Kamala Harris has promised to "unite" the United States of America as she formally accepted the Democratic presidential nomination.
The current vice-president has made history as the first Black woman and first Indian-American to get her party's backing for the White House.
It means she will face Republican rival Donald Trump in November's election.
Emerging to the song 'Freedom' by Beyoncé, she told crowds at the party's national convention in Chicago on Thursday that it's time to chart a new way forward.
She also thanked President Joe Biden on his "extraordinary" record and paid tribute her mother Shyamala Harris who she said was "looking down tonight and smiling".
US Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris (centre) appears on stage surrounded by family members and balloons at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, 22-8-24. Image: Associated Press / AlamyKamala Harris explained how her mother "crossed the world alone, traveling from India to California" with she was 19.
She said her mother was supposed to return home to an arranged marriage - but she met her father Donald Harris, a student from Jamaica, instead.
Ms Harris recalled when she was a child at the park her mother would tell her to stay close but her father would tell her to "Run, Kamala Run and don't be afraid".
"From my earliest years, he taught me to be fearless," she said.
Accepting nomination
Accepting her party's nomination, Kamala Harris said she would be a president for everyone.
"With this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past," she said.
"A chance to chart a new way forward, not as members of any one party or faction but as Americans.
"I promise to be a president for all Americans. You can always trust me to put country above party and self."
Career
On her career as a prosecutor, she recalled when she was in senior school she noticed her best friend Wanda was "sad" and there were times "she didn't want to go home."
"One day I asked if everything was alright and she confided in me that she was being sexually abused by her stepfather," she said.
"That is one of the reasons I became a prosecutor".
Ms Harris said "from the courthouse to the White House" standing up for others has been her life's work.
"I stood up for women and children against predators who abused them. I took on the big banks," she said.
"I stood up for veterans and students being scammed by big for-profit colleges, for workers who were being cheated out of the wages they were due, for seniors facing elder abuse.
"I fought against cartels who traffic in guns, drugs and human beings... Those fights were not easy and neither were the elections that put me in those offices."
Donald Trump
Kamala Harris said while Donald Trump "is an unserious man", putting him back in power would be "extremely serious".
"Consider not only the chaos and calamity when he was in office but also the gravity of what has happened since he lost the last election," she said.
"Donald Trump tried to throw away your votes. When he failed, he sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol where they assaulted law enforcement officers.
"When politicians in his own party begged him to call off the mob and send help, he did the opposite.
"He fanned the flames. And now, for an entirely different set of crimes, he was found guilty of fraud by a jury of everyday Americans.
"America, we are not going back", she said to massive applause.
US Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, 22-8-24. Image: Associated Press / AlamyOn defence and foreign affairs, Ms Harris said she would ensure America has "the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world."
"I will fulfill our sacred obligation to care for our troops and their families," she said.
"I will make sure that we lead the world into the future on space and artificial intelligence, that America - not China - wins the competition for the 21st century, and that we strengthen our global leadership."
On the ongoing war in Gaza by Israel, Ms Harris said she wants to see a ceasefire done.
"President Biden and I are working around the clock because now is the time to get a hostage deal and cease-fire done," she said.
She said she will "always stand up for Israel's right to defend itself and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself".
"At the same time, what has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost. Desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, over and over again."
'The next great chapter'
Closing her speech, Kamala Harris appealed to people to "there and let's fight for it. Let's get out there and let's vote for it."
"Together, let us write the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told," she added.
As the Democratic National Convention drew to a close, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered around the venue in Chicago.
It was organised by the Coalition to March which is a collection of more than 200 groups that staged demonstrations throughout the week.
On Monday, 3,500 people attended the largely peaceful rally that resulted in 13 arrests - mostly relating to a breach of security fencing.
