is the largest decline in sentenced inmates in US federal custody since
Democrat US President Jimmy Carter. By contrast, the federal prison population increased significantly under
US president Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. On immigration, he has
deported more immigrants than any President in American history. Therefore, the Presidency of Barack
Obama has been a combination of successes and challenges. It has been both examples of great policies and
great mistakes. The Presidency of Barack Obama represented a new era of American society indeed.
Post Presidency

One important point of his Post-Presidency is the creation of the Barack Obama Presidential Library, which
will be held in Chicago, Illinois. It will be hosted by the University of Chicago. It will be located in Jackson Park
on the South Side of Chicago too. It will become the 14th site in the National Archives and Records
Administration’s Presidential library system. I do agree with the Obama family in giving $2 million to help
fund Chicago summer job programs. During the summer, many people are out of work, and it is important to
give the poor and others economic and job opportunities. I have no problem with that. We can't be naive
either. Chicago is a beautiful city with great culture. Likewise, we know problems exist in Chicago too. The
solutions to those issues require a comprehensive diverse approach from economic programs, mentorships,
job creation actions, neighborhood revitalization efforts (excluding excessive gentrification), infrastructure
development, and other actions to combat poverty & economic inequality. Public services must be
strengthened, and families deserve the necessary love and resources to be strengthened. We have a long
way to go. We may never see the Promised Land in our lifetimes. Yet, we start now, so the Promised Land
can hopefully come in less than 100 years from now. We won't quit and we are victors. We may even see the
beginning of the end of oppression in our lifetimes.

Barack Obama was involved in a Raphael Former First Lady Michelle Obama smiles as she spoke
Warnock rally in Atlanta, Georgia on during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Obama
December 1, 2022. Warnock won his Presidential Library on Tuesday, September 28, 2021, in
victory in the 2022 runoff election. Chicago (Source: Charles Rex Arbogast/AP).
 Yes, I will always stand with immigrants 100 percent.

This is the portrait of many members of the Obama family.

After January 20, 2017, Barack Obama was lifted off on Executive One. He rented a house in Kalorama,
Washington, D.C. During the Democratic National Committee chairmanship election, Obama wanted Tom
Perez to run against Keith Ellison. Perez won. On March 2, 2017, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and
Museum awarded the annual Profile in Courage Award to Obama "for his enduring commitment to
democratic ideals and elevating the standard of political courage.” Barack Obama wanted to promote
participation in politics in his seminar at the University of Chicago on April 24, 2017. He supported Emmanuel
Macron during the French Presidential election on May 4, 2017. In his May 25, speech in Berlin, Barack Obama
wanted election participation and he rejected xenophobia (which is a criticism of the Trump regime). Obama
traveled to Kensington Palace in England and met with Prince Harry on May 27, 2017; Obama tweeted
afterward that the two discussed their foundations and offering condolences in the wake of the Manchester
Arena bombing that occurred five days prior. He continues to speak. Barack Obama and Michelle Obama
have stood side by side in their journeys as well.
Therefore, it is always important to stand up for democratic rights, to fight imperialism, to believe in hope,
to believe in racial justice, to love altruism, to care for the environment, to protect our civil liberties, to reject
bigotry, to honor our families plus our neighbors, and to embrace politically independent, progressive
thinking.

By Timothy

This is the image of the planned President

Barack Obama Presidential Library in
Chicago which will come into existence
during the future.

Peace and Blessings Y’all