Barack Obama officially announced his entrance into the 2008 election as a presidential candidate in February 2007, before 17,000 supporters, "in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Abraham Lincoln once called on a divided house to stand together."
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17,000 supporters gathered in Springfield IL to see and hear Barack Obama announce his run for the presidency.
News outlets from around the country and the world were there to document the event.
The event took place in front of The Old State Capital in Springfield, IL.
A United States flag is draped over the side of a building where security personnel monitored the crowd.
Some of the first BHO campaign buttons in 2007.
Above photos by Sherry Hutson