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Founding Presidents (1789-1829)
- George Washington: The Father of the United States – Lesson
- John Adams: A Stubborn but Dedicated Leader – Lesson
- Thomas Jefferson: The Author of Independence – Lesson
- Founding Presidents: Washington, Adams, and Jefferson – Quiz
- James Madison: The Father of the Constitution – Lesson
- James Monroe: Opposing the Federalists – Lesson
- John Quincy Adams: The Federalists who Abandoned the Party – Lesson
- Founding Presidents: Madison, Monroe, and Adams – Quiz
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Civil War Presidents (1829-1869)
- Andrew Jackson: The First Democrat – Lesson
- Martin Van Buren: The Little Magician – Lesson
- Civil War Presidents: Jackson and Van Buren – Quiz
- William Henry Harrison: The Indian-Fighter – Lesson
- John Tyler: The First President to Not Be Elected – Lesson
- James Polk: Young Hickory – Lesson
- Zachary Taylor: Old Rough and Ready – Lesson
- Millard Fillmore: The Last Whig President – Lesson
- Franklin Pierce: A President Ruined by Slavery – Lesson
- Franklin Pierce: A President Ruined by Slavery – Quiz
- James Buchanan: A President for States’ Rights – Lesson
- James Buchanan: A President for States’ Rights – Quiz
- Abraham Lincoln: The Great Emancipator – Lesson
- Abraham Lincoln: The Great Emancipator – Quiz
- Andrew Johnson: The First President to Be Impeached – Lesson
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Reconstruction Presidents (1865-1901)
- Ulysses S. Grant: A Friend of Mark Twain – Lesson
- Ulysses S. Grant: A Friend of Mark Twain – Quiz
- Rutherford B. Hayes: The First President to Lose the Popular Vote – Lesson
- Rutherford B. Hayes: The First President to Lose the Popular Vote – Quiz
- James A. Garfield: The Last of the Log Cabin Presidents – Lesson
- James A. Garfield: The Last of the Log Cabin Presidents – Quiz
- Chester A. Arthur: A One Term President – Lesson
- Chester A. Arthur: A One Term President – Quiz
- Grover Cleveland: A President of Principle – Lesson
- Grover Cleveland: A President of Principle – Quiz
- Benjamin Harrison: The Second President in His Family – Lesson
- Benjamin Harrison: The Second President in His Family – Quiz
- William McKinley: The Third Presidential Assassination – Lesson
- William McKinley: The Third Presidential Assassination – Quiz
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20th Century Presidents
- Richard Nixon: The Only President to Ever Resign – Lesson
- Richard Nixon: The Only President to Ever Resign – Quiz
- Gerald Ford – America’s First Unelected President – Lesson
- Gerald Ford – America’s First Unelected President – Quiz
- Jimmy Carter – the President Who Promised He’d Never Lie – Lesson
- Jimmy Carter – the President Who Promised He’d Never Lie – Quiz
- Ronald Reagan – The ‘Peace Through Strength’ President – Lesson
- Ronald Reagan – The ‘Peace Through Strength’ President – Quiz
Jimmy Carter – the President Who Promised He’d Never Lie – Lesson
The country was suffering a “crisis of confidence,” according to the president.
The 39th president of the United States, James Earl Carter, Jr., otherwise known as Jimmy Carter, was born on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia. His family had a peanut warehouse business, which he took over after his father got sick. He dabbled in politics, slowly building his reputation, until he announced his candidacy for president in 1974. Carter campaigned for two years. He said he was running with a message of values, and he called for eliminating secrecy in government. Carter repeatedly claimed: “I’ll never tell a lie.”
President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter held the office of president from January 20, 1977, to January 20, 1981. It was a rough time to run for office because the trust of the people had been sorely compromised and tested. Americans were still reeling from the Watergate scandal with President Richard Nixon, who resigned his office, making Gerald Ford the country’s president to not have been elected as either president or vice president. Carter, a Democrat, was able to beat Republican Ford in the 1976 presidential election, but his attempts at working with Congress were not as successful.
Even though the Democrats held the majority in both the House and the Senate, Congress still blocked many of Jimmy Carter’s proposals, including a welfare reform and a long-range energy program. Although he was popular and sought to portray himself as a man of the people by dressing casually and speaking less like a politician, his popularity took a hit when his friend, Bert Lance, whom he had named as director of the Office of Management and Budget, was accused of financial mischief. Even though Lance was later cleared, the damage had been done.
Jimmy Carter had some success in foreign affairs. He was able to broker two treaties with Panama, and his efforts during the Camp David Accords ended the war between Egypt and Israel. He also reopened negotiations with China. However, in 1979 the Iran hostage crisis happened as a mob of Iranian students took the diplomatic staff of the US embassy as hostages. Because he stood firm against demands and was not able to free the Americans, the public viewed his leadership as weak and inefficient. Although he ran for re-election in 1980, he lost to Republican Ronald Reagan. Ironically, Iran released the hostages on January 21, 1981, just one day after Reagan’s inauguration. The new president invited Jimmy Carter to go to Germany and meet the freed hostages.
After his presidency, Jimmy Carter continued his mission to broker peace in other countries. In 1994, he worked with North Korea to end the country’s nuclear weapons program, helped Haiti peacefully transfer government, and worked with the Bosnian Serbs and Muslims to create a temporary ceasefire. In 2002, the former president was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work during the Camp David Accords as well as his post-presidential work bringing peace to other countries.