Barack Obama
In this success story, we are going to share Barack Obama biography, the 44th President of the United States and the first African-American U.S. President.
Elected to the Presidency of America in 2008, Barack Obama won the re-election in 2012. Before his political career, Barack Obama served as a civil-rights lawyer, community organizer, and teacher. In 2009, he won the Nobel Peace Prize, being also a winner of a 2006 and 2008 Grammy Awards, Time’s Person of the Year in 2008 and 2012.
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He is guided by the following words: “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
The distinctive personality traits of Barack Obama are integrity, respect, fairness, citizenship, caring, confidence, and mindful decision-making.
Family History & Early Life
Barack Hussein Obama II was born on August 04, 1961 in Hawaii. His mother, Stanley Ann Dunham (November 29, 1942 – November 07, 1995), and his father, Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. (June 18, 1936 – November 24, 1982), met in Hawaii during their studies at The University of Hawaii, while attending a Russian language class. Ann Dunham was an American anthropologist who specialized in economic anthropology and rural development, and Barack Obama Sr. was a Kenyan senior governmental economist.
Barack Obama’s father, named Barack Obama Sr. (left), and mother, Stanley Ann Dunham (right).
Ann Dunham was born on an army base during World War II in Wichita, Kansas, where her parents, Stanley Armour Dunham (1918-1992) and Madelyn Dunham (1922-2008), had moved to. Her family changed few locations after the end of the war, living in California, Kansas, and Texas. Ann’s childhood was difficult because of the issue of racism in Texas, although the word “racism” was not even a part of their vocabulary in her family at the time. Ann graduated from Mercer Island High School in Seattle, where the family had relocated in 1956 after leaving Texas.
She wanted to enter The University of Chicago, but on August 21, 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state of theUnited States of America and Dunham’s parents was looking for new business opportunities in the newly formed state and due to this they moved to Honolulu, Hawaii. Therefore, Ann Dunham had to enroll at The University of Hawaii.
Barack Obama Sr. was born in Rachuonyo District on the shores of Lake Victoria just outside Kendu Bay, British Kenya. When Obama Sr. was nine years old, his mother, Akumu Habiba, left the household. The third wife, Sarah Hussein Onyango Obama, of his father, Hussein Onyango Obama, was bringing up Obama Sr. The family called her Granny. She described Obama Sr. as mischievous and witty. He early learned numbers and alphabet, and he was the best student in class in every school he studied at. Once Obama Sr. was expelled from the mission school because of rebelliousness and had to travel to Mombassa to work as a clerk. Onyango, Obama Sr.’s father, found this job for his son. He believed that it was a time when Obama Sr. had to earn money for his life by himself. He changed one job to another and, finally, he went to Nairobi, Kenya. There he worked as a clerk for the railroad, took part in political meetings, was arrested but soon released. Few years ago, Obama Sr. got interested obtaining major at university and after several attempts he received an invitation from the University of Hawaii and earned a scholarship for himself. In 1959, he left Nairobi and relocated to Hawaii. There he met his wife-to-be, Ann Dunham. Obama Sr. charmed Ann and her parents. The couple married on the Hawaiian island of Maui on February 02, 1961, his father being 24 years old and Obama’s mother being almost 19. On August 04, 1961, soon after the marriage, they gave birth to a son, named Barack Hussein Obama II.
Young Barack Obama with his mother Ann Dunham.
Dunham’s parents, Obama’s maternal grandparents, raised young Barack Obama while his parents were studying. In three years, March 1964, Barack Obama’s parents got divorced after his father enrolled at Harvard University. It was reported that Obama Sr. returned to his native country shortly, and died because of a car accident in Nairobi on November 24, 1982. Later, in the book Dreams from My Father Obama wrote he knew his father only from the mother’s and grandparents’ stories.
In 1965, next year after the divorce, Ann Dunham married Lolo Soetoro. He was an Indonesian student at the University of Hawaii. Next year the family moved to Jakarta, Indonesia. At that time, Obama was six years. In Jakarta, Ann taught English to businessmen, Lolo worked as a geologist. Ann did not have enough money to send Barack to the International School; however, she tried to give him a good education. Every morning she would wake up his son, cook the breakfast for him and teach English to him during three hours before his school and her work. On August 15, 1970, Ann gave birth to Maya Kasandra Soetoro-Ng, Obama’s half-sister.
9-year-old Barack Obama (right) with his Indonesian step-father, Lolo Soetoro (left), and his mother Ann Dunham (center), with his infant sister Maya Soetoro (center).
