Democrats’ first night at their Chicago national convention saw senators, representatives, celebrities, and activists alike come together to look both backward and forward — back at the legacy of President Biden and a call to move beyond the last decade mostly dominated President Trump. Abortion rights were central to that call for a renewed commitment to the future. 

Mr. Biden was the final speaker last night, near midnight east coast time. His message to the delegates and Democrats across the country: Get behind my vice president. 

He started with a list of accomplishments he has had throughout his more than 50-year political career at Washington, including the assault weapons ban of the 1990s, price controls on prescription drugs for seniors, and a border security bill he supported despite opposition from congressional Republicans. He talked about strengthening the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and the threat Trump poses to America’s standing abroad. 

The “‘America First’ doctrine changed our whole standing in the world,” Mr. Biden warned of Trump. He also mentioned the Israel–Hamas war, saying that he hopes to “deliver a cease-fire and end this war” before he leaves the White House in just five months. 

“Those protesters out in the street — they have a point,” Mr. Biden said of the anti-Israel protesters who breached law enforcement barricades near the convention yesterday. 

He explained his decision to step aside, saying that: “I love the job, but I love my country more.” Just minutes after he abandoned his reelection bid in July, he endorsed Vice President Harris as the standard-bearer of the party. 

He mentioned Ms. Harris throughout his nearly hour-long remarks, interrupting “thank you, Joe” with “Thank you, Kamala.”

In saying goodbye, Mr. Biden exclaimed: “America — I gave my best to you.”

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my career .. For 50 years, I gave my best to you,” he added. 

He also spent much of the speech attacking Trump, who inspired him to jump into the 2020 presidential race after the 2017 white nationalist rally at Charlottesville, Virginia. “You cannot say you love your country only when you win!” Mr. Biden said of Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election. 

“They didn’t even bother to wear their hoods,” Mr. Biden said of the Charlottesville protest. 

He was introduced by his daughter, Ashley Biden, who said that “a courageous heart can heal the nation,” referring to her father. “In 2020, my dad selected Kamala Harris to defeat Donald Trump, and he knows that in 2024, she will beat Donald Trump again!” Ms. Biden said. “Our freedom, our democracy, our reproductive rights” are on the line, she added. 

Secretary Clinton spoke before Mr. Biden, saying that it was the dream of women across the country to “keep going.” She invoked both her late mother and Vice President Harris’s late mother as a rallying call for Democrats to keep pushing. 

“As president, she will always have our backs and she will be a fighter for us!” Mrs. Clinton said. 

Another elected leader who spoke before Mr. Biden is the man who is arguably most responsible for making the president the 2020 nominee — Congressman Jim Clyburn. “Our resolve to remain a great country … will not falter. We will continue our march toward a more perfect union, united in our common purpose,” the longtime lawmaker said. 

Abortion rights activists also spoke on behalf of the new Democratic ticket, including a Texas woman who lost her daughter during pregnancy and was forced to wait until the fetus was officially declared dead to obtain an abortion, and a Kentucky girl who was impregnated by her stepfather. Hadley Duvall took to the stage before the president to say that Trump could not be trusted to protect women’s rights.