How Barack Obama’s Culture Influenced His Leadership
Barack Hussein Obama II, 44th President of the United States and first African American to become president in United States history. Although he was of African American race, his life experiences were a huge impacted on Obama’s leadership. Looking at former President Barack Obama’s life, we can recognize how his culture deeply influenced his leadership. In this paper, an analysis of his life and leadership career will be further examined. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii in August 4, 1961 to Barack Obama Sr. and Ann Dunham. His father was from Kenya and his mother from Wichita, Kansas (Barack Obama Timeline, n.d.). Being raised in Hawaii with an American mother and his father from Kenya. Barack
Obama’s African-American roots, different cultural background, and life experiences influenced his leadership. As I previously mentioned, experiencing poverty and watching children die from illnesses while living in Indonesia. Would later influence him to expand children’s health care programs and implement a health care reform named Obamacare, all this was done in his eight years as president. Furthermore, Barack Obama’s race, family, culture, travels, and hometown of Chicago helped him built a diverse background that would later help him as a leader. The film Made in Chicago: The Making of Barack Obama (2008) explains, how working as a community organizer taught him heaps amount of knowledge he’d use for his advantage. He learned how to speak to new audiences, different people, and especially learned how to work for a common goal aside from their differences. The city of Chicago also taught him the flaws the education system had. Furthermore, the film clearly explains how Barack Obama’s Chicago culture personally influenced him. “My experience is rooted on the south side of Chicago who I fought for as an organizer…rooted in the lives of the people I stood up for as a civil rights lawyer when they were denied opportunity…because of what they looked like or came from” (Made in Chicago, 2008). This statement clearly addresses how his
His passion has always been to help others while defending their civil rights. Obamas intelligence, charisma and cultural background helped shape him to the great leader he was serving as a president of the United States. These qualities not only guided him to become an excellent and powerful leader, but it also gained the trust and gave hope to the African-American community, minorities, Americans, and future
Common stereotypes portray black fathers as being largely absent from their families. Proceeding the emancipation, African Americans were forced to adapt to a white ruled society. Now that they were free, many sought education and jobs in order to provide for their families and achieve their full potential. This caused many African American males to leave their families in pursuit of better opportunities. Obama’s father had left his home to pursue education and study at Harvard University, but Obama only saw his father one more time, in 1971, when he came to Hawaii for a month's visit. Throughout the rest of his life, Obama faced the conflict of belonging, most in part because he didn’t have a father to help him. “There's nobody to guide through
Michelle attended Whitney M. Young Magnet High School (1981), Princeton University (1981-1985) and Harvard Law School (1985-1988). Early Life, Childhood and Adult Life Michelle Obama grew up in Chicago, Illinois, which was where she was born. Her father, Fraser Robinson III, was a pump operator for the Chicago Water Department. Her mother, Marian, would stay at home and it was her number one priority to raise Michelle and her younger brother Craig. Michelle’s childhood was a happy one.
In contempt of Obama’s humble giving spirit, vivid personality, and many accomplishments, a debate is always at hand upon hearing the infamous name Barack Hussein Obama. From his place of birth, religion, and ethnicity Obama’s face a fair share of controversy. At the heels of adversity along with sheer determination to help others Obama became a leader that delivers and one of the most influential people of America. Adversity was introduced to Obama at an early age. With a Kenyan father and Caucasian mother residing in Hawaii, Obama has always stood out in numerous ways. In 1959 Barack Obama Senior was selected from a number of candidates to go to school in the US where he attended The University of Hawaii in Honolulu to
He wants to move past the racial segregation and move towards a truly unified country, and he uses pathos by talking about the about his upbringing and his life. The use of the descriptions of his youth with a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas shows that he can relate to the common person, seeing as he had to adjust to both sides of his family as well as the stigmas that both sides had. The urgency in which Obama answered the accusations of being similar to Wright, caused the American public to realize he does not have the same mentality. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism."
Abraham Lincoln was born in Hodgenville, Kentucky, on February 12th of 1809 to Thomas and Nancy Hanks Lincoln. He was born to an undistinguished family and had a sister, Sarah, and a brother,
For many years, American Presidents were viewed as being white and powerful leaders. Why were they only white? Is it because Americans felt Blacks were not smart enough to run a country on their own? African Americans were viewed as less dominate people and have been discriminated because of the color of their skin. In 2008, Barack Obama was elected President of the United States making him the first black president ever. In this paper, I will discuss how Barack makes a change and if America can accept him as our first black president.
