Presidential Profile: Barack Obama

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1 Name # Presidential Profile: Barack Obama By White House Historical Association, adapted by Newsela staff on Word Count 759 U.S. President Barack Obama during a sitting for his official photograph in the Oval Office on Dec. 6, Pete Souza/ Official White House Photo 1 When Barack Obama announced that he would run for president, it was clear that if elected, he would make history. He would be the first African-American to hold the office of U.S. president. 2 Obama s father, Barack Obama Sr., was an economist from Kenya, in Africa. The president's father met his mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, when they were both university students in Hawaii. She was a very hopeful person and was fascinated by the customs of other countries.

2 3 Two years after Barack Jr. s birth in 1961, his parents broke up. Young Barack moved with his mother to Djakarta in Indonesia and then moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, with his grandparents. In a book he later wrote about his life, he said it was hard for him to understand who he was when he was a teenager. 4 After high school, he went to Occidental College in Los Angeles for two years. Then he transferred to Columbia University. He studied how government works, and how countries act toward each other. Community Organizing Leads To Law School 5 Later, he moved to Chicago and became a community organizer there. His job was to help people learn to improve their own lives. In that job, he worked with churches to improve people's homes and set up ways to train people for different types of jobs. 6 In 1988, he went to Harvard Law School. After law school he went back to Chicago. He was offered some well-paying jobs, but he turned them down. Instead, he became a lawyer for a group specializing in civil rights. Obama wanted to work on cases that helped protect peoples' freedom. 7 In 1992, Obama married Michelle Robinson. She was a lawyer, too. She had studied at Princeton and Harvard Law. In 1998 their daughter Malia was born. Their daughter Sasha was born in 2001.

3 State Houses, Then The White House 8 Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate, in their state government in He ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, but lost the election. The House of Representatives is part of the U.S. Congress, along with the Senate. He ran for the office of U.S. senator for Illinois in 2004 and won. 9 It was an important moment for him when he spoke at the Democratic National Convention that summer. The event to choose the Democrat who would run for president was seen by millions of people on television. Obama attracted much attention with his speech. TV commentators instantly saw him as a future president, but most did not expect it to happen so fast. 10 Just a few years later in 2008, Obama won a difficult race to be the Democrats' choice to run for president. Many people had expected New York Senator Hillary Clinton to be chosen. Voters liked the fact that Obama had been against the war in Iraq from the beginning. The war was very unpopular by this time. He promised to make changes to the way the government was run. Huge Challenges Greeted The New President 11 That September, the U.S. economy faced huge problems. The economy deals with the amount of money a country has. When an economy does well, many people have jobs and can feed their families. When an economy is not doing well, it is hard for people to find work and make money.

4 12 The year Barack Obama was running for president, people lost a lot of money. Businesses closed and workers were unemployed. People started losing their homes. 13 Obama and the other man running for president, Senator John McCain, had three debates on TV. In the debates, they each talked about their ideas and what they would do as president. Obama convinced Americans that he would be the right leader to solve the growing problems. 14 It was a rare that a new president would have so many challenges at once. There were money problems, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and continuing worries about terrorism. Big Plans For The Country 15 On a freezing cold day in January, nearly 2 million people came out to see Barack Obama become the next president. Obama wanted the government to spend money to fix the economy. He had other ideas to make things work better, as well. He hoped to use his popularity in other countries to help America get along with them better. 16 A few weeks later, on Abraham Lincoln s 200th birthday, Obama told an audience a story about President Abraham Lincoln. Then Obama added, "It is precisely when we are in the deepest valley... that Americans relearn how to take the mountaintop."

5 Monday Section Based on the information in the article, which of these statements is TRUE? A. Obama developed an interest in how government works while in college. B. Obama understood that he needed to make a lot of money in order to help others. C. Obama believed that the United States would become even stronger after struggling. D. Obama proved that people in the United States were tougher than in other countries. 2. Which sentence from the article BEST supports the idea that Obama was determined to succeed? A. He would be the first African-American to hold the office of U.S. president. B. He ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, but lost the election. C. Just a few years later in 2008, Obama won a difficult race to be the Democrats' choice to run for president. D. Obama and the other man running for president, Senator John McCain, had three debates on TV.

6 3. Based on the article, why was Obama's work as a community organizer important to his job as a civil rights lawyer in Chicago? A. It helped him understand how to improve his life. B. It helped him understand how to better help people. C. It helped him understand how to perform different jobs. D. It helped him understand how to organize the community. 4. What effect did Obama's views on the war with Iraq have on his presidential candidacy? A. It demonstrated that he knew people wanted change. B. It showed that he understood that America needed a strong president. C. It proved that he could fix America's problems. D. It made him more popular with voters.

Smithsonian gallery unveils life-size portraits of Obamas by black artists By Washington Post, adapted by Newsela staff on 02.15.

7 Smithsonian gallery unveils life-size portraits of Obamas by black artists By Washington Post, adapted by Newsela staff on Word Count 634 Level 870L Former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, at the unveiling of their official portraits on February 12, 2018, at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. Photo by: Matt McClain/Washington Post 1 WASHINGTON Need a recipe for a glamorous event? Take one popular former president, add some cool modern artists and throw a historic commission into the mix. This was the scene at the Smithsonian museum in Washington, D.C., on February Hundreds of people came to see former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, reveal their official portraits. The portraits were created for the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery's permanent collection. The guests included former Vice President Joe Biden and actor Tom Hanks.

