Barack Obama facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Barack Obama
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Official portrait, 2012
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| 44th President of the United States | |
| In office January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017 |
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| Vice President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | George W. Bush |
| Succeeded by | Donald Trump |
| United States Senator from Illinois |
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| In office January 3, 2005 – November 16, 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Peter Fitzgerald |
| Succeeded by | Roland Burris |
| Member of the Illinois Senate from the 13th district |
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| In office January 8, 1997 – November 4, 2004 |
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| Preceded by | Alice Palmer |
| Succeeded by | Kwame Raoul |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Barack Hussein Obama II
August 4, 1961 Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | |
| Parents | |
| Relatives | Obama family |
| Education | |
| Occupation |
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| Awards | Full list |
| Signature |  |
| Website | |
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. As a member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American to become president. Before his presidency, Obama was a U.S. senator for Illinois and an Illinois state senator.
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Obama graduated from Columbia University in 1983. He later worked as a community organizer in Chicago. In 1988, he went to Harvard Law School, where he became the first black president of the Harvard Law Review. After law school, he worked as a civil rights attorney and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School.
In 2008, Obama won the presidential election, defeating Republican John McCain. During his first term, he dealt with the Great Recession by signing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. He also signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a major health care reform law. He appointed Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. In foreign policy, he oversaw the end of the Iraq War and the mission that killed Osama bin Laden.
Obama was reelected in 2012, defeating Republican Mitt Romney. In his second term, he took steps to fight climate change, including signing the Paris Agreement. He also normalized U.S. relations with Cuba. He became the first sitting president to support same-sex marriage.
After leaving office in 2017, Obama has remained active in public life. He lives in Washington, D.C., and has campaigned for other Democratic candidates. Historians often rank him in the upper tier of U.S. presidents.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Barack Obama was born on August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is the only U.S. president born outside the 48 contiguous states. His mother, Ann Dunham, was from Kansas, and his father, Barack Obama Sr., was from Kenya. His parents met at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and married in 1961.
Obama's parents divorced in 1964. His father returned to Kenya and visited his son in Hawaii only once, in 1971. When Obama was six, he moved to Indonesia with his mother and his Indonesian stepfather, Lolo Soetoro. He lived in Jakarta for four years and learned to speak Indonesian.
In 1971, Obama returned to Honolulu to live with his grandparents. He attended Punahou School, a private college preparatory school, from fifth grade until he graduated in 1979. His mother and half-sister, Maya, also lived in Hawaii for a few years before returning to Indonesia.
College and Law School
After high school, Obama attended Occidental College in Los Angeles for two years. He then transferred to Columbia University in New York City. He graduated in 1983 with a degree in political science. After college, he worked in New York before moving to Chicago.
In Chicago, Obama worked as a community organizer from 1985 to 1988. He helped set up job training programs and other community projects on the city's South Side.
In 1988, Obama enrolled at Harvard Law School. He became the first black president of the Harvard Law Review, a prestigious legal journal. He graduated with high honors in 1991. After law school, he returned to Chicago, where he taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School for 12 years.
Family and Personal Life
In June 1989, Obama met Michelle Robinson at a Chicago law firm. They began dating that summer and married on October 3, 1992. The couple has two daughters, Malia Ann (born 1998) and Natasha, known as "Sasha" (born 2001).
While living in Washington, D.C., the family had two Portuguese Water Dogs named Bo and Sunny.
Obama is a fan of the Chicago White Sox baseball team and the Chicago Bears football team. He also enjoys playing basketball and was on his high school's team.
Political Career
Illinois State Senator
In 1996, Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate. He represented a district on Chicago's South Side. As a state senator, he worked with both Democrats and Republicans. He helped pass laws on ethics, health care, and criminal justice.
He sponsored a law to help low-income workers with tax credits. He also led the effort to require police to videotape interrogations in homicide cases. This was a major reform to prevent false confessions. He resigned from the Illinois Senate in November 2004 after being elected to the U.S. Senate.
U.S. Senator
Obama announced his campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2003. He was an early opponent of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In 2004, he gave the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. His speech was very popular and made him a national figure.
In the November 2004 election, Obama won with 70 percent of the vote. He became the only African American member of the Senate at the time. As a senator, he worked on issues like government transparency and controlling weapons. He also traveled to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He resigned from the Senate on November 16, 2008, after winning the presidency.
Presidential Campaigns
2008 Election
On February 10, 2007, Obama announced he was running for president. His campaign focused on ending the Iraq War, increasing energy independence, and reforming health care. He won a close primary race against Senator Hillary Clinton.
Obama chose Senator Joe Biden of Delaware as his vice presidential running mate. Their Republican opponents were Senator John McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin. On November 4, 2008, Obama won the election with 365 electoral votes to McCain's 173. He became the first African American to be elected president.
2012 Reelection
Obama ran for reelection in 2012. He and Vice President Biden were the Democratic nominees. Their main opponents were Republican Mitt Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, and his running mate, Representative Paul Ryan.
On November 6, 2012, Obama won reelection with 332 electoral votes. He also won 51.1 percent of the popular vote. He became the first Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win a majority of the popular vote twice.
Presidency (2009–2017)
Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th president on January 20, 2009. In his first few days, he issued orders to develop plans to withdraw troops from Iraq. He also signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which helps protect workers from pay discrimination.
