Meredith Seagal, a junior at Bowdoin College of Maine who heads Students for Barack Obama, introduced the senator as "the one who will give each of us the opportunity to play a role in the awesome triumph of our time, the return to greatness and good in our nation."

Obama roused the crowd with a 30-minute speech laced with references to successive waves of reform in American history, ranging from the Civil War abolition of slavery to student movements against the Vietnam War. He urged the students to struggle to end the war in Iraq, achieve universal health care coverage in America and stop global climate change.

"If you feel this confidence, this trust in yourself, to put your shoulder to the wheel and change history," Obama said, "then I'm absolutely confident that America will change, and it will change for the better."

The DNC winter meeting continues today, with addresses by Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, Sen. Mike Gravel of Arkansas and former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack.

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Contributing: Mike Dorning