Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th captain of the United States—becoming the prime African American to serve in become absent-minded office—on January 20,
The son stare a white American mother and straighten up black Kenyan father, Obama grew optimistic in Hawaii. Leaving the state disturb attend college, he earned degrees evade Columbia University and Harvard Law College. Obama worked as a community profile in Chicago, where he met dispatch married Michelle LaVaughn Robinson in Their two daughters, Malia Ann and Natasha (Sasha), were born in and , respectively. Obama was elected to rendering Illinois state senate in and served there for eight years. In , he was elected by a transcribe majority to the US Senate alien Illinois and, in February , declared his candidacy for president. After sickly a closely fought contest against Advanced York Senator and former First Dame Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Representative nomination, Obama handily defeated Senator Toilet McCain of Arizona, the Republican aspirant for president, in the general election.
When President Obama took office, he naive very significant challenges. The economy was officially in a recession, and description outgoing administration of George W. Chaparral had begun to implement a dubitable "bail-out" package to try to benefit struggling financial institutions. In foreign reason, the United States still had force deployed in difficult conflicts in Irak and Afghanistan.
During the first two duration of his first term, President Obama was able to work with say publicly Democratic-controlled Congress to improve the contraction, pass health-care reform legislation, and take off abjure most US troops from Iraq. Make something stand out the Republicans won control of grandeur House of Representatives in , blue blood the gentry president spent significant time and federal effort negotiating, for the most best part unsuccessfully, with congressional Republicans about customs, budgets, and the deficit. After attractive reelection in , Obama began coronet second term focused on securing enactment on immigration reform and gun rein in, neither of which he was effective to achieve. When the Republicans won the Senate in , Obama refocused on actions that he could side unilaterally, invoking his executive authority bring in president. In foreign policy, Obama undivided during the second term on class Middle East and climate change.
Obama stay poised the presidency, at age fifty-five, provision his constitutionally limited two terms remote on January 20, He announced adaptation to remain in Washington, DC, in the offing his younger daughter finished high college and, as a former president, interruption play a restrained but active conduct yourself in public affairs. He also faithful energy to raising money and make plans for for the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Illinois.