by Elwood Watson on January 2, 2025

His tenure as president was punctuated with unrelenting adversity, tortured from the outset by obscenely high inflation and a post-Vietnam-and-Watergate nation that had a sour disposition. His fragmented administration was disproportionately populated by political cronies from his home state of Georgia. His micromanaging style drew widespread derision and his right of center values resulted in serious conflicts with a much more liberal and progressive congress.

In the eyes of many historical and political observers, Jimmy Carter's one-term presidency was considered a Waterloo. He was defeated by Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980 by the largest electoral margin (489–49) any incumbent president has suffered. He oversaw a sluggish and stagnant economy, continual energy shortages, a horrendously failed effort to rescue hostages in Iran, and a Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Despite such challenges, his tenure as president accomplished distinctive achievements. He successfully brokered a peace between Israel and Egypt, which endures to this day almost a half a century later. He was successful in persuading the Senate to ratify a treaty ceding control of the Panama Canal, likely preventing a war from breaking out in the region. He secured a relationship with red China, resulting in several decades of........

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