Jimmy Carter was elected President of the United States in 1976, after serving as a state Senator and Governor of Georgia. President Carter prioritized human rights and peace during his administration – one of his first actions was to pardon Americans who had evaded the Vietnam War draft, as well as mediate the Camp David Accords and other peace negotiations on a global scale.
Carter is also known for his focus on civil rights, making significant progress on racial equity in education and voting rights. He worked to end racial segregation in public schools, created the Black College Initiative to increase federal funding to historically Black colleges and universities, and opposed restrictive voting laws that targeted Black voters.
In addition, President Carter was a strong environmentalist who took some of the first actions to preserve public lands and utilize renewable energy on a large scale, even installing solar panels on the roof of the White House (which were later removed by President Ronald Reagan).
Finally, President Carter strengthened essential social programs that Americans now rely on to live with dignity. He passed amendments to save Social Security from insolvency and proposed a National Health Plan that would cap annual healthcare costs for families at $2500 – and while his plan for national healthcare failed, it served as the groundwork for President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, which would be passed nearly three decades later.
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