Five takeaways from the Democratic Convention’s first night

The Democratic National Convention’s first night featured an unusual send off, as it came just a month after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed his former running mate – Kamala Harris.

Ms Harris broke with tradition and spoke on the convention’s first night to voice her gratitude for her boss.

“I want to kick us off by celebrating our incredible president, Joe Biden,” she said.

The night showcased a range of speakers, from Olympic gold medal-winning basketball coach Steve Kerr to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

But Mr Biden gave the prime-time address on Monday night. He praised Ms Harris’s leadership and promising that America’s best days were “before us.”

Here is a look back at the night’s most memorable moments.

Only four weeks ago, President Biden had every intention of closing the Democratic convention and watching a slate of speakers spend this week praising his administration.

But after a wild month for US politics, Biden instead spoke as a surrogate for his former running mate – a job he fulfilled at Chicago’s United Center on the opening night of the convention.

Despite the change of fortune, Mr Biden was greeted by minutes of uninterrupted applause from a crowd of thousands. They chanted “Thank you Joe!” for his time in office and for his decision to pass the torch to Ms Harris.

The loud and lasting cheers brought tears to Mr Biden’s eyes, after he hugged his daughter Ashley Biden, who introduced him to the convention. He then gave a 50-minute speech, touting his administration’s accomplishments and speaking on the threat that Republican nominee Donald Trump poses.

This speech could be one of the last the president gives in front of a crowd that size and with cheers that thunderous. The loudest applause line came near the end when he told the audience: “America, America, I gave my best to you.”

While the first night of the DNC featured some of the Democratic Party’s most seasoned leaders, including Mr Biden and Ms Clinton, much of the programme was dedicated to ushering in a new generation of Democrats.

Several of the party’s rising stars were featured throughout the evening, including Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and progressive lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Monday appeared to serve as a means to pass the political torch from one generation to another and heal any perceived wounds that occurred over a difficult month for Democrats.

Several of the lawmakers who took the stage on Monday – including Ms Ocasio-Cortez and Delaware Senator Chris Coons – had advocated for Mr Biden to stay in the race just a few weeks ago.

But each one spoke about how they were all in for Ms Harris.

“Kamala Harris is for the middle class because she is from the middle class,” Ms Ocasio-Cortez told the convention in her first major party convention speech.

Others who worked to push out Mr Biden from the presidential race – such as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi – cheered him on during his speech.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Chicago on Monday to protest the Biden administration’s support of Israel’s war in Gaza, but the issue received little mention during the first night of speeches at the DNC.

While pro-Palestinian organisers saw fewer protest numbers than the “tens of thousands” that they orginially expected, the demonstration outside the United Center proved to be energetic enough to break through a security barricade – leading to four arrests.

The demonstrators received one brief acknowledgement from Mr Biden during his speech on Monday night. He said that the Chicago protestors “have a point”, though he added that many innocent people were killed “on both sides”.

The Hamas-run health ministry says Israel’s war in Gaza has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, while about 1,200 Israelis have been killed, according to their government.

There are additional protests planned for the rest of the week at the DNC. Asked whether any Palestinians would be able to voice their concerns on the convention stage, a Harris campaign spokesperson told reporters on Tuesday that they did not have any scheduling updates.

Labour was a prominent theme on Monday night – even Mr Biden labelled himself the most pro-labour president in American history.

But perhaps one of the most memorable lines of the night came when United Automobile Workers President Shawn Fain took the podium and called Trump a “scab” – someone who undermines organised workers.

The insult – which was also featured on Mr Fain’s shirt – was met with an eruption of applause from the audience.

Mr Fain was just one of several labour leaders to pledge their support for Ms Harris at the DNC on Monday. Others included AFL-CIO President Elizabeth Shuler – a major union leader – and Brent Booker, the president of the Laborers’ International Union of North America.

Missing from the stage was Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, who recently gave a speech on the first night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. After much backlash, the Teamsters president requested a speaking slot at the DNC – but he did not obtain one.

In a speech that echoed remarks she gave at her own DNC nomination just eight years ago, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the crowd Ms Harris would be the first to break the US’s “highest, hardest glass ceiling”.

Ms Clinton made her own unsuccessful run to become America’s first female president in 2016, losing to Trump in an election that shocked many.

But, taking the stage once again at the DNC on Monday night, the longtime Democratic politician stressed her belief that Ms Harris would have better luck.

“On the other side of that glass ceiling is Kamala Harris raising her hand and taking the oath of office as our 47th President of the United States.”

Ms Clinton – who is reportedly a close adviser of Ms Harris – said her defeat in 2016 had inspired millions of women to march, run for office and keep “our eyes on the future of America”.

To loud applauses from the crowd, she repeated a line from her 2016 speech almost word for word: “When a barrier falls for one of us, it clears the way for all of us.”