The first African-American in history to become President of the United States is Barack Obama. He was sworn into office on January 20, 2009, becoming the 44th president and the first African–American to hold this position.

Barack Hussein Obama II was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on August 4, 1961. His father is Barack Obama Sr., a black man from Kenya, while his mother is Ann Dunham, a white woman from Wichita, Kansas.

As the first African-American president of the US who won 2 terms that started in 2009 and ended in 2017, he successfully kept his promise to “create jobs” for Americans. He first served as an Illinois Senator from 2005 to 2008 before running for the US Presidential Elections. He was elected President over John McCain of Arizona and Joe Biden as his Vice President on November 4, 2008.

Before he became president, Barack Obama was a civil-rights lawyer who taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. He was also a community organizer in Chicago from 1985 to 1988 and an Illinois state senator from 1997 to 2004.

In 2007, Barack Obama gave his candidacy speech for the US presidential election at the iconic “well” of the old State Capitol Building. Abraham Lincoln delivered his “House Divided” address in 1858. Obama is said to have cast himself as the successor of Lincoln, as he too would lead a “house divided.”

Barack Hussein Obama II was re-elected for his 2nd term on November 6, 2012, and served until 2017. He, however, lost his bid for his 3rd term to Republican Donald Trump, who won the US presidential election on November 8, 2016.

The 44th and the first African-American US President made history as he is the first journalist ever to interview a sitting president of the US in “Muslim garb.” During his presidential term, Barack Obama also launched an aggressive campaign against the terrorist group ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), whom many have accused of being behind the September 11 terrorist attacks.

A few days before he was elected president, Barack Obama famously said in his victory speech after winning the presidential election that “if there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.”