this is "nightline." >> making history. it's official. >> we just put the biggest crack in that glass ceiling yet. >> hillary clinton now the first woman in america to top the presidential ticket of a major political party. >> she's the best darn changemaker i ever met in my entire life. >> the dramatic roll call. but emotions still running high for bernie sanders. and the epic moment, a milestone for women. taking center stage history here tonight, everyday moms surviving extraordinary pain. >> it's when we saw the video of your son -- >> all have lost children to violence. >> don't wait for tragedy to knock on your door. >> mothers of the movement taking aim at justice. >> start doing something now.

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good evening from the democratic national convention. a truly historic moment right here in this arena in philadelphia tonight. hillary clinton capturing the democratic nomination for

president 96 years after american women first got the right to vote. clinton is now the first woman to lead a major party ticket into the general election. an emotional night for so many, including former president bill clinton who called his wife "the best changemaker there is." >> what an incredible honor that you have given me. and i can't believe we just put the biggest crack in that glass ceiling yet. >> reporter: late tonight, presidents of the past and a dramatic unveiling. hillary rodham clinton addressing the democratic national convention floor via satellite in a historic triumph. >> if there are any little girls out there who stayed up late to watch, let me just say -- i may become the first woman president, but one of you is next. >> reporter: the ground-breaking nomination a poetic end to a hard-fought primary race. >> and i move that hillary clinton be selected as the

nominee of the democratic party for president of the united states. >> reporter: in a ceremonial gesture, it was bernie sanders who moved to nominate hillary rodham clinton unanimously by acclamation as the party's official nominee. >> all in favor of the motion say aye. opposed, no. the ayes have it. >> the crowd is going berserk. every delegate in this whole recognizes that they are a part of a moment in history. they managed to set politics aside and help hillary clinton break through that political glass ceiling. tonight hillary clinton tweeting one word. history. earlier tonight, during roll call, hillary's childhood friend and delegate betsy eveling hearing up as she cast votes for her home state of illinois. >> this one's for you, hill. 98 votes, yes.

>> tell me about the historic moment, this idea that she could be the first female president of these united states. >> i'm still absorbing that she's going to be the first female nominee. but -- oh, yeah. historic. and necessarily. >> reporter: but the show-stealer tonight, former president bill clinton speaking from his heart. >> in the spring of 1971, i met a girl. she had thick blond hair. big glasses. wore no makeup. and she exuded the sense of strength and self-possession that i found magnetic. >> reporter: clinton taking the stage to deliver his most personal speech of the campaign. >> she walked the whole length of the library, came up to me and said, look. if you're going to keep staring at me, we at least ought to know

each other's name. i'm hillary rodham, who are you? >> reporter: he called the birth of their daughter chelsea, who looked on with pride tonight, the greatest moment of his life. >> my daughter had the best mother in the whole world. >> reporter: the 42nd president of the united states making the case for his wife to become the 45th. >> she is still the best darn changemaker i have ever known. >> reporter: he recalled hillary's early days as a child advocacy lawyer. her signature motto -- >> women's rights are human rights, once and for all. >> this woman has never been satisfied with the status quo in anything. she always wants to move the ball forward. that is just who she is. >> reporter: one of clinton's aides told abc news earlier today that clinton wrote the speech himself. >> hillary will make us stronger together. you know it. because she's spent a lot of time doing it.

the reason you should elect her is that in the greatest country on earth, we have always been about tomorrow. your children and grandchildren will bless you forever if you do. god bless you. thank you. >> reporter: the former president and possible first first gentleman knows this stage well. tonight marking his tenth consecutive speech at the dnc. >> michael dukakis can provide that leadership. al gore. john kerry. barack obama, the next president of the united states! >> reporter: like his 42-minute speech tonight, clinton is not known for being brief. in 1988, the then-governor's 33-minute speech got a roar of applause, only when he announced it was almost over. >> in closing -- [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: of course, we all wonder what role first gentleman bill clinton will play in the white house, if his wife manages to win in november. on "60 minutes," hillary clinton

