Jimmy Carter: A Comprehensive Biography from Plains to Post-presidencyHe is known as the Great Peace Maker, a man whose humanitarian ideals prompt his diplomatic intervention in places like Haiti, North Korea, Bosnia, the Middle East. Whether negotiating a cease-fire in shell-shocked Sarajevo or building houses for the homeless in Appalachia, Jimmy Carter can be found at the helm of a vast array of humanitarian efforts. An annual nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, he embodies the qualities that the American public mourns having lost in its politicians: integrity, honesty, ethics, and dedication. Yet Jimmy Carter, thirty-ninth president of the United States, is curiously apolitical. Despite his two diligent battles for the governorship of Georgia (he succeeded in 1970) and his "coup d'etat" election to the presidency in 1976, his was always less a political agenda than a moral one. He saw the office as a vehicle for constructive change, propelled by firm and very Christian convictions about right and wrong. To understand James Earl Carter, one must understand his upbringing, his faith, his unwavering beliefs. Peter Bourne traces Carter's dogma to its roots in Plains, Georgia, deep in the Baptist South, where the imbalanced society created by inherited wealth and segregation could not suppress the everyman farm worker who held dear the tenets of social justice and strove toward the highest goals. Tenacity and self-confidence would propel Carter from the Naval Academy to the governorship to the presidency. Along the way, he remained devoted to Rosalynn and his family, to his religion, and to the ideology that the state and government have a responsibility to create a better society. As Bourne reveals, there would be no need for Carter to "reinvent" himselfafter public office. James Earl Carter went on to build houses for Habitat for Humanity; to create the Carter Presidential Center to focus on international conflict resolution, the Global 2000 program to reduce hunger and disease in Africa, and the Atlanta Project to address the most intractable inner city problems, all out of devotion to his life-long convictions. Jimmy Carter provides an insightful, intimate, and frank portrayal of the thirty-ninth president of the United States from a close friend and advisor of more than twenty-five years. |
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Page 158
... liberal . He castigated Arnall for saying those who attack the federal government or disagree with him can go to Russia . He described Arnall , age 59 , as “ bald , squat , and old , ” saying he had little support in South Georgia , a ...
... liberal . He castigated Arnall for saying those who attack the federal government or disagree with him can go to Russia . He described Arnall , age 59 , as “ bald , squat , and old , ” saying he had little support in South Georgia , a ...
Page 262
... liberal New Republic , was persuaded to come to Plains to do a story on Carter . His subsequent piece proved an important milestone in estab- lishing Carter's credibility among liberal intellectuals . On April 14 , Rosalynn and Edna ...
... liberal New Republic , was persuaded to come to Plains to do a story on Carter . His subsequent piece proved an important milestone in estab- lishing Carter's credibility among liberal intellectuals . On April 14 , Rosalynn and Edna ...
Page 266
... liberal ultimately to get the nomination . After Carter spoke , there was considerable surprise that he shared their own liberal social views and could also relate to them as busi- nessmen . He won over several key members of the group ...
... liberal ultimately to get the nomination . After Carter spoke , there was considerable surprise that he shared their own liberal social views and could also relate to them as busi- nessmen . He won over several key members of the group ...
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administration American Americus announced Arnall asked Atlanta Constitution Baptist became believed Bert Lance Billy Brzezinski called candidate Carl Sanders Carter Center Carter Library church Clarence Jordan commitment Congress decision delegates Despite Earl early Eizenstat election father felt Ford foreign policy friends George Wallace Georgia governor Griffin Bell Hamilton Jordan Homer Moore human rights increasingly Interview with Jimmy issue Jack Jackson Jimmy and Rosalynn Jimmy Carter Jimmy's Jody Powell John Pope Kennedy Kirbo knew Lance later leaders legislative Lester Maddox liberal Lillian Maddox McGovern meeting Mondale never night nomination October peanuts percent Plains political polls president presidential primary problem Rabhan race Rafshoon Reagan Republican Rickover role Rosalynn Carter Sadat says Senate South southern Soviet speech staff Sumter County talked tion told vote Wallace wanted Warren Fortson Washington Watson week White House young