In 1976, Jimmy Carter was elected President of the United States.
What did Carter do before he became president?
How is his presidency remembered today?
Jimmy Carter was born in Plains, Georgia, on October 1st, 1924.
He was the oldest of what would eventually be four children born to Earl and Lillian
Carter.
Jimmy’s father was a farmer who also ran a general store, and his mother worked as
a nurse.
During his high school years, Jimmy was active in Future Farmers of America (FFA) and played
on the basketball team.
After high school, Jimmy enrolled at Georgia Southwestern College, which he attended for
one year, before transferring to Georgia Tech.
In 1943, he was accepted into the Naval Academy.
He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1946 and actively served in the United States Navy
until 1953.
Following his father’s death in 1953, Jimmy returned home with the intention of making
the family peanut farm a success.
Throughout the 1950s, Jimmy and his wife, Rosalynn, made the business prosperous.
In 1962, Carter announced that he was running for a seat in the Georgia State Senate.
He lost this election, but it was revealed that the winner had committed voter fraud.
This discovery resulted in a special election, which Carter won.
Carter ran for governor of Georgia in 1966.
He lost this election, but his strong performance paved the way for a second run to be the state’s
governor.
In 1970, Carter faced strong opposition for the Democratic nomination, but he managed
to fend off a challenge from former governor Carl Sanders.
Carter became the Democratic nominee, and he went on to win the general election against
his Republican opponent, Hal Suit.
Carter was sworn in as Georgia’s 76th governor in January of 1971.
As the 1976 presidential election approached, Jimmy Carter set his sights on the nation’s
highest office.
Initially, he was given little chance of earning the Democratic nomination.
However, as the primaries progressed, Carter visited 37 states and traveled more than 50,000
miles to reach out to voters, and he eventually emerged as the Democratic nominee.
In the 1976 presidential election, Carter squared off against Gerald Ford, the Republican
candidate who was the sitting president.
During the campaign, Carter argued that the nation needed change after the turbulent years
of the Watergate scandal and the conclusion of the Vietnam Conflict.
The election proved close, with Carter receiving 297 electoral votes and Ford receiving 240.
He also won 50.1% of the popular vote compared to Ford’s 48%.
With this victory, Carter became the 39th President of the United States.
Carter had several successes as president.
He negotiated a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, known as the Camp David Accords,
and he also signed SALT II, a nuclear arms reduction treaty with the Soviet Union.
He also visited twenty-five different nations during his four years as president.
However, his presidency was plagued by economic hardships, as well as an energy crisis and
oil embargo (which created a severe shortage in gasoline).
Carter also made the controversial decision to sign an executive order which gave amnesty
to all war protesters who had evaded the draft during the Vietnam Conflict.
Most significantly though, the final year of his presidency was scarred by an event
remembered as the Iranian Hostage Crisis.
On November 4th, 1979, fifty-two Americans were taken hostage in Iran.
These hostages were held throughout the year of 1980.
They were held for a total of 444 days before being released on January 20th, 1981, the
very day that Carter left office.
The American public held Carter responsible for the hostage situation.
This situation, coupled with the struggling economic conditions, doomed Carter’s presidency.
As a result, his efforts to win re-election in 1980 fell short.
Carter was soundly defeated by his Republican opponent, Ronald Reagan.
After leaving office, Jimmy Carter remained extremely active.
He established the Carter Center in 1982.
This is a foundation which is concerned with alleviating human suffering and advancing
human rights.
Working in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity, Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter helped to organize
more than 92,000 volunteers who have built, renovated, or repaired more than 4,000 homes
for the needy in 14 separate countries.
The Carters, even well into their late eighties, served as some of the most active hands-on
construction volunteers working as part of the project.
Additionally, he acted as a peace ambassador on behalf of the US in various countries around
the world, including North Korea, Egypt, Tunisia, Cuba, Vietnam, Israel, and South Africa.
In 2002, Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to advance democracy
and human rights around the world.
He also proved very prolific as an author, publishing twenty-one books throughout his
life.
President Carter has been recognized in a number of ways.
In 1986, the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum was opened, which serves as his presidential
library.
He has also had a submarine and an airport named in his honor.