Obama's Farewell and Last Few Years of Presidency in Pictures
On Tuesday night, outgoing President Barack Obama delivered a powerful and heartful 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 (Obamacare), 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.
1. 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.
2. First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden in attendance at the Obama's last public address as President.
3. 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.
4. Barack Obama supported Democratic Presidential Nominee Hillary Clinton during her campaign for Presidency against Republican Donald Trump in the 2016 elections.
5. 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.
6. Obama ended his eighth and last address at the White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner in style with a mic drop.
7. Obama's visit to Cuba was the first by a sitting United States President in nearly 90 years.
8. 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.
9. An animated conversation between President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel during the G7 summit in Germany.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. President Obama addressed the nation after a gunman opened fire in a Connecticut elementary school killing 20 first-graders and six educators.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.