Hillary Clinton is campaigning to become the first woman President of the United States. Read about her childhood and what drives her to be successful.
A Life Extraordinaire
From her initial years in the Midwest to her schooling at Wellesley to Yale Law School, the meeting point of Hillary and Bill Clinton, to Arkansas to the White House and to New York as a U.S. Senator, Hillary Rodham Clinton's life has been wrought with challenges and controversy. She is also a source of intrigue and inspiration for many. What has made the woman who is today in the race for being the President of the United States?
A Father's Daughter
"I adored [my father] when I was a little girl. I would eagerly watch for him from a window and run down the street to meet him on his way home after work. With his encouragement and coaching, I played baseball, football and basketball. I tried to bring home good grades to win his approval." Hillary is thus quoted in Carl Bernstein's autobiography, A Woman in Charge. Hillary Rodham was born in Chicago, Illinois on October 26, 1947, to a reasonably well-off couple. Her mother Dorothy Rodham was a full-time homemaker, while her father, the late Hugh Rodham, was an accomplished businessman and staunch Republican. Hugh had more influence on young Hillary, owing to his authoritative personality. He taught the importance of sportsmanship to Hillary while her mother impressed upon her that she had every right to education.
Model Student
Hillary's leadership skills were honed as Student Body President at Wellesley. The fact that she chose to study law, a course that had only 10% of female students, reveals her unwillingness to be restricted by gender stereotypes. During her childhood, Hillary Rodham participated in numerous activities at church and at her public school in Park Ridge. She was actively involved in sports and won awards as a Brownie and Girl Scout.
Marriage Ahoy
Hillary Rodham and Bill Clinton met when they were both studying at Yale Law School. Apparently, Hillary broke the ice by saying boldly, "If you're going to keep looking at me and I'm going to keep looking at you, we ought to at least know each other. I'm Hillary Rodham." couple got married in 1975, two years after Hillary graduated from Yale. At that time, Bill Clinton was advancing his political interests in Arkansas. The biggest crisis in their marriage was when Bill's liaison with Monica was thrown open to the world. However, Hillary and Bill made peace and the marriage still survives; extremely busy work schedules notwithstanding.
Chelsea Morning
Hillary's only daughter Chelsea, remains a source of hope and a stabilising force amidst all the political and personal scandals. Named after the 1969 Joni Mitchell song "Chelsea Morning", Chelsea Clinton was born on February 27, 1980. She has always devoted time to her despite a gruelling schedule. Hillary derived support from her daughter during her tenure at the White House. She once told a TIME magazine reporter, at the age of 49, that she and Bill were planning another child. Carl Bernstein in his autobiography claims that Hillary was unable to have a larger family due to infertility.
Crusader for Familial Values
Hillary's career in politics has amply demonstrated her concern for children and families. Incidentally, her first job out of law school was that of a Staff Attorney at the Children's Defense Fund. She was instrumental in passing the Family and Medical Leave Act, which allows people to stay home to tend to their newborn, without losing their jobs. Hillary has always fought for adoption and adequate child care centres. She has actively worked to shield children from violence in the media and in the environment, and set up hotlines to prevent suicides. Hillary has stood up for the right of women to work fulltime. However, her It takes a Village campaign has been accused of promoting government interference in parenting.
The jury is still out on whether Hillary should be President. The fact remains that she is an extremely strong personality, warm and funny on one side, gritty and stubborn on the other.
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