On Tuesday night, outgoing President Barack Obama delivered a powerful and heartfelt address to a crowd of 18,000 people gathered at the McCormick Place convention center in Chicago.
In a speech that reminded everyone of his excellent skills as an orator, Obama spoke about his administration’s successes — the Affordable Care Act (Obama care), the mission that killed Osama Bin Laden, the shutdown of Iran’s nuclear weapons program, and the reversal of a great recession, among others. He also called upon his countrymen to be more inclusive and work towards better race relations imploring: “Hearts must change.”
As the 44th President of the United States prepares to leave the White House after serving his country for 8 years from the highest office in the land, we take a look at the most defining moments of his tenure captured on film.
- Barack Obama bids a tearful farewell to the 18,000 attendees of his last public address as President at the McCormick Place convention center in Chicago.
REUTERSUS President Barack Obama wipes away tears as he delivers his farewell address in Chicago, Illinois, US January 10, 2017.
- First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden in attendance at the Obama’s last public address as President.
REUTERSUS Vice President Joe Biden (L-R), his wife Jill Biden, first lady Michelle Obama and her daughter Malia Obama stand for the national anthem before President Barack Obama delivers his farewell address in Chicago, Illinois, US January 10, 2017.
- President Obama and President-elect Donald Trump vowed to work together for the sake of America and its citizens after the contentious 2016 Presidential elections.
White House/Pete SouzaMPresident Barack Obama meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on November 10, 2016.
- Barack Obama supported Democratic Presidential Nominee Hillary Clinton during her campaign for Presidency against Republican Donald Trump in the 2016 elections.
REUTERS/Scott Audette U.S. President Barack Obama is joined by Democratic Nominee for President Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 27, 2016.
- After national outcry over the lead-contaminated water in Flint, Michigan, Obama met with authorites to prove that filtered water in Flint is safe by drinking it in public view.
Reuters President Obama drinks a glass of filtered water from Flint, Michigan, a city struggling with the effects of lead-poisoned drinking water, during a meeting with local and federal authorities on May 4, 2016.
- Obama ended his eighth and last address at the White House Correspondents’ Association annual dinner in style with a mic drop.
Reuters President Obama drops the microphone after his address at the White House Correspondents’ Association annual dinner on April 30, 2016 at the Washington Hilton.
- Obama’s visit to Cuba was the first by a sitting United States President in nearly 90 years.
REUTERS/Carlos Barria U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuba’s President Raul Castro hold their first meeting on the second day of Obama’s visit to Cuba, in Havana March 21, 2016.
- A candid photograph of President Obama sitting on the Resolute Desk during a meeting with national security staff in the Oval Office of the White House.
White House/Pete SouzaThis photograph evokes the President in deep thought, which is not always an easy mood to convey. He was prepping with his national security staff before a teleconference with European leaders, February 23, 2016.
- An animated conversation between President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel during the G7 summit in Germany.
REUTERS/Michael KappelerGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks with U.S. President Barack Obama during the G7 summit outside the Elmau castle in Germany, June 8, 2015.
- Obama and his family joined thousands in Selma, Alabama, for a rememberance march in honor of those men and women who sacrificed their lives in support of voting rights for all African Americans in 1965.
Reuters/John LewisPresident Obama, at left in white shirt, joins in a march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on March 7, 2015. Marching with him are, from left, Obama’s mother-in-law Marian Robinson, daughter Sasha, first lady Michelle and Rep.
- President Obama and Russian leader Vladimir Putin failed to resolve conflicts over their countries’ outlooks on the Syrian civil war at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland.
KEVIN LAMARQUE/ReutersPresident Obama meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the G8 Summit at Lough Erne in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, on June 17, 2013.
- Barack Obama was sworn in for his second term as President of the United States after defeating Republican Mitt Romney in the 2012 Presidential elections.
REUTERS/Brendan Smialowski/PoolU.S. President Barack Obama takes the official oath of office from U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, as Obama is sworn in for his second term as the 44th President of the United States, at the White House in Washington January 20, 2013.
- President Obama addressed the nation after a gunman opened fire in a Connecticut elementary school killing 20 first-graders and six educators.
Reuters/Larry DowningPresident Obama speaks about the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, during a press briefing at the White House on Dec. 14, 2012.
- Obama promises Americans “Best is yet to come” in his victory speech after beating Mitt Romney in the 2012 Presidential elections to get re-elected as POTUS.
Reuters/LARRY DOWNINGPresident Obama huddles with Vice President Joe Biden after his election night victory speech in Chicago on Nov. 6, 2012.
- The mission that brought an end to 9/11’s mastermind, Osama Bin Laden, a decade after the nation’s worst terrorist attack was one of the biggest highlights of the Obama administration.
White House/Pete SouzaPresident Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other members of the national security team receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House on May 1, 2011.
- The Affordable Care Act, popularly known as ObamaCare, is touted as the most significant legislative achievement of President Barack Obama. The initiative brought health insurance to thousands of Americans who could not afford it.
REUTERS/Jim Young/File PhotoU.S. President Barack Obama signs the Affordable Care Act, dubbed Obamacare, the comprehensive healthcare reform legislation during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 23, 2010.
Source: Christian Post