Domestic Policy
Economic Issues
When Obama took office, the country was in the Great Recession. On February 17, 2009, he signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This was a $787 billion economic stimulus package to create jobs and help the economy. His administration also took steps to save the U.S. auto industry, providing loans to General Motors and Chrysler.
The unemployment rate, which was high when he took office, slowly declined during his presidency. The economy began to grow again in late 2009.
Health Care Reform
One of Obama's biggest goals was to reform health care. On March 23, 2010, he signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law. The law is often called "Obamacare."
The ACA expanded health insurance coverage to millions of uninsured Americans. It prevented insurance companies from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions. It also allowed young adults to stay on their parents' insurance plans until age 26. The law has faced legal challenges, but the Supreme Court has upheld its main parts.
LGBT Rights
Obama advanced rights for LGBT Americans. In 2010, he signed a law to end the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. This allowed gay and lesbian people to serve openly in the military.
In May 2012, he became the first sitting U.S. president to publicly support same-sex marriage. In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage was legal nationwide.
Foreign Policy
Obama worked to improve U.S. relations with other countries. In a 2009 speech in Cairo, Egypt, he called for a "new beginning" between the United States and the Muslim world.
Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
Obama fulfilled his campaign promise to end the war in Iraq. The last U.S. combat troops left Iraq in August 2010. He also increased the number of troops in Afghanistan to fight the Taliban. He later began a gradual withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
Death of Osama bin Laden
On May 1, 2011, Obama authorized a raid by U.S. Navy SEALs on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The raid resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda who planned the September 11 attacks. The news was met with celebrations across the United States.
Relations with Cuba
In December 2014, Obama announced that the U.S. would restore diplomatic relations with Cuba. This ended over 50 years of hostility between the two countries. In 2015, the U.S. and Cuba reopened their embassies. In March 2016, Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Cuba since 1928.
Post-Presidency
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Obama's presidency ended on January 20, 2017. He and his family continue to live in Washington, D.C. He has remained involved in public life through the Obama Foundation. The foundation's goal is to inspire and empower people to create change.
In 2018, Barack and Michelle Obama started a production company, Higher Ground Productions. They produce films and series for Netflix. Their first film, American Factory, won an Academy Award for Best Documentary.
Obama endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. In 2024, he endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris after Biden withdrew from the race. He campaigned for her in several states.
His presidential memoir, A Promised Land, was published in 2020. He has also won several awards for narrating audiobooks and documentaries.
Legacy
Obama's presidency is seen as highly significant. His election as the first African-American president was a historic moment. His most noted legislative achievement is the Affordable Care Act, which expanded health insurance to millions.
Economists often credit his administration with preventing a deeper economic depression and starting a long period of job growth. He also signed the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to reform the financial system.
In foreign policy, he is remembered for ending the Iraq War, authorizing the mission that killed Osama bin Laden, and normalizing relations with Cuba. He also won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in international diplomacy. Historians and political scientists generally rank him as an above-average president.
Interesting Facts About Barack Obama
- Obama is the first President born in Hawaii.
- As a child, he lived in Jakarta, Indonesia for four years. He could speak Indonesian well.
- In high school, Obama used the nickname "Barry."
- Obama promised his daughters they would get a dog if he became president. In 2009, Senator Ted Kennedy gave them a Portuguese water dog named Bo.
- In 2022, he narrated the Netflix series Our Great National Parks. He won an Emmy Award for it.
- The Barack Obama Presidential Center will be his presidential library. It will be in Jackson Park in Chicago.
- The saying "thanks, Obama" started on Twitter. People used it humorously to blame him for small problems. Obama himself used the phrase in videos.
Barack Obama Quotes
- "Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."
- "You can’t let your failures define you. You have to let your failures teach you."
- "When times get tough, we don't give up. We get up."
- "If somebody is different from you, that's not something you criticize, that's something that you appreciate."
- "Empathy is a quality of character that can change the world."
- "Just because we have the best hammer does not mean that every problem is a nail."
Images for kids
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Obama's school record from St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Elementary School in Indonesia. He was enrolled as "Barry Soetoro."
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The Obamas worship at a church in Washington, D.C., in January 2013.
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An Obama campaign sign in Chicago during his 2004 Senate race.
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Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign.
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Official presidential portrait, 2009.
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Obama speaks to Congress in February 2009, with Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi behind him.
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Obama visits a victim of the 2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting at a hospital.
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A graph showing U.S. deficit and debt increases from 2001 to 2016.
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U.S. unemployment rate and job changes during Obama's presidency.
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Job growth during Obama's presidency compared to other presidents.
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Obama at a 2010 briefing on the BP oil spill in Venice, Louisiana.
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A graph showing the percentage of uninsured Americans from 1963 to 2015.
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After his "A New Beginning" speech at Cairo University, Obama participates in a roundtable interview in 2009.
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Obama with King Salman of Saudi Arabia and other leaders at a summit in 2016.
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Obama with Afghan president Hamid Karzai (left) and Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari (right) in May 2009.
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Obama meets with Israeli president Shimon Peres in the Oval Office in May 2009.
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Obama talks with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem in March 2013.
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Obama meets with Russian president Vladimir Putin in September 2015.
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Obama playing golf with Argentinian president Mauricio Macri in October 2017.
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Obama in 2025.
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A graph of Obama's job approval ratings, according to Gallup polls.
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See also
In Spanish: Barack Obama para niños
