Jimmy Carter
Thirty-Ninth President, 1977–1981
Campaign:
James “Jimmy” Carter was largely unknown to the public prior to his candidacy for president. This proved advantageous as he pledged to restore confidence in the government after the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War.
Challenges:
During the 444-day long Iran Hostage Crisis, Iranian students, outraged over the U.S. government’s support for the deposed Shah of Iran, stormed the U.S. embassy and took more than fifty Americans hostage. A failed rescue mission weakened Jimmy Carter’s image. The crisis ended on January 20, 1981, when the remaining hostages were released the same day as Ronald Reagan’s inauguration.
Carter also faced a failing economy, with runaway inflation and double-digit interest rates.
Major Acts:
The Camp David Accords of 1978 and 1979 orchestrated a historic agreement: Israel would withdraw from the entire Sinai Peninsula; the U.S. would ensure that neither Israel nor Egypt would attack the other; both nations would recognize each other’s governments and sign a peace treaty; and Israel pledged to negotiate with the Palestinians for peace.
In 1980, Carter signed the Energy Security Act to address what he described as, “our intolerable dependence on foreign oil.”
Legacy:
In 2002, Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.”
