"In our democracy, the only title higher and more powerful than that of president is the title of citizen. It is every citizen’s right and duty to help shape the future legacy of our nation." -Jimmie Carter February 3, 2016, House of Lords Lecture
Sitting in the car as a youth my dad would say the crazy
poem “I thought I saw an elephant walking down the street, it wasn’t an
elephant it was Jimmie Carter’s feet.”
It was nonsensical, and it made my brother, and I laugh. When I was born Jimmie Carter was the
president. I obviously did not know or
care at the time, but as I got older, it was the man not the president that I
grew to respect.
Carter’s early life was spent in the navy from 1946 to 1953.
During his time in the navy, he spent time on the submarine USS Pomfret. During this time, he was sent to Chalk River,
a crippled nuclear reactor in Canada to help with cleanup. His experience there, being lowered into the
radiated area for just 90 seconds to turn a single screw, changed his views on
nuclear power. He was released in 1953
to return home after his father’s death and take over the family peanut
business.
Jimmie Carter’s early political career was marked by time in
his state senate and as the governor of his home state of Georgia. During his time in the senate Carter
supported John F. Kenedy but remained relatively quiet on the issues of
segregation and civil rights. This
remained true through his gubernatorial campaign where he worked to seek out
the votes of both black constituents and the segregationists. But when Carter took office in 1971, his
speech was an indication of his true feelings toward segregation. "The
time for racial discrimination is over" Carter stated. Many of the segregationist constituents who
had supported him felt betrayed.
Carter’s presidency had mixed results. He established himself as a peacekeeper. Using his strong belief in human rights
Carter called out the Soviet Union, paving the way for the fall of the Soviet
state. Carter worked to rearm NATO and bolstered the US troops boosting the American
NATO forces to 300,000. Carter
capitalized on the civil rights provisions of the Helsinki Accord; his strong
human rights stance brought the necessary hope to carry communist countries
forward to Democracy. Carter also
ordered the CIA to smuggle books about democracy into the Soviet Union.
In the US, his Domestic policies were also impressive. Carter was faced with an energy crisis and a
strongly fluctuating economy. Carter’s
creation of the Department of Energy caused the start of energy management as
we know it today. The energy bill that
eventually passed included the deregulation of natural gas, fixed a difference
in price between interstate and intrastate gasoline prices, and gave tax credits
for decreased energy use and reduced use of fossil fuels. Many of these ideas survive to this day. During Carter’s administration the airlines
were deregulated removing pricing regulations from the government and allowing
pricing and flight routes to be set by airlines. The FAA would remain the main oversight when
it came to safety.
Carter was the first to propose a Universal Health Care plan. He planned to create a comprehensive federal
health care system. The plan did not pass the house.
Carter also created the Department of Education as a cabinet
level position. He believed that
education was too important to be left to many different organizations. During his presidency he also expanded the
Head Start program.
Carter invited LGBTQ individuals to the white house to
discuss federal policy regarding ending employment discrimination. Also, under Carter United States Foreign Service
lifted its ban on gays in service.
In the Camp David Accords, Carter negotiated peace between
Egypt and Israel. Egypt recognized Israel
and elected government was formed on the West Bank. This was huge positive for the area and ushered
in peace for the area.
Over the course of his presidency Jimmie Carter proved a
strong diplomat with a solid understanding of world affairs. The last year of his presidency was marred by
the Iranian hostage crisis. In 1979 a
group of Iranian students took over the US embassy in Tehran. After failing to negotiate the release of the
prisoners and an attempt to free them with military action, Carter did not win
a second term.
It was after his Presidency that Carter became a strong
humanitarian. Forming the Carter
foundation, Jimmie Carter took on hundreds of humanitarian projects both at
home and abroad. Carter’s humanitarian
work focused solely on fighting for peace and monitoring and maintaining
democracy across the world. His organization
defends human rights and equality for young girls and women. The Carter Foundation
also works to combat the effects of global warming.
Carter worked the entire duration of his life after the
presidency to bring about the peace he believed our world was capable of. In 2002 Jimmy Carter was awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize for, "for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful
solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights,
and to promote economic and social development". (Nobel Prize.org, 2002)
In his speech, Jimmy reminded us of all of how important people are and how
important it is to protect and care for each other.
“We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work
together for peace. We can make these changes — and we must.” - Jimmy
Carter, Nobel Lecture
When Jimmy Carter died on December 29, 2024, He left behind
him after years of hard work a legacy.
It is a legacy that at 100 years old he protected until his last breaths. He has left for us a legacy of waging peace,
not with guns, but with words and actions.
It is a legacy of a deep and abiding love for democracy and his country. Jimmy Carter is often described as a poor
president, but no one will ever mistake him for a poor man. Today December 9, 2025, is the first national
holiday in honor of Jimmy Carter. I feel
certain the man himself would be humbled.
I also know that he deserves our remembrance. I only hope that as time progresses, we can
follow his amazing legacy. Instead of running I hope we can all strive to fill the
shoes on “Jimmy Carter’s Feet.” Goodbye
Mr. President.
The Nobel Peace Prize 2002. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize
Outreach AB 2025. Fri. 10 Jan 2025. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2002/summary/
All quotes are taken from the Carter center website. Please visit: The Carter Center | Waging
Peace, Fighting Disease & Building Hope
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