Barack Hussein Obama II
- Born:
- August 4, 1961, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
- Nationality:
- American
- Profession(s):
- Politician, Lawyer, Author
Early Life and Education
- Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Barack Obama Sr. and Ann Dunham.
- Spent part of his childhood in Indonesia with his mother and stepfather.
- Graduated from Punahou School in Honolulu in 1979.
- Earned a B.A. in Political Science from Columbia University in 1983.
- Worked as a community organizer in Chicago.
- Received a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1991, where he was the first African American president of the Harvard Law Review.
Career and Major Achievements
- Lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004.
- Elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996, serving until 2004.
- Elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004.
- Elected as the 44th President of the United States in 2008, becoming the first African American president.
- Re-elected as President in 2012.
Presidential Accomplishments (2009-2017)
- Oversaw the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
- Signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 in response to the Great Recession.
- Authorized the raid that killed Osama bin Laden in 2011.
- Ended the Iraq War.
- Signed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
- Established the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
- Normalized relations with Cuba.
- Oversaw the negotiation of the Iran nuclear deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action).
Notable Works
- Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance (1995)
- The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (2006)
- A Promised Land (2020)
Awards and Recognition
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| Nobel Peace Prize | 2009 |
| Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album (Dreams from My Father) | 2006 |
| Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album (The Audacity of Hope) | 2008 |
| Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album (A Promised Land) | 2020 |
Legacy and Impact
Barack Obama's presidency marked a significant moment in American history, breaking racial barriers and enacting landmark legislation. He remains a prominent figure in American politics and continues to be involved in various initiatives through the Obama Foundation. Examining the legacy requires consulting various sources, and considering perspectives ranging from scholarly analyses to popular accounts such as a paulie zink biography of barack obama.