Jimmy Carter was born October 1st., 1924, in the small farming town of Plains, Georgia, and grew up in the nearby community of Archery. His father, James Earl Carter, Sr., was a farmer and businessman; his mother, Lillian Gordy Carter, was a registered nurse.
His life should not be defined just by his presidency, but by the actions taken by him over the entire course of his life. The majority of Jimmy Carter’s life achievements rest in the category of humanitarian efforts that he and his wife, Rosalyn, have achieved through the foundation that they created called The Carter Center.
The Carter Center was established in 1986 and since then has helped many low-income countries build houses, and ensure a stable source of food and water. These efforts have earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1999.
Jimmy Carter has also won three Grammys for voice acting. Jimmy Carter, also, served in the United States Navy from 1946-1953 active duty, but he stayed in the Naval Reserves until 1961.
Jimmy Carter presumably left the Navy because at the time, his father had recently passed away leaving no one to tend to his family’s farm. So, Jimmy felt an obligation to help his family, opting to leave active duty for a place in the Naval reserve.
Throughout his life, Jimmy Carter has written 32 books ranging from political philosophy books to his memoirs titled Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President which was published in 1982.
Jimmy Carter’s most recent book was written in 2018 and acts as a final memoir and is titled Faith: A Journey For All. In 1998, his Naval service paid off when the United States named a nuclear submarine after Jimmy Carter.
The USS Jimmy Carter remains the only US submarine to be named after a living person as this honor was traditionally reserved to honor those who have passed. Jimmy Carter is the only US President to have graduated from Naval Academy.
During his presidency, he fought for better protection of women’s rights and the celebration of women. In 1977, Carter became the third U.S. president to declare National Women’s Day.
During his presidency, he appointed many female judges to the American court system. Jimmy Carter was an advocate of civil rights and during his tenure as Governor of Georgia, he took time to appoint candidates of color.
Also during his presidency, he proposed laws for better equality for all Americans. Jimmy Carter was also very involved in the preservation of nature and guided this by passing legislation that created many nature reserves. The bluegrass darter (Etheostoma Jimmy Carter), a fish species, was named in honor of him.
Jimmy Carter was, also, the first president to install solar panels on the White House. Because he wanted the United States to use renewable energy, Jimmy Carter passed legislation to create the Department of Energy. Today, it is an important part of the government.
Jimmy Carter’s legacy should be of a man, who lived for community service and had a tireless commitment to equality and the preservation of nature. He fought for what was right even when his opinion was challenged. All these factors represent a man, who is worth remembering and honoring regardless of political factors. Hopefully, people can join together as one in honoring an American icon who fought for what he believed was right.
