While the Great Depression was extremely rough on the farming South, the Carter family actually became wealthier over these years, as Jimmy's father's farm grew. In 1941, Jimmy Carter graduated high school, the first person in his father's family to do so. He then attended the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, which he would graduate from in 1946. He then served in the Navy for seven years, during which he spent five years on submarine duty. In 1953, his father died. He decided to return home and rebuilt his family’s struggling business after a crippling drought. During this time, he would become active in local politics.
Carter began small, on the local board of education. 1962-1966, he was on the Georgia State Senate as a Democrat. That year, he ran for the governor’s office, losing considerbly. The loss helped Carter renew his faith as a born-again Christian. He ran again for the governorship in 1970, and this time won. His policys were very progressive. He publicly called for an end to segregation in the South and promoted education and prison reform.
After the Watergate scandal, Carter saw an opportunity in the shattered trust of the American people. He knew that he was an outsider to Washington politics. He announced his candidacy for the presidency in 1974. He would travel the country making speeches to whoever would listen. He set himself up as a man of the people, and he called for the return to honesty. He won the Democratic nomination, and selected Senator Walter F. Mondale as his running mate. He won a narrow election against President Ford, getting 51% of the vote and 297 electoral votes.
Sources:
https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/jimmy-carter
https://www.biography.com/people/jimmy-carter-9240013
https://static.politico.com/dims4/default/8811792/2147483647/resize/1160x%3E/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fs3-origin-images.politico.com%2F2015%2F08%2F19%2F1946_150812_jimmy_carter_wife_early_ap_1160.jpg
Great post Aaron, I found it really interesting that Carter served in the Navy for several years before beginning his career in politics. I recall that Reagan used his separation from Washington politics as well to gain support from voters, however he was much more liked than Carter as was seen in the 1980 election. When Reagan ran against Carter in 1980, Reagan was able to secure 489 electoral votes, and carried 44 states despite both Carter and Reagan's disconnect from Washington. Perhaps after Carter had spent a term in presidency, his appeal as an outsider wore off, making Reagan much more appealing.
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan_presidential_campaign,_1980