Jimmy Carter: Outsider

01VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents.

02Today we are talking about Jimmy Carter.

03His given name was James, but he liked to be called Jimmy.

04Carter was elected president in 1976.

05Until he campaigned for the office, few Americans knew who he was.

06But Carter said his lack of experience with the federal government made him the best candidate.

07After witnessing years of problems in the White House, many voters appeared to agree with him.

08However, Carter's inexperience also became a problem.

09Some of the issues he faced were complex and, at times, they seemed overwhelming.

10After only one term, Carter failed to get re-elected.

11But in time, his public image improved.

12His years after leaving the White House are generally considered more successful than his time in office.

13Jimmy Carter was born in the southern state of Georgia.

14He was the oldest of four children.

15His father was a businessman.

16His mother was a nurse.

17The family owned a store, as well as a peanut farm and warehouse.

18Although the businesses did well, Jimmy Carter grew up very modestly.

19His family's house did not have electricity or running water.

20But he was hardworking and wanted to be successful.

21As a boy, he saved enough money to buy four houses.

22He earned more money by renting them to other people.

23He also decided to attend college at the United States Naval Academy.

24And in time, he did so.

25Carter was an excellent student.

26And he became a fine naval officer.

27As a midshipman, Carter worked on one of the country's first nuclear submarines.

28He later taught nuclear engineering to other crew members.

29Carter was a great man.

30But Carter's promising career in the Navy ended after only seven years.

31His father was dying.

32And the family farm was in trouble.

33Carter, his wife, Rosalyn, and their three sons decided to return to Georgia and try to save it.

34Carter began to turn his attention to other issues.

35He became involved in his church, local school, hospitals, and libraries.

36When he had a chance to compete for a position in the state Senate, he took it.

37As a politician, Carter developed an image as an independent thinker who tried to save the government money.

38He also acted and spoke strongly against racial discrimination.

39In Georgia at the time, many voters did not agree with Carter's support of racial equality.

40In 1966, even his own Democratic Party did not choose him to be its candidate to represent Georgia in the U.S.

41Senate.

42So Carter began campaigning for the office of state governor instead.

43In 1970, he was elected.

44As Georgia's governor, Carter was known as a social and political reformer.

45However, historian Robert Strong notes that Carter did not always work well with others in his party.

46Strong teaches at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.

47He writes that some Georgia lawmakers believed Carter was arrogant.

48He could appear to think he was morally right, and they were morally wrong.

49Carter's difficulty in getting along with other officials proved to be one of the problems he would later face.

50But in the presidential election of 1976, many Americans seemed to like this quality.

51The little-known governor from Georgia defeated the sitting president, Gerald Ford.

52Carter won, in part, by saying that he was different than other politicians.

53He was, he said, a Washington outsider.

54Then suddenly, Carter was the biggest insider of all, the American president.

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