Essay Example on Barrack Obama: The First Black American President

Born Barrack Hussein Obama, he became the first black president of the United States of America. In 2008, the little-known senator from Illinois surprised many when he clinched the Democratic Party ticket against well-established politicians. The one time senator was a good orator at the presidential debates, and his grasp of issues as well as charisma caught the attention of many pundits. The iconic nature of his rise during the Democratic Party conventions in the United States in America was quite evident with the entire world surprised. The possibility of a black man rising to power in the most powerful country in the world was imminent and unstoppable. Many pundits wrote him off, and opinion polls gave him no chance of winning against the Republican candidates in any way. Little did they know that the young man from Illinois would become their next president. The primaries came and then later the elections, and to the surprise of many, it was Barrack Obama as the 43rd president of United States of America. Many were dazzled, and the blacks celebrated all over. Celebrities came up with songs of praise to him. Iconic characters like Beyonce performed at his inauguration ceremony. It was a feat to behold, and the world watched in awe as a black man became the head of state of the most powerful nation in the world. The year is 2008 and the world did experience a new dawn in terms of political leadership. African Americans had hope after a long time of continued suffering and discrimination. It was a different ball game in the world political arena. Someone new had risen to power.

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This man Barrack Obama has had a long walk to his achievements in life. At a tender age, Obama was a good student who made great strides in his academic work. He was a lucky young man attending Punahou Academy in his K-12 education a place where he was one among the only three black students in the entire school. His love for basketball started at Punahou. A good leader is well rounded, and certainly, this was the starting point for Obama as he emerged top both in sports and academics. He did well in his academics graduating with honors to join college in 1979. He was among the few candidates from his class who scored the honors. Obama then entered Occidental College in Los Angeles for a two-year course. His passion for politics grew while at Occidental College where he later left to join Columbia College to pursue political science. His passion for leadership saw him vie for various student political seats (Obama 76). A good leader is one who understands the political landscape. Obama grounded his leadership decisions on informed parameters. He was a good student of law at Harvard University where he was the student leader, and it was while at Harvard that he met his wife, Michelle.

Barrack Hussein Obama is one man whom the world admires and hates in equal measure especially after his rise to power as the American President. Many thought of him as a soft man but his firm grip on power and firm decisions made others hate him with a lot of passion. His oratory skills are something that has charmed Americans over his eight-year reign. He demystified the American presidency interacting with people anyhow. He could walk into malls without security and play football with people just like an ordinary person. His passion for basketball still exists even playing basketball with the major basketball teams in America. The ease with which Obama interacted with the regular people in America is one thing that made many love him in America during his tenure as the President of America.

Barrack Obama is a president who identified with the masses. Twice in his presidency, while making speeches about mass killings in America, Obama was weeping as he made his statements. Barrack Obama cried at his inability to stop the same gun violence despite being the president. The measures that he put forward could not go past Capitol Hill, and so he had to content with the current gun control regulations. Obama identified with the victims of gun violence in his tenure as a president and was very keen on seeing a change in the entire system, but the same system he tried to turn limited him to the laws and procedures demands that Capitol Hill has to approve the change of such laws. The murder at Sandy Hook was perhaps one of the most painful things that he had to deal with during his reign as the president and the speech he gave was quite moving (Alim & Geneva 50). Many Americans were outraged after the speech calling for the lawmakers to change the laws on gun control, but unfortunately, not much could happen. In 2016, Obama was at it again crying in front of cameras as he talked about gun violence. These two incidents made many people connect to the former president and won him love across the board especially new parents who are concerned about the safety of their children with the numerous mass shootings in America.

Terrorism is perhaps one of the serious threats to security that the world is facing currently and under Obamas presidency the SEALS killed Osama Bin Laden. It is not just about the killing but he being the president sat in the situation in the entire operation watching images of the action with other army commanders, the vice president and the secretary of state. In a typical case, the president would just sit in another room and wait for read-outs from the team. His ease as he sat on the fold-up chair in the entire operation was a new feel of the presidency for many. His first-hand involvement and the subsequent announcement to the world that the United States had killed the most-wanted terrorist showed his commitment to the cause. Many praised him for the action, and it is something that earned him a lot of love from Americans and the world over. Obama was a committed president who did not sit in the office and wait for briefs. He was involved and got things done under his watch. He was a hard working chair and did not take advantage of his position to act like a boss. This is yet another admiration point for him.

One of the significant milestones for many in the Obama administration perhaps remains to be the Obamacare bill, which came into effect in 2014. This bill meant that majority of Americans would access health insurance at affordable rates with the burden being spread equally based on earnings and social care. Upon the action of this bill, the number of Americans off insurance has fallen by a whopping 16 million people. Many low paid families especially the African Americans did celebrate as they could now access low-cost healthcare. Industry players, the middle-class, and the wealthy did cry foul as they are the ones who cushion the low-income earners in the society (Watson 35). This bill did earn Obama love and hate in equal measure. The elite and wealthy white community in America felt that he was merely trying to bring the black people to the level of other Americans. It is one of the issues that the incoming president, Donald Trump has vowed to do away with in his new role as the head of the executive. Many argue that white supremacists are the ones pushing for the same abolishment so that they can secure business in the insurance industry.

It is indeed quite difficult to say everything about this man, Barrack Obama but in his eight-year reign as the president of the United States of America, he demystified the presidency and made new changes that not many would have thought of when he took office. The first black president in America, Obama is indeed an icon. His charisma and oratory skill notwithstanding, Barrack is one person who seems to have captured the world by his leadership skills. He was an audacity of hope for many black people not only in the United States but also all over the world. Many African Americans currently feel unsafe with a Trump presidency, and indeed, for the first time, America witnessed demonstrations related to elections this year. Americans will surely miss an Obama administration.

Works Cited

Alim, H. Samy, and Geneva Smitherman. Articulate while Black: Barack Obama, Language, and Race in the U.S. Oxford: Oxford U Press, 2012. Print.

Obama, Barack. The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream. Melbourne: The Text Publishing Company, 2010. Print.

Watson, Robert P. The Obama presidency: a preliminary assessment. Albany: SUNY Press, 2012. Print.