Barack Obama moved back to Hawaii when he was 10. His mother sent him to her parents, Stanley and Madelyn Dunham, where he lived until graduating from high school. Barack Obama attended Punahou School in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu. He began his academic course from the fifth grade. From the first day at school, Obama became conscious of racism, because he was one of three African-American students. Later, in March 2007, Punahou’s black student, Rik Smith, two years older than Barack, said these words for Chicago Tribune: “Punahou was an amazing school. But it could be a lonely place. Those of us who were black did feel isolated – there’s no question about that.” Barack was a good but not an outstanding student. Basketball was one of the main part of Obama’s school life. Because of a long jump-shot ability, he was known as “Barry O’Bomber.” The basketball team’s coach, Bob Dixon, considered Obama fair, straightforward and who always stood up for the team.
Barack Obama (his classmates called him Barry O’Bomber) with his Punahou basketball team in 1978.
Also as a student, he “dabbled in drugs and alcohol.” While he was studying at Punahou School, his mother divorced Lolo Soetoro and together with her daughter, Maya, moved back to Hawaii. When Ann Dunham studied cultural anthropology at the University of Hawaii in Manoa, she set off to do field research in Indonesia. In 1979, Barack Obama graduated from Punahou School.
Student Years and Law Career
After graduating from the high school, Barack Obama was accepted by several colleges. The young man decided to go to Los Angeles and enroll at Occidental College. He made this decision because he met a young woman in Hawaii who lived in a suburb of Los Angeles. She had been vacating with her parents when they met each other. At the college, he decided to take advantage of a transfer program and moved to Columbia University in New York City. Barack was 20 years old when he arrived in New York in August 1981. New York City changed him. He clearly understood that he did not want to live like his middle-class Black American friends. Barack immersed himself in studies and worked hard.
In 1983, Barack Obama graduated from Columbia University with a major in Political Science. In more than twenty years, Obama still remembers his academic experience as a tough period of life. Most of his time he found himself spending hours in the local library. He also regrets the lack of socializing and a monk style of behavior. Throughout the whole year after graduation, Obama worked as a project coordinator in a global business-consulting firm Business International Group in New York. Soon, he moved to Chicago to work as the executive director of Developing Communities Project from June 1985 to May 1988. Working in Chicago, Obama had to organize the church-funded Developing Communities Project (DCP) and also to pressure Chicago’s authorities to improve a maintained public housing project’s conditions. During three years as the DCP’s director, Obama managed to grow organization’s staff from 1 to 13 and grew its annual budget from $70,000 to $400,000. Later, he would admit that the community organizer job gave him a deep immersion into the African-American community’s life. Throughout his activity, Obama faced with a city bureaucracy and decided to obtain a degree in law.
I think when you spread the wealth around it's good for everybody. – Barack ObamaCLICK TO TWEET
In the fall of 1988, Barack Obama became a student of Harvard Law School. Next summer after enrolling, Barack Obama served as a summer associate at Sidley Austin law firm in Chicago. There he met Michelle Robinson, his future wife, who was working as a practicing attorney and was assigned to mentor him during his internship. Later, Obama was selected as the editor of the Harvard Law Review at the end of his first year. In addition, Obama won the president election of the Harvard Law Review for the academic year of 1990-1991. He was the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. Therefore, he became popular with the media and in 1995, for the contract from Random House, he wrote a book Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, which addressed the issue of race relations.
A 28-year-old second-year law student Barack Obama holds a copy of the Harvard Law Review magazine that elected to feature him in 1991.
In mid-1988, he toured Europe for three weeks and then he visited Kenya, where he met many of his paternal relatives for the first time. Barack Obama graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1991. He traveled to Kenya again in 1992 with his fiancée Michelle and his half-sister Auma. Finally, Barack and Michelle married on October 03, 1992 after a four-year courtship.
Barack Obama and Michelle Obama at their wedding ceremony on October 03, 1992.
Then he returned to Chicago, where he practiced civil rights law at Miner, Barnhill & Galland. Between 1992 and 2004, Obama taught constitutional law at The University of Chicago Law School – first as a lecturer and then as a professor.
Entry Into Politics
In 1996, Barack Obama launched his first campaign for political office. It was after the 13th District state senator, Alice Palmer, decided to run for Congress. With her support, Obama announced his candidacy to replace Alice in the Illinois legislature. The future President won that election although Alice Palmer decided to be a candidate for that legislature again after her congressional campaign faltered.
