On Tuesday night, Hillary Clinton became the first woman nominated for president by a major U.S. political party.
As NPR reported, it's a historic moment 150 years in the making. The first woman to run for president in the U.S. -- Victoria Claflin Woodhull, in 1872 -- came at a time when most women didn't even have the right to vote, let alone hold the highest office in the nation.
Hillary Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, reminisced during a speech Tuesday night about his past and his marriage, including his time at law school and as an activist. He called his wife the "greatest change maker" and said she has always stood by him -- echoing First Lady Michelle Obama's remarks the night before, when she said Hillary Clinton never gives up.
Mark Pazniokas, Capitol bureau chief for the Connecticut Mirror, said on WNPR's The Wheelhouse, that Michelle Obama's speech was a great kick-off for the convention.
"The thing that surprised me was there was that real emotion at the end talking about how Hillary Clinton was going to make history for not only our daughters but our sons," Pazniokas said. "Those are the moments you cannot manufacture."
Delegates erupted in cheers as Hillary Clinton's primary rival, Bernie Sanders, helped make the nomination official Tuesday when the roll call of states got to his home state of Vermont -- a crucial show of unity for a party trying to heal deep divisions.
WNPR's Colin McEnroe said the Sanders protests were likely more of an optics problem at the convention.
"The question of how substantive a problem this is will play out," McEnroe said. "The question is how about all the other people who didn’t vote in primaries, to what degree were they under Bernie’s spell?"
Clinton herself appeared by surprise on video to thank delegates and celebrate her big night.
"We just put the biggest crack in that glass ceiling yet," she said, smiling, to the roar of delegates. "This is really your victory." She predicted that many more women will be nominated -- and elected -- for president.
Sanders, following the role Clinton played eight years ago, asked for his former rival to be declared the nominee by acclamation. In November, she will take on Republican Donald Trump.
Katie Burns contributed to this report.
This report includes information from The Associated Press.
