Jimmy Carter: His Childhood, Upbringing

Jimmy Carter: His Childhood, Upbringing & Presidency

Jimmy Carter, born to a family belonging to Southwest Georgia, had a childhood and upbringing that was seeped in religious fervor. His upbringing and deep attachment to Christian faith influenced him not only in his personal life but also in his presidential tenure in the Oval office. His presidential candidacy and later his policies as president were largely guided by the ideas of faith.

Son of James Earl and Lillian Gordy Carter

Born October 1, 1924

Had three young siblings: youngest sister was a Christian evangelist.

Raised in the tiny southwest Georgia hamlet of Plains

Upbringing

Peanut farming

Talk of politics

Small-town upbringing principles

Devotion to the Southern Baptist beliefs

Childhood & Adolesence

Good student from an early age

Fond of reading

Fond of basketball and football

Participation in family's peanut farming business in Plains

Prayed several times a day

Jesus Christ the driving force in life

Education

Attended Plains High School

Attended Georgia Southwestern College and Georgia Institute of Technology

Started post-graduate studyies in nuclear physics and reactor technology for several months at Union College

Marriage & Children

Carter married Rosalynn Smith

Carters have three sons, John William (Jack), James Earl III (Chip), Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff), and a daughter, Amy Lynn.

Career in Navy

Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Naval Academy in 1945

Served on submarines in the Atlantic and Pacific fleets

Command officer nuclear submarine program

Seven years' service as a naval officer

Discharged from the Navy on October 9, 1953

Early Political Career

Eentered state politics in 1962,

Elected Governor of Georgia in 1970

Key policies as governor; emphasizing ecology, efficiency in government, and the removal of racial barriers.

Changes in the 1970s wave of religious revivalism

Moral issues: hedonism, sexual promiscuity, materialism etc.

Evangelical born-again experience by both Protestants and Catholics

Southernization of America traditional southern and western homelands

Importance of issues: Availability of abortion, the place of religious activities in public schools, sex education and creationism within the school curriculum, homosexuality, pornography, and the Equal Rights Amendment

Candidacy for President

Announced candidacy for President in December 1974

President Gerald R. Ford, debating with him three times

Carter won by 297 electoral votes to 241 for Ford.

Christianity role important in electoral success, as he once said "I'll be a better president because of my deep religious convictions,"

Impact of Faith on Policies

Religion affected the image of his presidency

Relationships with key Democratic Party constituents

Foreign issues like the Middle East, the Panama Canal, and Issue of abortion rights & human rights

Positives of the Carter Era

Establishing a national energy policy

Civil service reform

Deregulation of the trucking and airline industries

Environment, human and social services

Abortion Issue

Pre-election stances: Calling abortion wrong

Clash with pro-choice feminists

Appointment of Joseph a. Califano a devout Catholic, as Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare

Change in stance: protection of abortion rights

Appointment of pro-choice advocate, Margaret "Midge" Costanza, as a presidential assistant

The Hyde Amendment

Plight of poor women hurt due to amendment

Outrage from the pro-choice movement

Costanza's replacement with Dr. Sarah Weddington, a pro-abortion rights

Confusion of religion and secular ideas

Speeches

Speeches more about faith than policy

Biblical allegory and the meta-language of born-again Christianity were fundamental to his speeches

Carter considered failure of faith rather than a shortage of fuel America's problem

Negated the idea of freedom" that meant "too many" self-centered Americans searched for instant gratification "worshipping self-indulgence and consumption

The New York Times called once called his speech "less rallying cry than sermon"

Problems of the Carter Era

Stance on gay rights & abortion

Blurring of the church and state

Estrangement between the president and Christian conservatives

Unemployment, rising energy costs, mounting inflation

Continuing tensions on foreign front

Conclusion: Jimmy Carter became well-known as a president who achieved his presidency using the religion card rather than policies. His association with religious beliefs guided him in making national and foreign policies. These policies blurred the state and church boundary. In the end he could not satiate the religious right elements completely and got severe criticism from leftist and feminist groups. His religious stance got him the presidency and it was also the religion that got him out of the office.

Primary Source Bibliography

Jimmy Carter: His Childhood, Upbringing & Presidency

Books

Carter, Jimmy. (1996). A Government as Good as Its People. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press.

This volume presents sixty-two of the best and most notable public statements made by Jimmy Carter on his way to becoming president of the United States. Excerpts from the debates with President Ford, Interviews, speeches and news conferences of Jimmy Carter, made on the road to the White House. He speaks on such topics as crime, poverty, nuclear energy, foreign policy and human rights annd thus this book can be a good insight on Carter's ideals.

Carter, Jimmy. (1996). Living Faith. New York: Times Books.

This is an autobiography by President Carter that focuses on his spiritual faith specifically. He shares his struggles from childhood to manhood, from his presidency to his work at the Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity. Carter's deep faith is rooted in his family and community, and he traces the growth and development of his faith through his career in the Navy and various political offices. Living Faith gives as much weight to Carter's remembrances about growing up and living in Plains, Georgia, as to the Iran hostage crisis, the infamous Playboy interview, and the other events of Carter's political life and thus providing a solid understanding for this particular paper.

Websites

The "Crisis of Confidence" Speech delivered on television by Jimmy Carter on July 15, 1979. Available on Website: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carter/filmmore/ps_crisis.html

Other than books there are numerous websites that provide primary research material on Jimmy Carter like the one mentioned above. Easy to access and download these kinds of material can be a lot of help.

Secondary Source Bibliography

Jimmy Carter: His Childhood, Upbringing & Presidency

Books

Ebel, H. & deMause, L. (1997). Jimmy Carter and American Fantasy: Psychohistorical Explorations. Two Continents / Psychohistory Press. New York.

Fantasy analysis is a technique for examining an historical record such as a newspaper article, Congressional committee transcript or Presidential speech and picking out the body language, metaphors, repetitive phrases, similes, strong feelings and symbolic terms and then determining their common themes. The result is an understanding of the shared, un-conscious meaning of the record. The psychohistorian is thus provided with a valuable tool for getting beneath the formality and defensiveness of the manifest content to underlying feelings and fantasies. Fantasy analysis was first described in Jimmy Carter and American Fantasy, ed. Lloyd deMause and Henry Ebel and so this book can be considered good in analyzing the impact of faith on Carter's life & presidency.