The start of Obama’s state senator career was frustrating. He saw black Democratic colleagues did not approve his refused to withdraw from the election race for Palmer, and Republicans controlled the state Senate. However, Barack’s communication skills and ability to establish business relationships with senate’s colleagues helped him even while Democrats was in the minority to get campaign finance reform and crime legislation. When Democrats won control of the Senate after the 2002 elections, Obama became a leading legislator passing about 300 bills that were intended to help the poor, children, senior citizens and labor unions.
Barack Obama delivers his concession speech to supporters in Chicago, March 21, 2000.
Despite the significant progress, Obama made a serious misstep when he took part in the Democratic primary run for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000. Then his main opponent was Bobby Rush, a four-term incumbent candidate. Obama lost the primaries to Rush by a 30 percent of the margin point, recalling it an unhealthy race.
Undeterred, he began to prepare for a 2004 race for the U.S. Senate. He knew the incumbent Senator Peter Fitzgerald was unpopular and did not plan to run for reelection. After 9/11 attacks in 2001, Obama took opposition stance to the U.S. President, George W. Bush. In October 2002, Obama spoke against a resolution authorizing to launch a war in Iraq at Chicago’s Federal Plaza by saying, “What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war … what I am opposed to is the attempt … to distract us from a rise in the uninsured, a rise in the poverty rate, a drop in the median income – to distract us from corporate scandals and a stock market that has just gone through the worst month since the great Depression. That’s what I’m opposed to. A dumb war. A rash war. A war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics.” In the future, this political position worked to his advantage, because the war in Iraq was becoming unpopular.
U.S. Senate Career
A political consultant, David Axelrod, who was famous among black candidates, consulted Barack Obama, who was encouraged by poll numbers. He decided to run for the U.S. Senate. Obama won Democratic Senate primary by a wide margin, getting 53 percent of the vote. In the summer of 2004, Barack Obama delivered the keynote speech in support of John Kerry at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. It wasthe speech of unity: “There is not a liberal America and a conservative America – there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America – there’s the United States of America.”
Then Barack Obama led the political struggle against his opponent Republican Jack Ryan, a wealthy former investment banker. Nevertheless, in June 2004, Jack withdrew from the race because of public scandalous allegations made by his ex-wife Jeri Lynn Ryan. In August 2004, the Republican Party put forward a new candidate, Alan Keyes, a diplomat and former presidential candidate. Taking part in a televised debate, Obama and Keyes showed opposing views on abortion, gun control, stem cell research, school vouchers and tax cuts. In November 2004, in the general election, Barack Obama received 70 percent of the vote. Since Reconstruction, he became only the third African-American elected to the U.S. Senate.
Senator’s career started on January 03, 2005. In the United States Senate, Obama with his partners from the Republican Party advocated the destruction of weapons of mass destruction in Russia and Eastern Europe, worked on the development of a website to track all federal spending, used for alternative energy development, etc.
On October 17, 2006, Crown/Three Rivers Press published the second book written by Barack ObamaThe Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream. Obama expressed his vision for the America’s future in it. The book became the No. 1 bestseller on the New York Times and Amazon.com.
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream is the second book written by then-Senator Barack Obama and published on October 17, 2006 by Crown/Three Rivers Press.
Campaigns, Elections, and Presidency
On February 10, 2007, Obama announced his presidential candidacy for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. His rival was Hillary Clinton, former First Lady and then U.S. Senator from New York. Clinton was leading in the polls, even among African-American voters. However, during the primaries, Obama won a sufficient number of pledged delegates, and Clinton performed with the support for Barack.
Then-Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) made President Candidacy Announcement, in Springfield, IL on February 10, 2007.
On November 04, 2008, Obama won the election, receiving 52.9 percent against 45.7 percent Republican presidential nominee John McCain did. He became the 44th President of the United States and the first African-American to hold this office. On the election night, in front of a cheering crowd of supporters Obama said: “If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.”
The First Term
On January 20, 2009, Barack Obama was sworn in as the President of the United States. It was a time of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. There were a global economic recession and two ongoing foreign wars. Every month economy of the U.S. was losing 800,000 jobs. During his inauguration speech, Obama said: “Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met.”
Barack Obama takes the oath of office from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts as he becomes the 44th President of the United States.
Obama acted immediately to get the U.S. economy back on track. He believed that ambitious financial reform, reinventing education and health care and alternative energy would have to be undertaken simultaneously, bringing down the national debt. Since then, there is the longest, uninterrupted period of job growth in the U.S. The private sector has created more than 10 million jobs.
