Barack Obama: First African American President and Agent of Change — biographical portrait
A Documentary Film

Barack Obama: First African American President and Agent of Change

b. 1961

Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) served as the 44th President of the United States from 2009 to 2017, becoming the first African American to hold the nation’s highest office. A former constitutional law professor, community organizer, and Illinois state senator, Obama’s...

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65
Years Old
8
Chapters
Historic
Legacy

Chapters

01

Origins

The Beginning

Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) served as the 44th President of the United States from 2009 to 2017, becoming the first African American to hold the nation's highest office. A former constitutional law professor, community organizer, and Illinois state senator, Obama's rise...

02

The Rise

Building a Legacy

Barack Obama was elected to the Illinois State Senate from Chicago's South Side in 1996, defeating his former mentor Alice Palmer in a disputed primary. The Illinois State Senate provided Obama with his first experience as an elected official and an opportunity to learn the practical arts...

03

The Work

Defining Moments

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare or the ACA, stands as Obama's signature legislative achievement. Signed into law on March 23, 2010, the ACA represented the most significant expansion of health care coverage since the creation of Medicare and...

04

The Peak

Greatest Achievements

Barack Obama came of age during the post-civil rights era, when the legal framework of American racism had been dismantled but its socioeconomic consequences persisted. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 ended legal segregation and guaranteed Black voting...

05

The Legacy

Lasting Impact

The most persistent and racially charged controversy of Obama's presidency was the "birther" conspiracy theory that claimed he was not born in the United States and was therefore ineligible to be president. Despite releasing his birth certificate from Hawaii in 2008 and the "long form"...

America Obama's presidency forced America to confront the persistence of racism while also demonstrating Black achievement at the highest level. His measured,

— First African American President and Agent of Change

There is not a liberal America and a conservative America—there is the United States of America.

— Rise to Prominence

The Audacity of Hope

— Rise to Prominence

the enduring power of our ideals

— Rise to Prominence

I believe marriage is between a man and a woman

— Major Achievements

Innovations

Year Title Role/Impact Type
1961 Introduction Historical Event Legacy
2009 Summary of Political Achievements Historical Event Legacy
1961 Timeline of Major Events Historical Event Legacy
1961 Birth and Family Background Historical Event Legacy
1964 Childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia Historical Event Legacy
1979 Occidental and Columbia Historical Event Legacy
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