USA HISTORY

CONTEMPORARY AMERICA (1992 2013)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

[SOURCES]
Which of the following political offices did Barack Obama hold before becoming President of the United States?

(A) None under

(B) ** Senator

(C) Vice president

(D) all above

EXPLANATIONS BELOW

Concept note-1: -Obama previously served as a U.S. senator from Illinois from 2005 to 2008 and as an Illinois state senator from 1997 to 2004, and previously worked as a civil rights lawyer before entering politics.

Concept note-2: -As a Senator, Obama served on a variety of committees and chaired the United States Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on European Affairs. His bill sponsorship and voting records indicates that he was a loyalist to the Democratic Party. He was considered to be among the most liberal by various analyses.

Concept note-3: -Barack Obama’s tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. A Democrat from Illinois, Obama took office following a decisive victory over Republican nominee John McCain in the 2008 presidential election.

Concept note-4: -The first piece of legislation signed by Obama was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act on January 29, which promoted fair pay regardless of gender, race, or age. Lilly Ledbetter joined Obama and his wife, Michelle, as he signed the bill, fulfilling his campaign pledge to nullify Ledbetter v. Goodyear.