I'm going to try to unite all Americans. – Barack ObamaCLICK TO TWEETFirst 100 Days
During the first 100 days of the Presidency, Barack Obama acted on many fronts. Congress provided expanded health care insurance for children, provided legal protection for women seeking equal pay. Obama cut taxes for every American worker, small businesses, and first-time home buyers. He passed Wall Street reform with the aim taxpayers never again have to bail out big banks. He made quality and affordable health care for the millions of U.S. citizens.
President Obama also developed the U.S. foreign policy. He made the first move to open dialogue with Iran, Venezuela and Cuba and improve relations with Europe, China, and Russia. Obama gave an order to relocate additional 21,000 troops to Afghanistan and set an August 2010 date for withdrawal of the U.S. forces from Iraq. Also, he led policy to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia. Barack ordered the closure of the military detention facility at Cuba’s Guantanamo Bay within a year. For his efforts, Barack Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.
Barack Obama with Thorbjørn Jagland, the former Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, at the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony.
His first State of the Union speech Obama delivered on January 27, 2010. Obama addressed the challenges of the economy and announced a possible freeze on government spending in the following fiscal year. He appealed to politicians to start making positive changes instead of thinking of re-election. Republicans got word of criticism or their refusal to support any legislation.“We don’t quit. I don’t quit,” – one of the central message of Obama’s speech. He urged Americans to seize this moment to achieve the dream and to strengthen American union once more.
The Republicans’ opposition strategy bore fruit in the 2010 midterm elections. The Republicans gained six seats in the Senate. It reduced the Democrats’ majority in that chamber from 18 (59 to 41) to 6 (53 to 47).
Affordable Care Act
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed into law the health care reform plan, known as The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, despite of opposition from the populist Tea Party movement and Congressional Republicans. In 2011, after drawn-out negotiations with Republicans, he signed The Budget Control Act of 2011. This Act is aimed to rein in government spending and prevent the government from defaulting on its financial obligations.
“Don’t ask, don’t tell” Policy Cancellation
Obama made changes in the military sphere. He canceled the official United States policy known as “Don’t ask, don’t tell” (DADT) under which gays, bisexuals, and lesbians had been prevented from the open service in the U.S. Army. President Obama, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen sent the certification to Congress on July 22, 2011, which cancelled the DADT policy on September 20, 2011. In the early spring of 2011, Obama supported the Libyan rebels fighting against Muammar al-Qaddafi, the Libyan dictator, being approving the USA participation in NATO operations. A secret operation in Pakistan was adopted in May of the same year, Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader, was killed as a result of it.
The Second Term
In 2012, Obama had dangerously low job approval ratings (approximately 40 percent). Nevertheless, President Barack Obama was able to raise funding for the first eight months of 2012, develop lines of attack on Republican opponents, and launch his general election campaign from Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Caroline, in September 2012.
In June 2012, on the Campaign Trail event in Maryland, Obama stated: “I guarantee you, we will move this country forward. We will finish what we started. And we’ll remind the world just why it is that the United States of America is the greatest nation on Earth.”
On November 06, 2012, Barack Obama won a second four-year term as the President of the United States. He received more than 60 percent of the Electoral College, about five million more votes than his main Republican opponent Mitt Romney.
Second inauguration of Barack Obama. A public swearing-in ceremony was held at the United States Capitol building on Monday, January 21, 2013.
The first day of 2013 brought the legislative victory to Obama. The United States House of Representatives, which was then controlled by The Republican Party, approved a bipartisan agreement on tax increases and spending cuts on that day. That step was an effort to avoid the looming of fiscal cliff crisis. Furthermore, the Senate voted for the bill earlier that day. This bill was the first step in the implementation of Obama’s re-election promises on the federal budget deficit reduction by raising taxes on the wealthy individuals, whose annual income was $400,000 and $450,000 respectively, according to the bill.
President Barack Obama officially began his second term on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 21, 2013. Speaking at the inauguration, Obama focused on climate change, health and marriage equality, and urged the nation to action on these issues.
Boston Marathon Bombings
During the second term of Presidency, Obama led the nation through many challenges.
One of them happened on April 15, 2013. On that day, double bombings near the finish line of the Boston Marathon killed three people and injured at least 264. Barack Obama expressed support for the victims and said to the Americans they could lift up what’s good and can choose compassion that in the face of evil and cruelty.