8 3 The Smithsonian is a group of museums and research centers in Washington, D.C., that are run by the U.S. government. It is a tradition for presidents and first ladies to have their portraits displayed there. First Black Artists To Paint Official Portraits For Galley 4 Kehinde Wiley was hired to paint Barack Obama's picture. Amy Sherald was hired to paint Michelle Obama's picture. They took non-traditional approaches to the portraits. 5 They are the first African-American artists to paint the president and first lady pictures for the Smithsonian, said Kim Sajet. She is in charge of the gallery. 6 Both artists used influences of fashion, music and pop culture in the paintings, Sajet said. Obama: "How About That? Pretty Sharp" 7 Wiley's picture shows Barack Obama in a chair against a background of lush, green leaves. The painting will hang in the "America's Presidents" exhibit. 8 "How about that? Pretty sharp," Obama said after he and Wiley revealed the life-size painting to the crowd. 9 Wiley recognizes "the beauty, grace and dignity of people who are so often invisible in our lives," Obama said. Artist Honored To Paint Former President 10 Wiley, 40, said museums show what people hold most dear. Growing up, though, there weren't many people who looked like him on museum walls.

9 11 "The first African-American painter to paint the first African- American president of the United States," Wiley said. "It doesn't get any better than that." Former First Lady Praises Work Of Painter 12 Michelle Obama selected Sherald, 44, because she was "blown away by the boldness of her colors." The two immediately had a "sister-girl connection," the former first lady said. 13 She said young people of color will finally get to see an image of someone who looks like them hanging in a worldfamous museum. 14 Sherald's painting shows the first lady deep in thought, wearing a stylish dress against a blue background. It will hang in an area for new pieces through November. Two Other Obama Paintings Will Be Featured At White House 15 The portraits are the first two of four paintings of the Obamas. Two more will become part of the collection at the White House. 16 These are the first works by Wiley and Sherald to be owned by the museum. One of Wiley's other portraits is on loan to the museum. 17 The tradition of painting portraits of outgoing presidents for the museum started in A painting of George H.W. Bush was the first. 18 The museum added the first lady painting in Bill and Hillary Clinton have portraits there as do George W. Bush and Laura Bush.

10 Presidents, First Ladies Select The Artists 19 Museum staff shows the presidents and first ladies the work of artists they think would be appropriate. Then, the presidents and first ladies make their choice. The artists are paid by the gallery with private donations, or money given as a gift to the museum. 20 Michelle Obama noted that the couple interviewed the artists before making their selection. She jokingly apologized for putting them through that stress. The cost of the Obama commissions and the unveiling event was $500,000. About 46 people gave donations to pay for it. 21 The gallery has collected portraits of presidents since its beginning. Now it has 1,600 works, including photographs, prints and drawings. This includes the prized "cracked-plate" photograph of Abraham Lincoln taken by Alexander Gardner.

11 Tuesday Section Read the section "Two Other Obama Paintings Will Be Featured At White House." Select the paragraph from the section that shows who the first president featured in the exhibit was. A. The portraits are the first two of four paintings of the Obamas. Two more will become part of the collection at the White House. B. These are the first works by Wiley and Sherald to be owned by the museum. One of Wiley's other portraits is on loan to the museum. C. The tradition of painting portraits of outgoing presidents for the museum started in A painting of George H.W. Bush was the first. D. The museum added the first lady painting in Bill and Hillary Clinton have portraits there as do George W. Bush and Laura Bush. 6. Which sentence from the article BEST explains why the Obamas' choice of artists to paint their portraits is significant? A. Hundreds of people came to see former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, reveal their official portraits. B. They are the first African-American artists to paint the president and first lady pictures for the Smithsonian, said Kim Sajet. C. The artists are paid by the gallery with private donations, or money given as a gift to the museum. D. Michelle Obama noted that the couple interviewed the artists before making their selection.

12 7. Read the sentence from the section "Obama: How About That? Pretty Sharp." Wiley's picture shows Barack Obama in a chair against a background of lush, green leaves. Which word from the sentence helps the reader understand the meaning of "lush"? A. picture B. chair C. background D. green 8. Read the following sentence from the section "Former First Lady Praises Work Of Painter." Michelle Obama selected Sherald, 44, because she was "blown away by the boldness of her colors." What did Michelle Obama mean when she said she was "blown away"? A. She was amazed by the artist's work. B. She was not allowed to see the painting until it was done. C. She was honored to be chosen for a portrait. D. She was nervous about revealing the painting. No Thursday Section! Study for your vocabulary quiz, complete the back of your study sheet, and read an AR book. = )

1 Read the text quickly. Then underline the correct word(s) to complete the sentence. / 0.2 point

Reading 1 Read the text quickly. Then underline the correct word(s) to complete the sentence. / 0.2 point The text presents facts / people s opinions about Barack Obama. Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama