Presidents Encyclopedia Yearbook

Presidents Encyclopedia Yearbook — page 5 — 8 Barack Obama 2009 2016 Barack Obama 2009 2016 Barack Obama Born August 4 1961 Honolulu Hawaii Honolulu Imagine you traveled back in time to America in 1850 Slavery was legal African American men women and children were bought and sold at auctions They were forced to work as slaves with no pay no legal rights no access to education or healthcare and no status as human beings Families were separated and never saw one another again Being an African American slave in pre Civil War America was like being someone's livestock Slaves had no freedom or opportunity Even well into the 1960s African Americans faced racial discrimination and segregation in the United States Now fast forward to America on November 4 2008 Americans elected Barack Obama president He was the first African American elected to the highest office in the land It was a historic time of change in America a time many African Americans thought would never happen This was a triumphant moment in American history Hawaii Term January 20 2009 January 20 2016 Partu Democratic First Lado Michelle LaVaughn Obama Vice President Joseph R Biden Vice President Joseph R Biden

Presidents Encyclopedia Yearbook — page 6 — Barack Obama 44th President of the United States

Presidents Encyclopedia Yearbook — page 7 — 10 Barack Obama 2009-2016 Barack Obama’s family valued education He also met people such as Frank Marshall Davis who were committed to fighting for equal rights and teaching others about African American history Barack Obama went on to study at Occidental College in Los Angeles California Then he moved to New York City to study at the highly regarded Columbia College While at Columbia Barack Obama studied political science and international relations From a young age Barack Obama knew he wanted to make a difference in people’s lives He wanted to improve neighborhoods After graduating from college Barack Obama moved to Chicago where he worked to help families after a steel mill closing Barack Obama knew he needed to do more for America He decided to go back to college This time he attended the prestigious Harvard Law School While at Harvard Barack Obama was the president of the Harvard Law Review a journal that is extremely well-known in its field Obama became the Harvard Review’s first ever African American president One summer Barack Obama met a woman who would enrich his life He worked a summer job at a Chicago law firm and this is where he met Michelle Robinson Both were talented intelligent and ambitious both of them graduated from Harvard Law School In 1992 Barack Obama married Michelle Robinson Young Barack Obama with his mother Ann Dunham Barack Obama’s personal background and political message resonated with millions of Americans Like many Obama came from a culturally diverse background His mother Ann Dunham was of German Irish and English heritage His father Barack Obama Sr was from Kenya Ann Dunham met Barack Obama Sr while both were students at the University of Hawaii They married in 1961 and Barack Obama Jr was born later that year on August 4 The marriage ended But when Barack Obama was six years old his mother remarried With her son and her new husband the family moved to Indonesia In search of an excellent education for her son Ann Dunham sent 10 year old Barack Obama to live with his grandparents in Hawaii

Presidents Encyclopedia Yearbook — page 8 — Barack Obama 2009-2016 11 Before he became president Barack Obama taught law to college students in Chicago The University of Chicago offered Barack Obama a teaching position in its law school There he would teach constitutional law and continue to work to improve the lives of others Obama was motivated to serve America By 1996 he won a seat in the Illinois Senate Four years later Obama ran for the U S House of Representatives Congressman Bobby Rush beat Obama in that race By 2004 Obama was more experienced and he ran for a seat in the U S Senate for Illinois He won and became a United States senator The nation was also introduced to Barack Obama in 2004 when he gave the keynote address at the Democratic Convention People were impressed with the eloquent young senator from Illinois Many began to speculate if Senator Barack Obama would run for president in 2008 Words to Know ambitious am-BISH-uhss If someone is ambitious they have a strong desire to be successful and do something constitutional law kon-stuh-TOO-shuhn-uhl law Constitutional law is the study of the interpretation of the laws surrounding the Constitution of the United States diverse duh-VURSS Diverse means that there is variety equal rights ee-kwuhl RITES Equal rights means that everyone has the same legal rights as all other people

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