Obama emotionally influences the nation to move forward from the issues of race that is hindering America. Without dwelling on his family tree, Obama reminds us that his father was black and his mother white, that he came from Kenya, but she came from Kansas: “I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slave and slave owners — an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles, and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.
Many times in the text he says “a new kind of politics, one that can excavate and build upon those shared understandings that pull us together as Americans,” (Obama 9). He continuously describes Abraham Lincoln as an ideal example of this quote. Lincoln, having only two years of Congressional experience, was able to become president and lead the country through some of the most crucial years in history using his remarkable trust in American values. The lessons of his leadership are repeated many times in the book to illustrate
After his former preacher, Jeremiah Wright, gave such exigence for this discussion by making claims that the U.S. government treated black people harshly, Obama was pretty much forced to act. And with great credence and rhetoric, he did. The soon to be president, and also the first African American man to be president, first sets grounds for his speech by inserting himself into the context of the racial history of America, creating the modern-day setting of a war that is centuries in age. He then appealed to pathos by bringing light to his audience with examples of racial corruption and inequality to highlight the huge need for unity and change. And finally, he capitalized on these sentiments by appealing to ethos to advocate methods of change. With the great success of this historic and rhetorical speech, Obama assumed a new podium in November of that same exact year, but this time, to accept his election as the President of the United
In this paper, I will be discussing someone who I believe to be a great leader, George W. Bush. I will be using material I have learned from my Survey of Leadership Theory class, such as preparing an analysis discussing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of George W. Bush. In addition, I will be discussing how three different leadership concepts discussed in my class also relate to George W. Bush with examples of each concept.
He reviled both his personal and family history stating, “I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas, “I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slave-owners”, and, I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents”. As Obama is telling his family background, He shows how and why he has an authority to speak on race issues. It then supports the remarks he later makes about the race issues that are affecting America. By Him revealing his own personal history it allows him to gain ethos by creating a personal connection with his audience. This allows his audience to be a lot more inclined to trust him, and support him if they can make a connection to his speech on a more personal
Across the world, ordinary people find heroes that they aspire to imitate. Comic books portray heroes as super strong men in spandex suits, and although a three-year-old child might aspire to be superman, more mature audiences hopefully find more realistic figures to idolize. Take Barack Obama, the President of the United States; he worked his entire life to attain the highest position in our government, President. Obama was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth but to a single mother in Hawaii. Through hard work and motivation, he went to college and received an education at Columbia University. He later obtained a law degree from Harvard University and began working with the Democratic Party. In 1996 he was elected to the Illinois Senate and acquired a seat in the United State’s Senate in 2004. After only 5 years of experience in the Senate, he was elected the 44th president. Obama’s exponential growth in importance and power could only have been achieved by an exemplary man. His determination, intelligence, hard work, and professionalism all made his success attainable, and he should be admired for these traits. Every country has a national hero and Barack Obama is the United State’s.
In the autobiography, Obama entails on the beginning journey of his life from early childhood to young adulthood. The novel begins with him finding out from his aunt that his father has passed away in Nairobi. Obama’s father left him and his mother when he was only 2 years old. Obama then talks about the family he grew up with, his mother and grandparents, and the racism they dealt with at a time when few accepted interracial relations and even more so marriages. He recalls being made fun of as a young child when other kids would make monkey noises when it was discovered his father was from Kenya. He then moves to Indonesia when his mother remarries, but then at 10 years old moves back to Hawaii where he spent his early childhood. It was with his grandparents that he developed much of his character and learned how strongly education was emphasized in his family. Obama also talks about how fascinated he was with by his father. As he grows a bit older into adolescence, Obama learns more about race relations and reads the book Heart of Darkness. This book helps him to see how white people look at black people, as a white man wrote the book talking about black people. He also delves into his marijuana use, which he used to help him during this confusing and rough period in his life. Obama’s story then ...
“I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather… and a white grandmother… I am married to a black American who carries the blood of slaves and slaveowners.” After this is said the reader can tell that Barack’s family has been formed from white and black people coming together as said with his father marrying a white woman and his wife the child with slave and slave owner blood in her veins. Therefore with his family having a white person's blood in their family comes back to the point where on the inside a black and white person have many things in
To sum up, Obama has always been and will always be a great example of how to succeed in spite of difficulties or obstacles. Such a strong personality is worth to be admired. Obama has left me with positive feelings about the