The day began with blistering heat, both meteorological and political. Thousands of protesters marched south from Philadelphia's downtown to the Wells Fargo Center, site of the convention, their numbers surpassing what was seen in Cleveland. Inside the arena, it seemed at first that the bitterness of Bernie Sanders supporters would subvert the celebration of the party's presumptive nominee, Hillary Clinton.
But as the night wore on, crowd-pleasing speeches by NJ Senator Cory Booker and especially Michelle Obama, who trumped Trump without once mentioning his name, and a passionate declaration by Bernie Sanders, thanking his supporters but forcefully expressing his support for Clinton, ended Day One on an upbeat note.
Our ubiquitous photographer, Joeff Davis, captured it all.
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Joeff Davis
Bernie Sanders loomed over everything, including protests like this one outside Philly's City Hall. Ivan Delsol came from Cottage Grove, Oregon with hIs larger-than-life Sanders. "He is the most hopeful presidential candidate in my lifetime," said Delsol.
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Joeff Davis
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein addressed the crowd during the rally at City Hall.
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Joeff Davis
Protesters filed several city blocks Monday afternoon during a march to the Wells Fargo Center.
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Joeff Davis
Protesters were not allowed inside the highly restricted zone around the Wells Fargo Center, but that didn't stop them from making their feelings known to arriving conventioneers.
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Joeff Davis
Dozens of protesters were taken away in plastic handcuffs outside the Wells Fargo Center.
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Joeff Davis
Many Sanders delegates, including this woman from Wisconsin, felt their voices weren't being heard. But in the early hours of the convention it sometimes seemed as if the loudest voices in the room were the ones cheering for Bernie (and booing any mention of Hillary).
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Joeff Davis
Chris Riker and Dr. Leonarda Duran shout support during a speech by a young Latina girl named Esperanza Ortiz. "I am a Hispanic," said Dr. Duran. "I believe in immigration reform. I believe if Trump becomes president we are all going to have to go packing. Trump is un-American."
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Joeff Davis
NJ Sen. Cory Booker roused the crowd with a speech that reminded some of Obama's career-making oratory at the 2004 DNC.
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Joeff Davis
Michelle Obama schooled a certain Twitter-happy yellow-haired pol with lines like, "I want someone who understands that the issues a president faces cannot be boiled down to 140 characters."
Joeff Davis
Bernie Sanders brought it home, warning of the dangers of a Trump presidency and declaring, "Hillary Clinton will make an outstanding president and I am proud to stand with her here tonight."
