James Earl "Jimmy" Carter
1977-1981
Election of Carter
- 1977-1981
- Democratic
- Humble man
- Ran against the memory of Nixon and Watergate break-in as much as he ran against Ford
- Promised to "never lie to you" (his campaign pitch)
- Attracted voters as an outsider who would clean the disorderly house of "big government"
- Very close election
Humanitarian Efforts
- Reached out for black majority in African nations with UN ambassador, Andrew Young
- September 1978: Camp David Accords (Carter served as a liaison between Israeli and Egyptian leaders so they could both sign a peaceful accord)
Economic and Energy Issues (Regarding Oil)
- Oil prices hiked from OPEC
- Inflation rate well above 13% by 1979
- Very expensive to pay for imported oil (payed more for importing goods than they earned from exporting goods)
- Oil shocks taught Americans that a policy on isolation could never be considered again
- 27% of GNP depended on foreign trade
- America's costly dependence on oil caused the economic problems and the energy crisis
- "Moral equivalent of war": Carter's energy crusade that caused for energy conservation
- Tensions in Iran caused oil prices to raise even more
- Carter gave the "jeremiad" speech which warned the citizens that they were falling into a "moral and spiritual crisis" and were too concerned with "material goods"
Beginning of the Iranian Hostage Crisis in 1979
- Demanded that American authorities ship the exiled shah back to Iran
- The questionable Iranian government refused to intervene against these militants
- "Rapid Deployment Force": Carter's proposed idea that they would respond to suddenly developing crisis in faraway places