This course will examine President Barack Obama's life from his childhood through his election as the first African American President of the United States, and how his personal story will help define his legal legacy as President. We will discuss the early influences on his life and the successes and challenges that shaped him as a person. The course will be broken down into five periods of his life. The first will examine his relationship with his family, classmates, and his early education in Hawaii. The second will address the formative years he spent in college and law school, which shaped his philosophy about the law. Third, we will examine his foray into national politics and his successes and failures as a state senator. Fourth, we'll address his national political agenda, which began with speaking at the July 2004 Democratic National Convention and his election as the third African American Senator. And finally we'll discuss his run for the presidency and his service as the first African American president.