Objective

Barack Obama is an American politician, author, and attorney who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American to hold the presidency. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1961, he earned degrees from Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he became the first Black president of the Harvard Law Review. Before his presidency, he served as a U.S. senator from Illinois from 2005 to 2008, and as a state senator from 1997 to 2004. His presidency was marked by significant legislation including the Affordable Care Act, the Dodd-Frank financial reforms, and the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.

Contexts

• #barack-obama