and her running mate tim kaine alluded to a potential role for the former president. >> senator, you're going to be vice president in a white house with two presidents. >> i mean, it's an embarrassment of riches. >> what do you think of that notion? >> i think it's an all hands on deck time. >> president obama called on the secretary to explain him stuff. i think there are areas he can speak uniquely based on his own circumstances. >> reporter: despite vocal protests and infighting between the sanders and clinton camps, on the convention floor tonight, the party seeming to come together. >> tonight, tonight, on this night, we will shatter that glass ceiling again. >> reporter: with the official nomination and roll call -- >> are we ready to make some history? >> reporter: state by state, delegates pledging their votes for both clinton and sanders. >> 27 votes for the next president of the united states, hillary clinton. >> bernie sanders. >> hillary rodham clinton. >> nine votes for bernie

sanders. >> for a future we can believe in, senator bernie sanders. >> reporter: of course, it was hillary who beat out their candidate. but for those like hawaii's party chair tim van der veer, this is no time to hold grudges. >> is today a defeat for you? >> it's not a defeat, absolutely not. the revolution will continue. bernie has said, made quite clear, we're just getting started, this is the beginning, and we've got to come together as democrats, nominate the next president -- >> reporter: among those speaking on stage for hillary tonight, people personally touched by clinton's work, like 9/11 survivor lauren manning. >> she walked into my hospital room and she took my bandaged hand into her own. our connection wasn't between a senator and a constituent. it was person to person. >> reporter: also showing support, anton moore, a local community activist dedicated to reducing gun violence in south philly. >> in society today, we must

stand up, promote nonviolence, and that's why i'm with hillary clinton come november. >> reporter: the 30-year-old is the founder of unity in the community. i met up with him yesterday in the south philly neighborhood where he grew up, in the shadow of the convention hall. >> why is hillary good on this? she understands what a lot of these families are going through. it's tough times out here. >> what makes you say that? a lot of people think hillary's out of touch. >> here's the thing. there's never a perfect candidate, but you have the good and you have the bad. i look at experience. we need somebody with experience to handle these issues. >> reporter: and tonight hollywood out in full force, both on social media and on the convention floor. >> whoo! >> reporter: meryl streep, lena dunham, america ferrera, and actress elizabeth banks, took the convention stage. her entrance, rather familiar. >> trump's campaign is so hard

up for money i fought their fog machine on ebay for 30 bucks. i think a week and a half ago a fog machine light show at a political convention would have been a joke. and it's still a joke this week. >> reporter: and alicia keys closing out the show. here in philadelphia, the city that gave birth to the ideal that all men are created equal, now the birthplace for a new era of gender equality. ♪ oh yes i'm a super woman up next, the mothers of the movement. bringing this convention crowd to its feet. their message and the unspeakable loss they share. nce, you can get a great deal on this 2016 passat. steve. yeah? clarence is on a roll. yeah. i wish they'd name an event after me. same here. but the model year end becky event?

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this convention halton night was riveted by a story of grief as a catalyst for change. orange mom ordinary moms sharing an unspeakable bond. they all saw their black sons' and daughters' lives cut tragically short. abc's robin roberts sat down with them. >> reporter: tonight one of the most emotional moments didn't come from a star speaker. but from these women. everyday mothers who have lived through extraordinary loss. >> his life ended the day that he was shot and killed for playing loud music. but my job as his mother didn't. >> reporter: they all saw their sons and daughters' lives

violently cut short. >> i am here today for my son, trayvon martin, who is in heaven. >> reporter: in their memory, they are now uniting for the one candidate they believe can make change. >> i am here with hillary clinton. because she is a leader and a mother who will say our children's names. >> reporter: i sat down with these seven women, collectively called the mothers of the movement. >> i know her heart. i know her heart. you know, it's just like -- i know them. it's like i know the pain because i live the pain every day. >> a driver asking the people in another car to turn their music down. moments later the scene turns deadly. >> i'm the mother of jordan davis, the young man shot and killed in jacksonville, florida, for playing loud music in his car. >> sabrina fulton, mother of trayvon martin. he was coming from a store and a

