The Honorable Barack Obama
Barack Obama was born on August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii. He attended Occidental College for two years before transferring to Columbia University in New York, where he became interested in a career as a social activist.
After graduation, Obama found work as a community organizer, which led him to Chicago. Obama was hired to head the Developing Communities Project and served in this capacity for over three years. However, realizing the limitations of working at such a localized level, Obama enrolled at Harvard Law School. At Harvard, Obama excelled, eventually becoming the President of the Harvard Law Review, the first African American ever to hold this position. After he graduated from Harvard, Obama wrote a book, Dreams from My Father, based on his family’s experiences. He went to work at the Chicago law firm of Miner, Barnhill & Galland.
On advice from friends, Obama ran for a vacant state Senate seat in 1996, and was successfully elected to represent the 13th Legislative District. In 2000, Obama ran for a seat in Congress but lost to incumbent Bobby Rush. In 2004, Obama successfully ran for a seat in the United States Senate representing Illinois, becoming only the fifth African American senator in United States history. On February 10, 2007, Obama announced that he would run for President of the United States. On June 3, 2008, Obama became the presumptive democratic nominee for the U.S. presidency. He is the first African American to ever win a major political party’s nomination for president. On November 4, 2008, Obama became the president-elect when he won the election for President of the United States. He is the first African American president in the history of the United States. Obama was sworn-in as U.S. president on January 20, 2009.
Obama and his wife, Michelle, are the parents of two daughters, Sasha and Malia.
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Male
2/16/2001
Obama
Married
Punahou School
Occidental College
Columbia University
Harvard Law School
Barack
Honolulu
PITS017
Fall, Summer
Hawaii
Bali, Indonesia
I'm tired.

District of Columbia
8/4/1961
Washington
USA
Beans (Red), Rice
State senator, president, and U.S. senator The Honorable Barack Obama (1961 - ) ran for a vacant State Senate seat in 1996, and was successfully elected to represent the 13th Legislative District. In 2004, Obama successfully ran for a seat in the United States Senate representing Illinois, becoming only the fifth African American Senator in United States history. On November 4, 2008, Obama became the first African American president-elect when he won the election for President of the United States. Obama was sworn-in as U.S. president on January 20, 2009.
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Project Vote
Miner, Barnhill & Galland
Illinois State Senate
University of Chicago Law School
United States Senate
Blue
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/11472">Tape: 1 Slating of Barack Obama interview</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/11473">Tape: 1 Barack Obama names his favorite food</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/11474">Tape: 1 Barack Obama lists his other favorites</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/11475">Tape: 1 Barack Obama describes his father's background</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/11476">Tape: 1 Barack Obama describes his mother and her background</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/11477">Tape: 1 Barack Obama shares his experience defining a racial identity, part I</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/11478">Tape: 1 Barack Obama shares his earliest memories</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/11479">Tape: 1 Barack Obama explains his mother's investment in the Civil Rights Movement</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/11480">Tape: 1 Barack Obama describes his adolescent behavior</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/11481">Tape: 2 Barack Obama reflects on his years in Indonesia as a child</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/11482">Tape: 2 Barack Obama shares his experience defining a racial identity, part II</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/11483">Tape: 2 Barack Obama recounts his college years</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/11484">Tape: 2 Barack Obama recalls his experience as a community organizer</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/11485">Tape: 2 Barack Obama recalls law school and the beginning of his political career</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/11486">Tape: 2 Barack Obama evaluates his success as a law student</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/11487">Tape: 3 Barack Obama assesses his law school education</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/11488">Tape: 3 Barack Obama discusses his early exposure to electoral politics</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/11489">Tape: 3 Barack Obama details his entrance into politics</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/11490">Tape: 3 Barack Obama recounts his 1996 campaign for Illinois state senate</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/11491">Tape: 3 Barack Obama reacts to proceedings in the Illinois state legislature</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/11492">Tape: 4 Barack Obama reflects on the histories of local Chicago politics and Illinois state politics</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/11493">Tape: 4 Barack Obama classifies a generation of young, black elected officials</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/11494">Tape: 4 Barack Obama evaluates the role of government in improving black lives</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/11495">Tape: 4 Barack Obama considers his legacy</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/11496">Tape: 4 Barack Obama credits influential figures in his life</a>
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