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1976 Presidential Candidacy of Jimmy Carter
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Selection as Democratic Nominee
In 1976, Jimmy Carter was selected as the democratic candidate for the 1976 presidential election to face off against Gerald Ford. Jimmy Carter was first a naval officer and a successful peanit farmer before he entered the realm of poloitics, so he was relatively unknown. However, in 1970, he wbecame the governor of Florida and gained a reputation for treating African American citizens fairly. As he ran for the presidency, he used his inexperience in politics to his advantage to win the nominee. -
Jimmy Carter Wins Presidential Election
The 1976 election was a competition between Republican Gerald Ford and Democrat Jimmy Carter. The campaigns for election by both sides were marked by their mistakes and mishaps, as each hurt their repuatation with the American citizens. The election cae down to the wire and was very close in the end, as Carter won 297 electoral votes to Ford's 240. Carter carried most of the south, and some industrial states to win the election. -
Inauguration of Jimmy Carter
After winning the preesidential election, Carter's term as president officially began on January 20, 1977 as he was inaugurated president. Carter addressed Americans with a 1,228-word at his inauguration, speaking of his goals and energy as president to reveive the American way of life. In addition, Carter was the first president in United States history to walk from the capitol to the white house in the parade after the inauguration instead of riding in a limousine. -
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Presidency of Jimmy Carter
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"Constant Decency" Speech
At the University of Notre Dame Commencement Exercises in 1977, Carter addressed the people there with a speech that would touch upon his goals as president in foreign affaris of "Constant Decency". Carter wanted to use "Constant Decency" in dipomatic affaris to defend all basic human rights and stay away from secret agreements an treaties to further sway away from the mistakes of the Nixon-Kissinger era. -
Union Membership Decrease
As part of the economic recession in the 1970s, union membership sharply and steadily decreased over the decade as workers lost motivation and pride in their jobs and the new generation of workers fought for new rights in their positions. These younger workers were impatient with the unions, who worked in seniority system that gave most money to the older workers. Thus, union membership decreased, and it hit w historic low point of 25% in 1978. -
Camp David Accords
The Camp David Accords was an agreement of a treaty between Israel and Egypt to gain peace between the two conflicting countries. Carter invited the leader of each country to Çamp David, the president's personal retreat, and helped mediate negotiations between them to come to a resolvement. This agreement is the most successful diplomatic achievement of Carter's presidency. -
Stagflation: Double Digit Inflation
The recession of the 1970 was accurately described by the concept of stagflation, the combination of stagnation and inflation. As the years went on in the decade, unemployment and inflation both continued to increase as millions of Americans were laid off from jobs, but federal involvement caused inflation to continue in the face of unemployment, causing a miserable economic situation. -
SALT II Agreement
At the start of his presidency, Carter intended to continue the policy of dentente with the Soviet Union, as had the Nixon-Kissenger era. Carter negotiated another Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty with Soviet representative General Secretary Brezhnev to continue and develop the limiting of nuclear missiles with the Soviets to try to keep more peace. -
The Iran Hostage Crisis Begins
On November 4, 1979, Muslim militants broke into the United Sates embassy in Tehran, Iran, and took as people inside the building captive. This violent outburst came in response to the Iranian people's hatred of America, as the U.S. supported Shah Pahlavi in Iran. Shah Pahlavi ensured cheap oil for America, but isolated Iranians who suffered under the corrupt Shah. This situation would develop into the Iran Hostage Crisis as 52 captives wre held by the Iran militants. -
Soviet Union Invades Afghanistan
On December 25, 1979, the Soviet Union sent troops into Afghanistan and began its invasion of the country. This invasion crossed the line for Carter, and Carter stepped out against the Soviets, denouncing the invasion and claiming that Americaa would use force on the Soviets if they invaded another Persian Gulf country. This act by the Soviets led Carter to withdraw the SALT II agreement for approvement in the Senate and refusing American athletes to attend the Moscow Olympic Games. -
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1980 Presidential Candidacy of Jimmy Carter
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Failure of Operation Eagle Claw
As the Iran Hostage Crisis dragged on, Carter's efforts to end the conflict increased. On April 24, 1980, Carter sent a team of marine commandos out in helicopters to Iran in attempt to free the hostages. However, several helicopters broke down as their engines took in sand and another crashed, killing eight men. This event was mocked by the Iranian who displayed the failure on television. -
Death of Iranian Shah
On July 27, 1980, the old Iranian Shah who fled into exile finally died as a result of his advanced lymphoma. The Shah died after receiving treatment for his medical condition in America, and he died in Cairo, Egypt. Although the Iranians wanted the Shah in exchange for the hostages in the crisis, the Iranians did not make a move to free the hostages after the Shah's death. -
Ronald Regan Wins 1980 Presidenctial Election
On October 4, 1980, Republican Ronald Regan officially beat Jimmy Carter for the 1980 presidential term as Carter failed to succeed in running for re-elction. The probloms of Jimmy Carter's time as president shone negatively upon him, as the stagflation economy and the Iran Hostage Crisis hurt his repuatation. In the end, this all led to a surging victory for Regan in the 1980 election that was even close. -
End of the Iran Hostage Crisis
In the last weeks of Carter's presidency, he worked and focused completely to end the Iran Hostage Crisis. As he knew that his term as president would be over and he lost the running for a next term, he sought to end the conflict that gave his presidency a sour taste. As Iraq invaded Iran, the Iranians gave up group and eventually agreed to free the 52 hostages to the United States after 444 days, on Regan's inauguration day.
