Hillary Rodham Clinton accepted the presidential nomination at the Democratic Party National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She spoke to the cheering crowd about the need to unite to deal with the nation’s challenges.
"It truly is up to us. We have to decide whether we will all work together so we can all rise together."
Clinton is the first woman to receive a major party nomination for president in the United States. The 68-year-old Clinton won the nomination after defeating her main opponent, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
Sanders declared his support for Clinton in an earlier speech at the convention. Now she faces the challenge of gaining similar support from his supporters before the November election.
In her acceptance speech, Clinton praised Sanders for his campaign, its appeal to young people and its call for economic and social justice.
"I want you to know I've heard you," Clinton said. "Your cause is our cause."
Clinton's main opponent in the general election is Republican Party nominee Donald Trump. Both candidates suffer from negative perceptions among voters, as many public opinion studies have shown during the past year. Those same studies show about 30 percent of voters view Clinton as untrustworthy. However, one Gallup poll found her to be the country's most admired woman.
Clinton said Thursday that Trump wants Americans to fear the future and each other. She criticized Trump's proposals including one to build a wall along the Mexico-US border and another to ban Muslims from entering the country.
"We will not build a wall. Instead, we will build an economy where everyone who wants a good job can get one. And we'll build a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants who are already contributing to our economy. We, we will not ban a religion, we will work with all Americans and our allies to fight and defeat terrorism."
Clinton called on Americans to consider Donald Trump’s “temperament.”
“He loses his cool at the slightest provocation. When he's gotten a tough question from a reporter. When he's challenged in a debate. When he sees a protestor at a rally. Imagine, if you dare, imagine, imagine him in the Oval Office facing a real crisis. A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons.”
Chelsea Clinton introduced the Democratic Party nominee. She described her mother as “driven by compassion, by faith, by kindness, a fierce sense of justice and a heart full of love.”
The crowd also heard from Khizr Khan, an American Muslim whose son was killed in U.S. military service.
“Donald Trump, you are asking Americans to trust you with their future,” Khan said. “Let me ask you, have you even read the United States Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy.”
Trump and his campaign have described the Democratic Party convention speakers as painting too pretty a picture of the state of the nation.
"I've been watching these speeches at night, and boy am I getting hit," Trump said at an event Thursday in Iowa. "I am getting hit and they don't mean it and there's a lot of lies being told," he said.
American voters will make their choice on November 8. The new president will take office on January 20, 2017.
Words in This Story
challenge – n. a difficult task or problem: something that is hard to do
perception – n. the way you think about or understand someone or something
poll – n. an activity in which several or many people are asked a question or a series of questions in order to get information about what most people think about something
admire – v. to feel respect or approval for (someone or something)
temperament – n. the usual attitude, mood, or behavior of a person or animal
provocation – n. an action or occurrence that causes someone to become angry or to begin to do something
bait – v. to try to make (someone) angry by using criticism or insults