The Early Obama Years.

The 2009 Inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America was a historic time. It occurred on January 20, 2009 just after 10 years ago. I was 25 years old on that day. The event set a record attendance for any event held in Washington, D.C. Barack Obama’s wife and the First Lady in 2009 was Michelle Obama. The Vice President was Joe Biden. Barack Obama had to resign from the Senate on November 4, 2008 in order for him to be sworn in as president. The inauguration was planned by mostly 2 committees of: the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies and the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Committee. Although the election was scheduled for November 4, 2008, the congressional committee began construction of the inaugural platform on September 24, 2008. The District of Columbia allowed bars and restaurants to stay open around the clock to help people celebrate the festivities. The co-chairs of the Presidential Inaugural Committee were William Daley, Penny Pritzker, John Rogers, Patrick Ryan and Julianna Smoot. The full length of the National Mall was used as the public viewing area for the swearing in ceremony. That extended from the United States Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial. They used environmental friendly actions like recyclable carpet for the platform, recycled paper for invitation and inaugural ball tickets, etc. Money raised for the event came from Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, George Lucas, George Soros, and others. Tickets were sold. There were many pre-inaugural events. Barack Obama traveled on a train to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln on January 17, 2009. 

He rode the Georgia 300 from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. They stopped at Wilmington, Delaware where Biden joined the tour. During his speeches to the crowds, Barack Obama emphasized the theme "A New Birth of Freedom" using phrases associated with Lincoln such as "better angels" and "a new declaration of independence.” Thousands of people cheered him. By January 18, 2009, there was the We Are One concert. It happened at the Lincoln Memorial. The eve of the Inauguration Day, January 19, 2009, fell on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a U.S. federal holiday in recognition of Dr. King's birthday. Obama called upon communities everywhere to observe the King Day of Service, a day of citizen volunteer service honoring the human rights leader.  More than 13,000 community service events took place across the nation on the day, the largest participation in the 14 years since Congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act and more than double the previous year's event. Barack Obama and his family plus Joe Biden including his family worked in charities on that day. The Kids’ Inaugural: We are the Future concert was held at the Verizon Center (headed by Michelle Obama and Jill Biden) on January 19, 2009. Celebrities at the concert were Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, the Jonas Brothers, Bow Wow, George Lopez, Corbin Bleu, Queen Latifah, Billy Ray Cyrus, Shaquille O’Neal, and Jamie Foxx. Michelle Obama wanted people to volunteer in real life. 

The inauguration ceremony took place at the West front of the United States Capitol. Performances existed from the United States Marine Band. Live performances came from the San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus. Senator Dianne Feinstein, chair of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies and the first woman to preside over a U.S. presidential inauguration, acted as the day's Master of Ceremonies. The Evangelical pastor Rick Warren gave the invocation at the inaugural ceremony. After that, the great vocalist Aretha Franklin sang “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee.” Vice President Biden took the oath first form Associate Justice John Paul Stevens. President Barack Obama took his oath after noon by Chief Justice John Roberts. Michelle Obama held the Bible, which was used by Abraham Lincoln at his 1861 inauguration, as Barack Obama placed his hand on the Bible and recited the presidential oath. Barack Obama’s inaugural address combined the responsibility of government to be accountable and hope for the future. The speech was traditional. He invoked the Founders in wanting change.  Obama also highlighted the United States' religious diversity, referring to the country's "patchwork heritage" as a strength and saying, "We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and non-believers." This was the first time a United States President acknowledged American non-believers in an inaugural address. The luncheon came after the speech. Then, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama walked the inaugural parade route. Marching bands were in the celebration. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama attended 10 official inaugural balls during the evening of January 20, 2009. The Neighborhood Inaugural Ball, one of six balls held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, was the first stop of the evening for the President and First Lady. The Obamas danced their first song as Beyoncé Knowles serenaded them with her rendition of the Glenn Miller classic "At Last.”  Etta James sang At Last too. According to the Presidential Inaugural Committee, the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball was the first ball ever with free or affordable tickets, a contrast to recent history in which "inaugural balls generally have been closed to everyday Americans, populated instead by an exclusive circle of dignitaries and donors.” A portion of the tickets for the ball was reserved for Washington D.C. residents. President Barack Obama and his family plus Joe Biden and his family attended the interfaith National prayer service on January 21, 2009 (at Washington National Cathedral). Therefore, the Presidency of Barack Obama started in 2009 with exuberance and hope.


