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How Hillary Embraced History

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks during the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia , Thursday, July 28, 2016. CREDIT: AP PHOTO/J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks during the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia , Thursday, July 28, 2016. CREDIT: AP PHOTO/J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE

Accepting the Democratic nomination for President on Thursday, Hillary Clinton leaned into her status as the first female nominee for President from a major political party.

It was a direct contrast to her 2008 campaign against President Obama, where Clinton largely avoided addressing the legacy of her candidacy — up until the end, when she famously declared there were now “18 million cracks” in the glass ceiling.

During her acceptance speech on Thursday, she faced it head-on, wearing all white in what is likely a nod to Geraldine Ferraro, who wore white when she became the first woman to accept the Vice Presidential nomination of a major party, and the suffragettes, who wore white while fighting for women’s right to vote.

“We’ve reached a milestone in our nation’s march toward a more perfect union: The first time that a major party has nominated a woman for President,” Clinton declared on Thursday.

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“Standing here as my mother’s daughter, and my daughter’s mother, I’m so happy this day has come. 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.”

“So let’s keep going, until every one of the 161 million women and girls across America has the opportunity she deserves.”

Watch the moment here: