Hillary Clinton has waited a long, long time for this moment.

After losing the Democratic primary to Barack Obama eight years ago, she has slugged her way through a second divided, hard-fought primary season to here.

“I’ve been your First Lady. Served eight years as a Senator from the great State of New York. I ran for President and lost. Then I represented all of you as Secretary of State,” she said.

“But my job titles only tell you what I’ve done. They don’t tell you why,” Clinton continued.

“The truth is, through all these years of public service, the “service” part has always come easier to me than the “public” part.

“I get it that some people just don’t know what to make of me.

“So let me tell you.”

In a wide-ranging speech that covered domestic and foreign policy, the history of the United States and some very personal ground, Clinton nailed her credentials to the board.

And she didn’t pass up the opportunity to celebrate the historic moment.

“Tonight, we’ve reached a milestone in our nation’s march toward a more perfect union: The first time that a major party has nominated a woman for President.

“Standing here as my mother’s daughter, and my daughter’s mother, I’m so happy this day has come.

“Happy for grandmothers and little girls and everyone in between.

“Happy for boys and men, too – because when any barrier falls in America, for anyone, it clears the way for everyone. When there are no ceilings, the sky’s the limit.

“So let’s keep going, until every one of the 161 million women and girls across America has the opportunity she deserves.

“Because even more important than the history we make tonight, is the history we will write together in the years ahead.”

Clinton also did her very best to obliterate Donald Trump.

From more subtle digs about his position on climate change:

To the more blatant:

“You didn’t hear any of this from Donald Trump at his convention. He spoke for 70-odd minutes – and I do mean odd. And he offered zero solutions,” she said.

“Ask yourself: Does Donald Trump have the temperament to be Commander-in-Chief?

“Donald Trump can’t even handle the rough-and-tumble of a presidential campaign.

“He loses his cool at the slightest provocation. When he’s gotten a tough question from a reporter. When he’s challenged in a debate. When he sees a protester at a rally.

“Imagine him in the Oval Office facing a real crisis. A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons.”

She pulled no punches, and watching her assume the nomination it was clear she had felt every setback, absorbed every fight to get to this moment.

Clinton closed out her speech with a memory of her mother, who Bill Clinton paid loving tribute to in his own convention speech earlier this week.

“I’m here to tell you tonight – progress is possible. I know because I’ve seen it in the lives of people across America who get knocked down and get right back up,” she said.

“And I know it from my own life. More than a few times, I’ve had to pick myself up and get back in the game. Like so much else, I got this from my mother.

“She never let me back down from any challenge. When I tried to hide from a neighborhood bully, she literally blocked the door. ‘Go back out there,’ she said.

“And she was right. You have to stand up to bullies. You have to keep working to make things better, even when the odds are long and the opposition is fierce.

“We lost my mother a few years ago. I miss her every day. And I still hear her voice urging me to keep working, keep fighting for right, no matter what.”

More than a few times throughout the speech, the auditorium erupted in chants of “Hillary, Hillary, Hillary”, her words drowned out by enthusiastic supporters.

It was a strong speech, from the most qualified candidate for US president who has ever run.

And an historic moment for women the world over.