PHILADELPHIA—In the most important speech of her long and decorated political life, Hillary Clinton accepted the Democratic nomination for president Thursday night by working to offer the American public a more optimistic look at what she had in store for the country.
Clinton proclaimed that "progress is possible" as she became the first woman to accept her party's nomination for president. She contrasted her record and leadership with that of Republican nominee Donald Trump, rejecting Trump's proclamation that he alone can cure America's ills and instead promoting a vision of unity based off of the campaign's motto of "stronger together."
"Americans don't say: 'I alone can fix it,'" Clinton said. "We say: 'We'll fix it together.'"
The speech also included something for supporters of Clinton's vanquished rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. The former Secretary of State laid out some of the progressive policies championed by the primary runner-up and extended an olive branch to the populist wing of the party.
"I want you to know, I've heard you," Clinton said to supporters. "Your cause is our cause. Our country needs your ideas, energy and passion."
She went on to promote plans to raise the minimum wage, expand health care and offer free public college for most Americans, all measures which Sanders promoted during the primary.
"Bernie Sanders and I will work together to make college tuition-free for the middle class and debt-free for all," Clinton said. "We will also liberate millions of people who already have student debt. It's just not right that Donald Trump can ignore his debts, but students and families can't refinance theirs."
Sanders' supporters threatened a mass protest during Clinton's remarks and while there were isolated protests and boos, much of the crowd was enthralled by her speech.
While she made overtures to Sanders' supporters, Clinton did not hold back in her attacks on Trump, who she tried to paint as unpredictable and unfit to be commander in chief.
"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," Clinton said, alluding to Trump's penchant for social media.
The historic nature of the week's proceedings was not lost on Clinton. Despite critique from conservatives that she was merely running on her status as the first female nominee, Clinton reveled in the "glass ceiling" which she had broken through.
"Standing here as my mother's daughter, and my daughter's mother, I'm so happy this day has come," Clinton said. "Happy for grandmothers and little girls and everyone in between. Happy for boys and men, too – because when any barrier falls in America, for anyone, it clears the way for everyone. When there are no ceilings, the sky's the limit."
The introduction, from Clinton's daughter Chelsea Clinton, also touched on this fact but did so in a much more human way. The portrait painted of Hillary Clinton then was much different, of a caring mother who wrote her daughter notes while away on business trips and joined in on family movie nights.
"That feeling of being loved and valued, that's what my mom wants for every child. It is the calling of her life," Chelsea Clinton said.
In stark contrast with Trump's speech a week ago, which created a dark and foreboding picture of America, Hillary Clinton underscored its diversity and idealism in crafting her 57-minute address. She portrayed the country, and her own political career, as resilient in the face of turmoil and strife.
"We are not afraid. We will rise to the challenge, like we always do," she said.