Gun Control
In January 2013, President Obama unveiled a plan called President Obama’s January 2013 Gun Proposals to address gun violence in the country. The plan contained 23 executive actions and 3 presidential memoranda, which required congressional approval. On April 17, 2013, Senate blocked Gun Control legislation. The essence of the proposal was to make background checks for all gun sales and to ban military-style assault weapons. Obama called Wednesday “a pretty shameful day for Washington.”
On January 05, 2016, President Barack Obama presented his new strategy to reduce gun violence in the United Sates. His main proposals were pointed on new background check requirements that would improve the efficiency of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), and greater education and enforcement efforts of existing laws at the state level.
I'm the president of the United States. I'm not the emperor of the United States. – Barack ObamaCLICK TO TWEET
In early July 2013, President Barack Obama and George W. Bush made history when Bush joined President Barack Obama in Africa in memory of the 15th anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s first attack on the United States. That was the first meeting on foreign land to commemorate an act of terrorism between two U.S. presidents.
Syrian Civil War
The year of 2013 was full of international calls for the U.S. President. In late August and September 2013, the international crisis, connected with the use of chemical weapons against civilians, started in Syria. Thousands of people, including over 400 children, died of the attack. Barack Obama called Bashar al-Assad’s actions a grave threat to the U.S. national security and stated that Syria and Asas must be held accountable. However, Obama did not receive a majority of support for military action against Syria at Congress. On September 10, 2013, Obama stated that a direct strike against Syria could be avoided, if al-Assad agreed to a proposal made by Russia and gave up its chemical weapons. Shortly, admitting possession of chemical weapons, al-Assad accepted the Russian proposal.
Iran Nuclear Deal
In the same month was thawing of relations between the United States and Iran. Thanks to the first direct contact between the leaders of the two countries in more than 30 years. On September 27, 2013, President Barack Obama and the new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had a historic phone call. As a result of the call, Barack Obama expressed optimism about the possibility of concluding the deal, according to which the United States to lift sanctions on Iran in return for that country’s agreement to halt its nuclear development program.
President Barack Obama had a historic 15-minute telephone conversation on Friday, September 27, 2013 with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
In July 2015, the United States and five world powers had found an agreement with Iran over its nuclear program after lengthy negotiations. They agreed that inspectors would visit Iran to make sure that the country enriched uranium was at a much lower level than would be required for creating a nuclear weapon. For its part, the U.S. and its partners pledged to remove the harsh sanctions imposed on Iran, that would allow increasing the volume of oil sales.
U.S. Federal Government 16-day Shutdown
Obama faced with problems in domestic policies. From October 01 through 16, 2013, there was a 16-day shutdown of the United States federal government. It was the third-longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The shutdown happened because of Republican desires to derail of defunding Obama’s law, the Affordable Care Act. Problems intensified failing to launch HealthCare.gov, a website developed to enable the U.S. citizens search and purchase health insurance.
Despite repeated assurances from Obama that such cancelations would not occur, some Americans were losing their existing insurance policies. Under mounting pressure, he was forced to apologize regarding some health care changes. Obama promised to find a solution to this problem and commented: “We are going to do everything we can to deal with folks who find themselves in a tough position as a consequence of this.”
International and Domestic Challenges
Next years brought Obama new challenges in the foreign relations and domestic policy. In October 2013, at the EU Summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkelaccused The National Security Agency (NSA) of monitoring the telephone conversations of her and other 35 world leaders. She made those allegations from Edward Snowden’s leaks. Consequently, in November 2013, Obama’s approval rating drop to a new low. Opinion polls saw only 37 percent of Americans approved of the Obama’s job.
In February 2014, civil unrest and protests arose in Kyiv, Ukraine, which led to the downfall of Viktor Yanukovych’s administration, the 4th President of Ukraine. These events contributed to the introduction of Russian troops to support pro-Russian forces and the annexation of Crimea, South Ukrainian region. Following these events, Obama initiated individualized sanctions towards the businessmen agitating pro Crimean political crisis.
During the year 2014, other problems arose related to violence in Gaza because of tensions between Israelis and Palestinians; the detention of tens of thousands of Central American children at the U.S. – Mexico border; a lawsuit against Obama for abuse of power in relation to Affordable Care Act.
In August 2014, Obama ordered to commit the first airstrikes against the self-proclaimed Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. The extremist Islamic militant group seized part of Syria and Iraq and beheaded foreign hostages. Several Arab countries joined the airstrikes against ISIS. In a speech to the United Nations, Barack Obama said that the United States would work together with a broad coalition to “dismantle this network of death.”
