Mr Obama took his stunning political rise to new heights as his foe in the primaries, Hillary Clinton dramatically halted a roll-call vote at the party convention, and called for the 47-year-old Illinois senator to be enshrined the nominee.

"With eyes firmly fixed on the future, in the spirit of unity, with the goal of victory, with faith in our party and our country, let's declare together in one voice right here, right now, that Barack Obama is our candidate and he will be our president," Mrs Clinton said.

And in the second act of the Clinton redemption show, ex-president Bill Clinton cast aside a feud with his wife's rival, with a robust embrace of Obama, saying he was "ready" to be president and on the right side of history.

Mr Obama will headline Thursday's convention speeches, having spent the first part of the week campaigning in battleground states, and will formally accept the party's nomination then.