Politicians: Hillary Clinton By Biography.com Editors and A+E Networks, adapted by Newsela staff on 09.27.16 Word Count 555 Hillary Clinton speaking with supporters at a campaign rally at Carl Hayden High School in Phoenix, Arizona Photo: Wikimedia Commons Synopsis: Hillary Clinton was born in 1947. She married Bill Clinton in 1975. Her husband became president in 1993, and she was the first lady. She became a U.S. senator in 2001 and secretary of state in 2009. In 2016, Clinton became the Democratic choice for president. She was the first woman picked to be the candidate for president by a major political party. Republicans and Democrats are the two major political parties, or groups, in the United States. Background Hillary Clinton was born Hillary Diane Rodham on October 26, 1947. She was born in Chicago, Illinois. As a young woman, Clinton was interested in politics. She heard a speech by the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. The speech inspired her to work in public service. She became a Democrat in 1968.
Education And Early Career Hillary Clinton went to Wellesley College. She was elected senior class president of the college. She then attended Yale Law School in Connecticut. She met Bill Clinton there. In 1974, she started teaching at the University of Arkansas Law School. Marriage To Bill Clinton Hillary Clinton married Bill Clinton in 1975. They had a daughter named Chelsea. Bill Clinton became governor of Arkansas in 1978. Clinton worked as a lawyer. An important law newspaper said she was one of the top lawyers in America. First Lady Bill Clinton ran for president in 1992. He was elected. Hillary Clinton was an important part of his campaign. She also helped him in the White House. Senate Win And Presidential Run In 2001, Clinton became a U.S. senator. She was elected in the state of New York. Then she was elected again in 2006. In 2007, Clinton said she was running for president. She left the race in 2008. By then, it was clear that Barack Obama would be the Democratic candidate. U.S. Secretary Of State President Obama named Clinton secretary of state. As secretary of state, she represented the U.S. government around the world. She traveled to many countries and spoke about women's rights and human rights. These ideas were the most important to her. Campaign Issues In 2015, Clinton said she would run for president again. Clinton has talked about lots of ideas in her campaign. One is student debt. Many people borrowed money to pay for college. Now they have to pay it back. Some are not making enough money to do this. Clinton wants to lower the amount they have to pay back. She also wants to make health care cheaper, and to make things more fair for women. Clinton has changed her mind on some things. Some people think she changes her mind too much. For example, she changed her mind about the rules for trading with other countries.
Email Scandal In 2015, Clinton got into trouble for how she used email when she was secretary of state. She was using her own email account. She used it even for official government business. She didn't ask if she was allowed to do this. The FBI looked into Clinton's emails. In 2016, it said that Clinton should not be charged with a crime. The FBI director said she was careless, though. The emails contained secret information. Making History In July 2016, Clinton became the Democratic choice for president. It was a historic moment for women in the U.S.
Quiz 1 Which section of the article explains what Hillary Clinton wants to do if she is elected president of the United States? "Senate Win And Presidential Win" "U.S. Secretary of State" "Campaign Issues" "Making History" 2 Which question is answered in the second paragraph of the section "Background"? Why did Hillary Clinton choose to be a Democrat?l What made Hillary Clinton want to be a politician? How will Hillary Clinton make changes in the U.S.? Where has Hillary Clinton done public service? 3 What did Hillary Clinton do first in the article? She married Bill Clinton. She became a Democrat. She became a senator. She ran for president. 4 What is the main reason people think Hillary Clinton did something wrong when she was secretary of state? She changed her mind about rules for trading. She tried to make health care cheaper. She traveled and spoke about women's rights. She used her own email for government business.
Answer Key 1 Which section of the article explains what Hillary Clinton wants to do if she is elected president of the United States? "Senate Win And Presidential Win" "U.S. Secretary of State" "Campaign Issues" "Making History" 2 Which question is answered in the second paragraph of the section "Background"? Why did Hillary Clinton choose to be a Democrat?l What made Hillary Clinton want to be a politician? How will Hillary Clinton make changes in the U.S.? Where has Hillary Clinton done public service? 3 What did Hillary Clinton do first in the article? She married Bill Clinton. She became a Democrat. She became a senator. She ran for president. 4 What is the main reason people think Hillary Clinton did something wrong when she was secretary of state? She changed her mind about rules for trading. She tried to make health care cheaper. She traveled and spoke about women's rights. She used her own email for government business.