In December 2014, Barack Obama traded 3 Cuban spiesto secure release of Alan Gross. On December 17, 2014 The Cuban government released Alan Gross, who is one of most crucial intelligence agents that was imprisoned by the the Communist country. Gross helped uncover numerous long-running Cuban espionage operations. Obama explained that this was a step into a new chapter between the two nations. Additionally, on February 16, 2016, the U.S. and Cuban governmentsagreed to reopen of air travel services between the two countries for the first time in more than 50 years.
On January 12, 2016, President Obama’s delivered his final State of the Union address and declared that the America was out of recession. “The shadow of crisis has passed,” President Obama said. He believed that middle-class tax breaks and free community college programs could improve the nation.
The Obama administration got two big wins in the summer of 2015. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld part of the Obama’s Affordable Care Act regarding health care tax subsidies. It is made possible buying medical insurance for millions of Americans.
I'm a warrior for the middle class. – Barack ObamaCLICK TO TWEET
On June 26, 2016, the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage throughout the country. In May 2012, Barack Obama became the first U.S. President, who voiced support for same-sex marriage. “All people should be treated equally, regardless of who they are or who they love,” Obama stated.
The Clean Power Plan
In June 2014, the Clean Power Plan was presented by the Environmental Protection Agency under the administration of US President Barack Obama.
The next political step Obama made on August 03, 2015, unveiling the final version of the climate change plan titled The Clean Power Plan aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions was the purpose of that project. It had to be the first in the world national standard to limit carbon emissions that the U.S. coal-burning power plants have been carried out. According to the policy, some of the constraints for power plants should reduce carbon emissions by 32% before 2030 and use renewable energy sources. Each state has been endowed with the ability to create their plans to reduce pollution by 2018. Obama’s Clean Power Plan has been criticized by Republicans and companies involved in coal mining. However, President Barack Obama remained in his position for addressing climate change.
Three months later, Barack Obama demonstrated a commitment to solving environmental problems at The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 21, that was held in France from 30 November to 12 December 2015. The result of the summit was Paris Agreement according to which all participating nations to limit the global temperature rise must reduce greenhouse gas emissions and research and develop alternative energy sources.
His last year of his Presidency, Obama began with orders to tighten control over the purchase of guns to make the country more secure. Since it had to implement more stringent background checks gun buyers, stricter governmental oversight, and enforcement of gun laws, etc. The majority of Americans supported such Obama’s actions.
On November 09, 2016, Donald Trump won the US presidential election. In the same day, Barack Obama delivered a speech on the Results of the Election, called “We Are Americans First.”
Barack Obama stated: “We have to remember that we’re actually all on one team… We’re not Democrats first, we’re not Republicans first, we are Americans first. We’re patriots first. We all want what’s best for this country.”
Personal and Family Life
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama, Barack Obama’s wife, was born on January 17, 1964, in DeYoung, Illinois. She is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School. She met Barack Obama working at the law firm Sidley Austin. Also, she worked for Richard M. Daley, Chicago Mayor, and for the University of Chicago Medical Center. Michelle Obama is a fashion icon and role model for women.
Barack and Michelle Obama have two daughters together. Malia Ann Obama, the first daughter, was born on July 04, 1998, and Natasha Sasha Obama, the second daughter, was born on June 10, 2001. On January 05, 2009, two months after Barack Obama was elected as the President of the United States, Michelle and daughters moved to Washington, DC. Both of the daughters attended Sidwell Friends School. Michelle’s mother, Marian Shields Robinson, moved to Washington, DC with Michelle and girls at the invitation of the couple.
U.S. First Family, (L-R), Malia Obama, Michelle Obama, Barack Obama, Sasha Obama.
Barack Obama collects Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comics. Barack’s favorite drink is black forest berry iced tea. His the most favorite movies areCasablanca and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Obama’s Book List
Since attending Occidental College in California, Obama has read “tons of books.” In a recent interview withPeople magazine, Barack Obama said that his favorite book for 2015 was the novel Fates and Furies by Lauren Goff. Some of his most favorite books are Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison and many others. A list of books Obama enjoys to read is broad. Every year the White House releases President’s reading list. Telegraph magazine collected the list of Barack Obama’s books that he has read in recent years.
Barack Obama life story is full of difficulties, ups and downs. However, he never stops towards his success. Barack Obama was able to prove that an African-American could become America’s first black president and lead his country to prosperity. We hope you have enjoyed exploring Barack Obama biography and his success story and it has inspired you to new discoveries.
Source :Astrum People
Source :Astrum People
