1970's Government and Politics | Carter, James Earl ("Jimmy"), Jr., 1924-

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, 1977-1981

Between Past and Present.

Perhaps the most representative figure of the decade, James Earl Carter, Jr. (he preferred to be called "Jimmy"), symbolized a new type of American politician, one who fused the traditional values of small-town America to the new global realities of the 1970s. "We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles," he said in his inaugural address. The difficulties in accommodating old values to new realities, however, led to an often-uncertain and vacillating presidency. Ultimately Carter, like the nation itself, would choose to return to traditional values—even if they contradicted the facts of the modern global setting of the United States.

Small-Town Background.

Jimmy Carter was born in Plains, Georgia, on 1 October 1924. His family had lived in southwest Georgia for generations. Carter grew up in a home steeped...