Jimmy Carter from Peanuts to President Georgia Studies

Jimmy Carter: from Peanuts to President Georgia Studies

Humble Beginnings �Born in October of 1924 to Earl and Lillian Carter in Plains, Georgia �Moved to the farming community of Archery (to a home without electricity) in 1928

Beginnings… �Attended Georgia Southwestern College in Americus for a year before attending Georgia Tech for a year �Was appointed to the U. S. Naval Academy in 1943 fulfilling a boyhood dream of being in the navy

Early Political Life �Jimmy Carter, a peanut farmer, first ran for governor of Georgia in 1966, but lost the election �After his loss he turned his focus to the next gubernatorial election

Early Political Life �Jimmy and his wife Rosalynn traveled the state getting to know voters and finding out which issues were important to them

Governor of Georgia �In 1970, Carter ran on a platform that called for racial equality �He also vowed to modernize state government, operate it more economically, and better serve the people of the state

Governor of Georgia �Lester Maddox, then the current governor and a well known segregationist, could not serve another term as governor, so he ran for lieutenant governor �Carter Won the democratic primary and later the election in November

Changes in Georgia � 1971 - Carter announces to a joint session of the General Assembly that ‘the time for racial discrimination is over. ’ �He promised to make Georgia (which was dismal nationally) a state its citizens could be proud to be from

Changes in Georgia �Carter reorganized the state government to make it more efficient and cost effective �Georgia’s image improved in the nation with the state’s reorganization

Carter Runs for President �Shortly after leaving the governor’s office, Carter began to think seriously about the presidency �In 1974, many Americans lost their faith in national politics because of the Watergate scandal

Carter Runs for President �Many Americans had never heard of Jimmy Carter, but he and his supporters (the ‘Peanut Brigade’) traveled across the nation stressing the importance of honesty in government

Carter Runs for President �His straightforwardness appealed to voters �In 1976, Carter became the first president elected out of the deep south

Georgia’s Image Changed �Georgia’s national image was transformed as news crews came to show off a modern and progressive state

Carter’s Presidency �Carter’s presidency was filled with many difficult foreign and domestic problems ◦ The oil embargo which began in 1973 when Arab nations refused to export oil to the U. S. over its support of Israel caused gas prices to shoot up from 35¢ to over a $1 �An energy crisis began and prices of consumer

Carter Presidency �Interest rates increased making home purchases difficult for many Americans

Carter’s Presidency �Although Carter negotiated a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt and strove to garner peace and human rights, in November of 1979, 52 Americans were taken hostage at the U. S. Embassy in Iran

Carter’s Presidency �The Soviet Union also invaded Afghanistan �Carter was unsuccessful in negotiating an end to either of these situations

1980 Presidential Election �In 1980, Carter ran for re-election, but Ronald Reagan soundly defeated him in the November Presidential Election

Life After the Presidency �Since the end of his presidency, Carter has devoted his time to a variety of causes on behalf of peace, human rights, and health & improved living conditions for the poor