By: Julie Okorn, Justine Kunz, and Sarah Connolly

What Does it Take to be a Great President?

   

Jimmy Carter

 

 

 

Where I Live:

In Plains, Georgia on my families farm  

About Me:

In 2002 I was awarded the Nobel Peace prize. 

Date of Birth:

October 1, 1924 in Plains, Georgia

Sex:

Male

Political Views:

I support the Democrat party 

Religious Views:

Christian- Baptist

Years Served as President:

1977-1981

Status:  

Married to Rosalynn Smith since 1946

Children:

John William Carter, 1947; James Earl Carter, 1950;

Donnel Jeffrey Carter, 1952; and  Amy Lynn Carter, 1978;

Looking for:

Friendship, Networking

Occupations:

• 39th President of the United States
• State Senator of Georgia
• Governor of Georgia
• Head of the Carter Family Farm
• Engineer
• Environmentalist

Interests/Hobbies:

• Sports
• Habitat for Humanity

Education:

• Georgia Southwestern College
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis

Favorite Books:

• Let Us Now Praise Famous Men by James Agee
• Presidential Character by James David Barber 

Favorite Movies:

I disapprove of the mind dissolving qualities that movies contain,

because I am a christian. 

Favorite Music:

Any Contemporary Music by:

• Bob Dylan
• Paul Simon
• Marshall Tucker Band
• Greg Allman and the Allman Brothers 

Friends:

• Gerald Ford
• Richard Nixon
• John F Kennedy
• Lyndon Johnson
• Bob Dylan 
• Walter Mondale 

Sports:

• Basketball
• Auto Racing

 

During my stint as president, the political, social and economic factors and challenges that I had to deal with included:

  

Political

• During my presidency I persuaded Congress to side with my veiw of Abortion and child care. Near the end of my term I had convinced both parties to side with my pro-life perspective. This effected my political career because after that point Congress became very conservative.
• Martin Luther King Jr. became a popular non-violence activist during my term. I quickly allied with him, along with Andrew Young, the first African-American elected into Congress since the
• While I was in office the Department of Energy and the Department of Education were both created, these helped further the productivity of our Educational system, and the usage of energy/oil.  

Social

• The Womans Movement- He was very supportive of this movement, however Carter did not support all the features of this movement. Carter gave some women the oppertunity to obtain important positions in the government.

• The Hostage Crisis- A group of Iranian men invaded the American Embassy and took the staff hostage demanding that the U.S. release the shah, who was being treated for cance rin a hospital in New York.Carter tried to deal with this problem without military force.  

• The Lance Affair- My very good friend, Bert Lance, the director of the Office of Management and Budget was accused of fraud and embezzlement, and was eventually convicted after a long persecution. This was a tough time for me because we were very close and I had no idea that he could betray my country. This strengthened my ethical career however because it was such a large scandal. 

Economic

• Inflation- during this time inflation was at a high of above 10%.This effect the proposals that I had to make inorder to reduce inflation. It also forced me to make decisions about taxes.
• Unemployment rates were rising during his presidency. This effect the proposals that I had to make in order to decrease unemployment. It also forced me to pump money into employment programs.
• Energy Crisis- Effected the way that I had to deal with the nation's economy. With rising energy prices I had to make the decision on what options would be more economically beneficial.   

 

During my stint as president, the political, social and economic factors and challenges that I had to deal with (abroad) included:

 

Political

• Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty II (SALT II) with the Soviet Union.
• Treaties for the posession of the Panama Canal
• Problems in the Middle East ( Between Isreal, Palistine, and Egypt.)  

Social

• With some trouble the Carter Administration reestablished diplomatic relations with China and Taiwan after the Vietnam War.

• After loosing the war in Vietnam many decisions of mine had to be adapted in order to not go into another war.

• During my term I sought out for a world wide Human Rights campaign with the hope of restoring a certain morale back to the United States, also Human Rights was a big concern of mine because of the way I was raised, this and Habitat for Humanity, two great causes for all Americans to take part in.