neighborhood crime watcher decides to follow him and murder him. >> reporter: the details of their tragedies differ, in some cases not everyone agrees about what happened. but each of their children's deaths sparked outcry and cast a spotlight on what they say is injustice ingrained in our country. >> geneva, mother of sandra bland. she ended up dead in a jail cell. >> maria hamilton. my son was dontre hamilton. >> dontre hamilton was shot and killed -- >> my baby had 21 bullet holes in his body. i did not get any justice. >> i am cleopatra callie, mother of the late hydea pendleton. somebody thought she was part of a gang, shot in the back, and ultimately met her demise. >> leslie mcspannon, my son is michael brown. he was killed on august 9th in ferguson. >> i am the motor of eric

gardner, murdered two weeks ago last week in staten island. >> [ bleep ]! >> i can't breathe. 11 times he said, "i can't breathe." >> i can't breathe. you've heard that from demonstrators across the country using that as their battle cry. i know that you have -- you retired from the mta. is that important to you, to say this is going to be my life's mission at this point? >> yes. i never thought that i would be in this position. i was thrown into it. i never wanted this. i'd rather have my son today that i could talk to him on the phone or visit him. >> reporter: these women and other mothers who have lost children invited to voice their concerns privately with hillary clinton. >> from your perspective, mrs. clinton, what can we do? >> well, i think you can

continue to speak out, but you will be more effective if you do somehow band together. >> reporter: their candid conversation captured in a video showcased tonight. >> what did you say to her? >> we talked about the injustices that we continue to see happen within our communities again and again and again. >> she contacted us. she still calls us. we still get letters. >> what is it that you want, and there's just no room for negotiation, has to change, in your opinion? >> background check legislation. keeping guns out of the hands of people who should not have guns. >> our leaders need to be accountable. >> she's the first presidential candidate that i'm aware of that has just said, this is a national crisis, it has to be dealt with, our communities and our families will never be safe unless we deal with gun violence in this country. >> reporter: they say these past

tumultuous weeks of almost unbearable violence in our country prove the issues they stand for are as prevalent as ever. when you had the two killings of black men, and then the killing of police officers, how do you all handle this unrest that we see in this country right now? >> i couldn't watch the tv. i couldn't watch any of it. it was too much for me. >> what is your feeling when you see what we have and how police officers feel that they have been targeted? >> what they feel is what we've been talking about. those are the issues that people have been living every day. every day. so what you see happening to the police now, why they're being targeted is because of all of the root of the systemic racism and the poverty and there's a bursting at the seams here. >> we don't hate police officers. >> no, not at all. >> you know, absolutely we don't hate police officers. >> right. >> i think that a lot of people get caught up on the uniform.

but under that uniform is somebody that belongs to somebody who really loves them. >> reporter: and that's what's at the heart of their mission, finding ways to see past what divides us and creating a safer future for all children. >> i was taught that you want to cause a reaction that's going to lead to action. what is it that you want this message to be? >> don't wait for tragedy to knock on your door. start doing something now in the communities to help your neighborhood. help your communities. >> we might be the seven that are sitting here. but it's so much bigger than us. it's something that has been placed inside us that says, listen. you can't help your son or daughters, but you certainly can help other children. >> strength, love, and peace. thank you. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm robin roberts in philadelphia. up next, making the

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finally tonight, it was recorded nearly 50 years ago. the words of a certain college student then hillary rodham. her wellesley commencement speech from 1969 with the hints of the history to come. >> part of the problem with just empathy with professed goals is that empathy doesn't do us anything. we've had lots of empathy, we've had lots of sympathy. but we feel that for too long, our leaders have viewed politics as the art of the possible. and the challenge now is to practice politics as the art of making what appears to be impossible, possible. i was talking to a woman who said she wouldn't want to be me for anything in the world. she wouldn't want to live today and look ahead to what it is she sees because she's afraid. fear's always with us but we just don't have time for it. not now.

>> a rejection of fear. words that echo to this day. thanks for watching abc news. tune in to "good morning america." as always we're online at abcnews.com and our "nightline" facebook page. good night from philadelphia.