Immediately, Barack Obama revoked Executive Order 13233. This revocation allowed more records of former Presidents to be seen by the public. Barack Obama said that he wanted the closure of Guantanamo Bay detention camp. He signed an executive order banning torture and other illegal coercive techniques like waterboarding during interrogations. He wanted the Army field manual to be used as a guide. He invested in abortion. He ordered airstrikes with Predator drones in his Presidency. President Obama announced that companies receiving large amounts of federal bailout money through the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) must cap top executive pay at US$500,000 on February 4, 2009. Throughout both terms of the Presidency of Barack Obama, domestic terrorism was very common. The Tucson shooting in 2011 killed 6 people and injured Representative Gabrielle Giffords. There was the 2012 Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting in the year of 2012. This was when on August 5, 2012; Wade Michael Page fatally shot six people and wounded four others in a mass shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Page was an American white supremacist and a United States Army veteran from Cudahy, Wisconsin. All of the dead were members of the Sikh faith. There was the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. On April 15, 2013, two homemade bombs detonated 12 seconds and 210 yards apart at 2:49 p.m., near the finish line of the annual Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring several hundred others, including 16 who lost limbs. Kyrgyz-American brothers Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev were apprehended and claimed to have been motivated by radical Islamist beliefs. 

On June 17, 2015, there was the Charleston Church massacre. Nine African American women and men were murdered. Their names were Clementa C. Pinckney (41), Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd (54), Susie Jackson (87), Ethel Lee Lance (70), Depayne Middleton-Doctor (49), Tywanza Sanders (26), Daniel L. Simmons (74), Sharaonda Coleman-Singleton (46), and Myra Thompson(59). Dylann Roof, a 21-year-old white supremacist, went into the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina and shot and killed nine people. Roof is a white supremacist and owned a website where he wrote a manifesto in which he outlined his views toward black people, among other peoples. Barack Obama gave a funeral sermon about America and race. He sang a song there too. Charleston united to condemn racism and to fight for justice. Today, white supremacists are the biggest domestic threat in America. Hurd's family announced that they are establishing the Cynthia Graham Hurd Fund for Reading and Literacy organization in her memory; it is expected to give children easier access to books. Nine artists from across the U.S. created portraits of the victims as a tribute. The portraits were put on display at Principle Gallery for one month, and were given to the victims' families afterwards. Artists involved in the memorial included Ricky Mujica, Mario Andres Robinson, Lauren Tilden, Paul McCormack, Gregory Mortenson, Catherine Prescott, Terry Strickland, Judy Takács, and Stephanie Deshpande. The aftermath of the Charleston Massacre was the eliminating of the racist Confederate flag from the state capitol in 2015. I will show more information about this historic event later on. Terrorism continued in the Orlando Pulse nightclub in June 12, 2016 where 49 people were murdered by Omar Mateen. 53 people were injured.  At the time, this event was the deadliest mass shooting in United States history (after 1945) by a single gunman, later eclipsed by the 2017 Las Vegas shooting. Additionally, it was the deadliest confirmed terrorist attack on U.S. soil since the 9/11 attacks.

One of his most important laws that he signed was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. It promoted fair pay regardless of sex, race, or age. Lilly Ledbetter, the plaintiff in the employment discrimination case Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. joined Barack and Michelle Obama at the signing ceremony. It was a long time coming, but the law has protected the lives of millions of Americans. President Obama signed the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 reauthorizing and expanding the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). President Obama overhauled the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, renaming it the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This plan included an economic stimulus plan. Obama signed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act into law. On May 20, 2009, President Barack Obama signed the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009 and the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act are signed into law by President Obama to help alleviate burdens caused by the economic financial crisis in the United States. President Barack Obama nominated federal judge Sonia Sotomayor to take over the retiring Justice David Souter. Judge Sonia Sotomayor is the first Latino Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize by October 9, 2009. He left the HIV travel ban and signed the Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009 too. Barack Obama regulated banks with the Volcker Rule. 

One of his biggest reforms was the Affordable Care Act. It has been called Obamacare. It took long debates to get it passed and signed. A compromise allowed the bill to lack a public option while banning discrimination based upon pre-existing conditions, it allowed young people to be on their parents plan until 26 years old, etc. The law transformed the American healthcare system in a way that wasn’t seen since the 1960’s. Obama wanted to increase quality, affordable, health care with better access. By 2019, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act exists with its strengths and weaknesses. Millions of Americans have health care for the first time and further action is needed to make the ACA better. The BP oil spill in 2010 showed the world that regulation involving the environment is necessary. The 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act is signed by President Obama. The Act gives regulators stronger authority when it comes to breaking up large companies and attempts to protect the consumer by restricting practices in consumer loans and credit cards. Barack Obama assisted veterans with the post 911 GI law. He signed Rosa’ Law that changes federal statues to use the more respectful phrase of intellectual disability. The October 2010 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act becomes law. It sets new standards so that Americans who are deaf, blind, or live with a visual impairment have equal access and opportunity to new technological innovations. The 2010 midterm elections increased the power of the Republicans in both houses of Congress. Reforms still existed like the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 that invested in nutrition programs. He banned Don’t Ask, Don’t tell in December of 2010. This ban allowed open LBGTQIAPK+ human beings to serve in the Armed Forces. By 2011, President Barack Obama signed laws dealing with the budget, he announced the end of the Iraq War in 2011, and he signed the American Jobs Act. As 2011 ended and 2012 began, President Barack Obama would not only run for President for his second term, but he lived through some of the most historic social changes in American history. By early 2012, the Presidential election of 2012 was under way. It was a much closer election than in 2008, but President Barack Obama would win a second term by November of 2012.


By Timothy