President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama made history as the first African-Americans to hold these iconic positions. See how Obama, supported by his wife and family, illustrated the American ideals of hard work, determination and unlimited possibilities by becoming president. And meet some of the figures that paved the way for his success as a politician.
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Reconstruction Era - The First Senators, 1870 - 1881: The first blacks to serve in the U.S. Congress were appointed during the post-Civil War period in which the integration of former slaves and free blacks was required by the Federal Government. The first black U.S. Senator, Hiram Revels (right), was the first black to serve in either branch of Congress. Revels was appointed by the Mississippi state legislature in 1870, and served for only one year. Also from the state of Mississippi, Blanche K. Bruce (left) was the first black U.S. Senator to serve a full term. A former slave, Bruce performed these duties from 1875 to 1881. Bruce also became the first African-American to preside over the Senate in 1879.
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End of the Era - The Last Congressmen, 1901: Joseph Rainey (right), became the first black person to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1870. A Republican from South Carolina, he was elected by popular vote to a subsequent term. But by the time of Rainey's election, the pressure on the south to grant blacks equal rights began to wane. George Henry White (left) was the last black congressman from the south to serve for 78 years after completing his 1897-1901 term. After his term, blacks were effectively shut out of the political process by racist practices until the Civil Rights movement of the '60s.
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In the 20th Century, New Hope for Black Politicians: Oscar Stanton DePriest was the first black person to be elected to Congress in the 20th century. A Chicago politico just like Barack, DePriest was a Republican who fought for civil rights from a conservative angle. In serving as a congressman from March 1929 - January 1935, DePriest became a national symbol of African-American pride, much like Barack Obama is today.
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The Birth of Barack Obama, August 4, 1961: Barack Obama, Jr. was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, the son of Ann Dunham (pictured here) and Barack Obama, Sr., a student from Kenya. Some say that his upbringing in Hawaii is what gives Obama his laid back demeanor. President Obama's mother was 18 at the time of his birth, and would file for divorce from Barack, Sr. by 1964. The struggles Ann faced as a working-class single mom would figure prominently in many of his campaign speeches.
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A New Dream - Dr. King's Speech, 1963: When Dr. Martin Luther King articulated his dream that America would become a place in which people are judged by the content of their characters, not by race, Barack Obama was a tiny boy. The movement led by Dr. King marked a pivotal phase in the evolution of our society that would eventually lead to his presidency.
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Dream Into Reality - The Voting Rights Act of 1965: With the success of the Civil Rights Movement, the power of black voters was finally beginning to take form, making our community an important part of the political process. Here we see President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law. The political enfranchisement of blacks over the following decades laid the foundation for the success of President Obama's campaign.
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The First Elected Black Senator - Edward William Brooke, III, 1967: President Obama was not the first black senator elected by popular vote. Edward William Brooke, III was the first African-American to reach the United States Senate through a general election. A Republican, he served from January 3, 1967 - January 3, 1979, representing the state of Massachusetts for two terms. Still active in political circles, Brooke was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004.
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An International Youth - Barack in Indonesia, 1967: By 1967, President Obama's mother met and fell in love with Lolo Soetoro, they married and the new family moved to Soetoro's native Indonesia. Barack was six when he left Hawaii, but would move back to the United States at the age of 10 to be educated. This brief exposure to a different culture at a young age was enough to give Barack the tolerant perspective he uses to bridge divides as a his politician.
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Dreaming of a Father - Meeting Barack, Sr., 1971:Barack Obama, Sr. visited his son only once after the end of his marriage to Ann. At the time, Barack, Jr. was 10 years old and living with his grandparents in Hawaii. President Obama wrote of this interaction with his dad: "After a week of my father in the flesh, I decided that I preferred his more distant image, an image I could alter on a whim -- or ignore when convenient" ('Dreams from my Father,' 2004). Did Obama's absence of a father inspire him to develop himself into an impeccable father figure?
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