On July 27, 2004, Illinois state senator Barack Obama delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in Boston. Few Americans knew his name before that night.
His speech emphasized a shared national identity, with the well remembered line that there is not a liberal America and a conservative America but the United States of America.
Overnight Recognition
The address made him a national figure almost overnight and boosted his campaign for the U.S. Senate later that year.
Did You Know
Obama wrote much of the speech himself, drawing on his family story and the communities he had worked with in Illinois.
Learn More
For primary sources, explore the Obama White House archives maintained by the National Archives, the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, and presidential history collections at your local library. Reading accounts from supporters and critics alike gives the fullest picture of any presidency.
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