Barack Obama

Barack Obama was born in Hawaii in 1961 and became a community organizer, constitutional law lecturer, Illinois state senator, and U.S. senator. His 2004 Democratic National Convention speech made him a national figure, and he won the presidency in 2008 during the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. He became the first African American president, a historic milestone rooted in the long struggle for civil rights.

Obama’s first term focused on economic recovery and health care. His administration supported the financial rescue already underway, passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, rescued the auto industry, and enacted the Affordable Care Act in 2010. The ACA expanded health insurance coverage and became the most important health care law since Medicare and Medicaid.

Foreign policy included both diplomacy and military action. In 2011, U.S. forces killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. Obama withdrew most U.S. troops from Iraq, increased forces in Afghanistan before later drawing down, supported intervention in Libya, and expanded drone warfare. His second term included the Iran nuclear deal, the Paris climate agreement, and normalization of relations with Cuba.

Obama governed amid intense partisan polarization and racial backlash. His presidency saw advances in marriage equality and criminal justice debate, but also ongoing debates over immigration policy, national security programs, and the pace of economic recovery for working families. He left office in 2017 after two terms, succeeded by Donald Trump.