Hillary Clinton walked onto the stage Monday at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to loud cheers that delayed the beginning of her speech by more than a full minute. Before launching into her remarks on the nomination, she took the time to thank Joe Biden for his work as president and lauded him for showing “what it means to be a true patriot,” referring to his rather reluctant decision to step down from the candidacy and turn it over to his subordinate-successor.

Clinton proceeded to speak about the historic potential of Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidency. American women, she argued, have fought for a long time to secure equality and progress, recounting her experience with various female politicians who were firsts in their field, leading up to her own nomination as the first female presidential candidate from a major American political party. 

“The future,” she proclaimed, “is now!” 

With a closing reference to her famous statement that “it takes a village,” she promised that Harris would unify the nation, defend abortion rights and freedom, and prove to Americans that the only limit to a person’s progress is their own talent and work ethic.