Economic

• Trade Deficit- The United States was buying more goods from countries like Japan, Germany, and the Middle East then  they were buying form the United States.
• Decrease in the value of the dollar. The U.S. dollar was weakening in the world economy.
• Reduction of oil imports from the Middle East. This was going to be hard for the nation because we were so dependent on the oil form the Middle East. It effects the way that the United States would spend their money.

 

Looking back at my presidential career, I had to wear several "hats."  Wearing these different "hats," these were my most significant achievements and failures:

  

Commander-in-Chief

Throughout the Iranian Revolution oil prices rose dramatically, not unlike what is going on today, but when the leader of Iran, Mossadegh, was overturned a new leader rose up and decided that Islam should reign Iran, instead of other Western influenced religions. This became a problem when "the shan," an American hate group, took over the American Embassy and took all the workers hostage. I tried my best to free them but only once in a while would a captive let a hostage free, eventually they were all freed but the "Hostage Crisis" would remain in history forever.

Chief Executive

Before I was elected there was somewhat of an "energy crisis." Americans begun to doubt the possible future of the power and prosperity of the United States. I really did not believe most of the reports that were coming out, and thought of them mainly as propaganda, but I did have to persuade the people that everything was going to be alright.

Chief Diplomat

International Campaign for Human Rights. I took advantage of the the Helsinki Treaty that promised to respect human rights. I thought that by supporting human rights around the world the U.S. would regain it's moral stature. I criticized many nations like the Soviet Union for their violations of human rights. Finally this campaign influenced democratic forces in some places like sub- Saharan Africa and Latin America. This fulfilled my duty as the Cheif Diplomate because I acted as a world leader and supported human rights and democratic principles around the world. Also at Camp David in Maryland, I aided in the draft of a peace treaty between Egypt and Isreal.

Ceremonial Head of State

I have personally been in many humanitarian projects including national and international public policy, conflict resolution, human rights and many charitable causes. I began to establish the Carter Center while I was in office, but it was not finished until 1982, after I left the White House. The Carter Center is one of my proudest accomplishments.

Manager of the Economy

When I entered into office the nation was in a economic crisis. The rates of unemployment and inflation were both soaring. To fix these problems I proposed a $30 billion program that would stimulate the economy and create new jobs. This proposal also included tax cuts so that corporations would increase capital investments. This created a decrease in unemployment. However due to the high price of oil in the Middle East inflation soared to over 10% causing interest rates to rise. Now I had to decied whether inflation of unemployment was a bigger problem. This confusion led to a loss of support from the American people and I was forced in to compromises to regain their support. 

Party Leader

During the post-Nixon era I had the backing from many Republicans. Unfortunately what hurt my presidency the most was the fact that I was a "born-again" Baptist, this made is so that among the liberals, the Jewish, and the Catholics, I was commonly disliked and not trusted. 

National Leader

After the Water Gate scandal many U.S. citizens had trouble trusting my decisions, and my overall integrity. People were paranoid that another large scandal would arise of that magnitude and I would be impeached, just like Nixon, luckily I was not, and eventually the president morale was restored.

  

Favorite Quote About Me:

"Regan didn't do what Jimmy Carter did..."

-The Washington Post

 

Positive Political Cartoon

Ghandi-Carter.(Online Image).Available <http://powerlineblog.com/archives/CarterGhandi2.jpg>

 

Negative Political Cartoon

 Carter and Hamas. (Online Image). Available. <http://faustasblog.com/uploaded_images/carterhamas-747621.gif>.

 

Works Cited:

  

Cooke, Jacob E. "Washington, George." Presidents: A Reference History. Ed. Henry F. Graff. 3^rd ed. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2002. 1-     21. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. International Academy High School. 30 Apr. 2008 <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?         p=GVRL&u=lom_inac>.   

  

"Jimmy Carter." American Decades. Gale Research, 1998. Reproduced in Biography ResourceCenter. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale,  

     2008. <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC>  

 

Kirkendall, Richard S. "Carter, Jimmy." Presidents: A Reference History. Ed. Henry F. Graff. 3^rd ed. Detroit: Charles Scribner's 

     Sons, 2002. 553-569. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. International Academy High School. 9 May 

     2008 <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=lom_inac>.

  

Turner, Robert W.. Jimmy Carter In His Own Words. 1st. New York: Random House Inc., 1976.