Jimmy Carter Essay Research Paper The Carter

Jimmy Carter Essay, Research Paper

The Carter Center in Atlanta Georgia is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public

institute founded by former U.S. president Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn,

in 1982 (Carter Center). The Center in dedicated to fighting disease, hunger,

poverty, conflict, and oppression. At present, the Center operates 13 core

programs, which have touched the lives of people in 65 countries, including the

U.S. Habitat for Humanity began in 1984 when Carter led a work group to New York

City to renovate a six-story building with 19 families in need of descent

shelter. Each year, Jimmy and Rosalynn give a week of their time to build homes.

?We have become small players in an exciting global effort to alleviate the

curse of homelessness,? Carter said (Carter and Habitat). As president, Carter

was deeply committed to social justice and human rights. He and his wife

Rosalynn left the White House in search of meaningful ways to contribute in

these areas. Ultimately, Carter focused his work toward charitable

contributions, and non-profit work. Jimmy Carter was born on October 1, 1924, in

Plains, Georgia. Carter?s father, a farmer and businessman, ran a farm

products store on the family farm in the rural community of Archery, a few miles

west of Plains Georgia (?Jimmy Carter?). The Carters lived in Plains when

Jimmy was born. Four years later, they moved to the farm in Archery. Jimmy grew

up there and helped with the farm chores during his boyhood. Jimmy went to

public school in Plains. His favorite subjects included history, literature, and

music. As a teenager, he played on the high school basketball team. In 1941,

following graduation from high school, Carter entered Georgia Southwestern

College in Americus. In 1942, he was appointed to the United States Navel

Academy. Carter met Rosalynn Smith, best friend of his sister Ruth. In the

summer after graduation they were married. By the early 1950?s Carter and his

wife had three sons. In 1962, Carter entered the race for the Democratic

nomination for the Georgia Senate. He lost by a few votes, partly because of

fraud that included stuffed ballot boxes. Carter pursued his appeals until he

was declared the winner of the primary. In spite of all the confusion, Carter

won the election. As a state senator, Carter advocated planning in government,

and programs to help the poor and the disadvantaged. He was reelected in 1964.

In 1971, Carter was inaugurated as governor of Georgia. Carter introduced

policies that helped change the government and society. He supported

integration, appointed many blacks to posts in state government. During his

administration, the number of black appointees on major state boards and

agencies increased from 3 to 53. The number of black state employees rose by

about 40 per cent. Carter also established a project to honor notable black

Georgians. He promoted prison reform and mental health programs. During his term

as governor Carter traveled widely and began to believe that he was well

qualified to run for president. In late 1974, Carter announced that he was a

candidate for president. When Carter began his national campaign, he was not as

well known as the other candidates, However, he entered 26 of 27 preferential

primaries and finished first in 17 of them (?Jimmy Carter?). At the

Democratic convention in New York City in July 1976, Carter received the

nomination on the first ballot. As his vice-presidential running mate, he chose

Walter F. Mondale, a United States senator from Minnesota. In an inaugural

speech that emphasized old-fashioned virtues, Carter quoted from a Plains

schoolteacher,: ?We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging

principles (?Jimmy Carter?).? Carter defeated Ford by 1,682,970 popular

votes (?Carter World Book?). In 1978, inflation became a major problem. In

an attempt to fight inflation, Carter urged businesses to avoid big price

increases, but this had little effect on it. During that year, Carter won

congressional approval of a national energy program. In 1977, Congress adopted

the president?s proposal to establish a new executive department, the

Department of Energy. The energy legislation was designed largely to reduce U.S.

oil imports. The legislation included tax penalties for owners of automobiles

that used excessive amounts of gasoline. In March 1980, Carter announced a new

program to fight inflation. The program included cuts in federal spending, and a

tax on imported oil. This caused the inflation percentage to go down. Carter

established many other programs in his later years. The International

Democratization and Development included programs such as Commission on Radio

and Television Policy, Conflict Resolution, Global Development Initiative, Human

Rights Program, and Latin American and Caribbean Program . The Global and

Domestic Health included programs such as Agriculture, Guinea Worm Eradication

Program, Interfaith Health Program, Mental Health Program, Not even one, River

Blindness Program, and Task for Child Survival and Development. Carter attracted

worldwide attention in 1977, when he strongly supported the struggle for human

rights in the Soviet Union and other nations. He banned U.S. aid to some nations

whose governments he believed to be violating human rights. After loosing the

1980 election, Carter returned to Plains and founded the Carter Center of Emory

University. In the mid-1980?s, Carter worked as a volunteer carpenter on

several projects for Habitat for Humanity, an organization that builds houses

for the poor.