It's July 27, 2004, inside the Fleet Center in Boston, Massachusetts.

The keynote speaker of the 2004 Democratic National Convention is about to take center stage.

As music glares through the hall,

a crowd of thousands watch on the Jumbotron

as a young, unknown state senator from Illinois takes the stage.

Barack Obama is currently running for the United States Senate.

His unexpected landslide victory in the Democratic primary earlier this year

caught the attention of party leaders,

and it inspired John Kerry, the Democratic candidate for president,

to invite Obama to deliver this keynote address.

But outside of Illinois, Obama is largely unknown.

Tonight, he hoped that will change.

Thank you so much. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you.

On behalf of the great state of Illinois, crossroads of a nation, land of Lincoln,

let me express my deepest gratitude for the privilege of addressing this convention.

Obama worked on this speech for weeks. He jotted down ideas on scraps of paper. He read and watched past keynote addresses for inspiration. But he struggled to find the perfect words to frame his message

until he remembered a phrase he once heard his pastor use find the perfect words to frame his message, until he remembered a phrase

he once heard his pastor use, the audacity to hope.

Remembering this, the speech quickly came together.

And tonight, standing in front of a crowd of thousands, Obama delivers the fruits of his

labor.

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