Soon, 2016 will come to a close, and with it, President Barack Obama’s term in office.  After serving the maximum eight years as President of the United States, the White House will bid adieu to Barack Obama this coming January.

The question is: What has Barack Obama done for our country?

The answer is clear: quite a bit.

On Jan. 20, the inauguration of Barack Obama took place, granting him the prestigious title of President of the United States of America.  He had already made history for being the first African American president in our nation’s history.  

Just two days after being sworn in, Barack Obama completed his first act as president. He had neutralized CIA interrogation techniques put in place by President Bush during the War on Terror.  These torture methods were “cruel, inhumane, and demoralized”, and President Obama did not see any place for them in our country.

President Obama also signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This document was designed to create growth in the economy during the worst recession since the Great Depression.  The act is otherwise known as the stimulus.

The year of 2009 was a time of change for our country.  President Obama signed many acts and created new programs, including but not limited to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which gave women who are paid less than men in the same profession the right to sue their proprietors; improving energy efficiency as a part of the stimulus; and, with the help of his wife, Michelle Obama, worked to improve school nutrition by signing the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act.

Another important act signed was the Hate Crimes Prevention Act.  This act marked a new beginning for the United States.  Hate crimes now include misconduct based on sexual orientation, gender, and disability, adding to originals including race, color, religion, and national origin.

The next important event was the end of the war in Iraq.  All American troops left Iraq on Dec. 18, 2011.  Also in 2011, Osama bin Laden, a notorious leader in the terrorist group of Al-Qaeda, was killed on Barack Obama’s orders.  This offered closure for many Americans who were still traumatized from the after-effects of 9/11.

All in all, Barack Obama has done a lot for our country, including rebuilding our relationship with Cuba, issuing a reform on same sex marriage, reducing unemployment to lowest in 11 years, and helping gas prices to achieve an all time low.  

Not to mention, President Obama has granted 562 commutations, a pardon to an unfair judicial sentence.  This number is more than the last nine Presidents of the United States combined and more than any individual president in almost a century.  

It will be a bittersweet moment when Barack Obama leaves his post of president.  But, as our country looks forward into a bright future, we can feel confident in saying that Barack Obama has helped tremendously in building the foundation that we rest on.