Senator for Illinois

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Senator of State for Illinois

In 1996 Barack Obama became the State Senator for Illinois. He held this position until 2004.

Championing African American issues

Whilst Barack Obama was Senator for Illinois, he championed a number of reforms on issues that would benefit black families. These included:
- Giving tax credits to families on low incomes
- Reforming the capital punishment system
- Trying to establish a universal healthcare system
- Working to end racial discrimination in housing

Tackling racial profiling

Obama also tried to stop police officers from using racial profiling.
- Racial profiling was the belief held by many police officials that black people were more likely to commit crime than white Americans.
- Based on this assumption, black people were unfairly targeted by police officers and arrested and detained more frequently than their white counterparts, often when not doing anything wrong.
Surprisingly, this was welcomed by Conservative officials in Illinois.
- This was perhaps because it would save them money in the long run as they would avoid lawsuits being brought against the police.

Criticism

Many people criticised Barack Obama because of his background.
- Some believed he wasn’t ‘black enough’ because his mother was white and he went to a private school.
- Some felt that because his father was from Kenya, Obama wasn’t American enough.

‘The Audacity of Hope’

Despite this criticism, Obama made a keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention which made him massively popular.
The speech he gave, entitled, ‘The Audacity of Hope’ was delivered with superb oratory skill.
Three months after this speech, Obama received 70% of the votes for Senator of Illinois and was selected as the Presidential Candidate for the Democratic Party.

1‘Free at Last’ 1865-77

1.1The Thirteenth Amendment

1.1.1The Civil War & The Thirteenth Amendment

1.1.2The Impact of the Civil War

1.1.3Economic, Political & Social Position of Ex-Slaves

1.1.4Political Settlement & Andrew Johnson

1.2Radical Reconstruction, 1867-77

1.2.1The Fourteenth Amendment

1.2.2The Fifteenth Amendment & The Civil Rights Act

1.3The Backlash

1.3.1White Supremacy Groups

1.3.2The End of Reconstruction 1887

2The Triumph of ‘Jim Crow’ 1883-c1890

2.1Jim Crow Laws & Civil Rights Cases

2.1.1Jim Crow Laws

2.1.2Voting Rights

2.1.3Scientific Racism

2.1.4Civil Rights Cases

2.2Resistance and Migration

2.2.1The Northern States & Black Resistance

2.2.2Early Migration

2.2.3The Great Migration

2.2.4Race Riots

2.2.5Migration Case Study: Harlem

3The New Deal and Race Relations, 1933–41

3.1Failure to Address Black Grievances

3.1.1The Democrat Party & the Anti-Lynching Bill

3.2The New Deal

3.2.1The New Deal

3.2.2The Alphabet Agencies

3.2.3The PWA, WPA & the NYA

3.2.4Benefits

3.2.5Impact of the New Deal & Eleanor Roosevelt

3.2.6Gone With the Wind

3.3The Second World War

3.3.1The Experience of War

3.3.2The Home Front

3.3.3The White Flight

3.3.4Restrictive Covenants

4‘I have a dream’, 1954–68

4.1Civil Rights Activities, 1954–63

4.1.1The Desegregation of Schools

4.1.2The Montgomery Bus Boycott

4.1.3SCLC & Birmingham

4.1.4SNCC

4.1.5CORE

4.2Civil Rights 1964-68

4.2.1Civil Rights Act 1964 & Voting Act 1965

4.2.2Ghettos & Poverty

4.2.31966 - 1968

4.3Malcolm X & The Black Panthers

4.3.1The Nation of Islam & Malcolm X

4.3.2Divisions in the Civil Rights Movement

4.3.3The Black Panthers

4.4Literature, Film & Television

4.4.1Racial Attitudes in Literature from 1850-2009

4.4.2Racial Attitudes in Film from 1850-2009

4.4.3Racial Attitudes in Television from 1850-2009

5Obama's Campaign for the Presidency, 2004–09

5.1The Late 20th Century

5.1.1Migration Back to the South in the 20th Century

5.1.2The Status of Black People 1968-2009

5.2Barack Obama & his Political Career

5.2.1Barack Obama's Life

5.2.2Senator for Illinois

5.2.3Running as Presidential Candidate

5.3Reasons for Obama's Victory

5.3.1Reasons for Vicotry

5.3.2The Significance of Obama's Victory

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