Influence And Change In Jimmy Carter's Life

Dedicated to his family and his country, Jimmy Carter was a strong, average American man that worked hard in life. Presidency and power were never outstanding factors in his life. Raised in a Baptist household, Jimmy Carter was raised on family, religion, and farming, and allowed his early life to influence the rest of his life. His commitment to the American people has allowed Jimmy Carter to become such an influential person inside and outside of politics. Jimmy Carter grew up and lived a life that defied the statistics of many small town farmers.

Jimmy Carter was born James Earl Carter on October 1, 1924. Carter was born to Lillian and Earl Carter near Plains, Georgia. At a young age, Carter and his family moved from Archery, Georgia to Plains, Georgia where his siblings were born. Carter was the eldest of three siblings; Ruth Carter Stapleton, Gloria Carter Spann, and William Alton (Billy) Carter. Jimmy Carter’s birth would much later become a great source of influence and change.

The beginning of Jimmy Carter’s life was far from presidential. The Carters were one of two white families in rural Archery, Georgia, and were surrounded by African American families (Ryan, 2006). Carter learned hard work early in life because of living in rural Georgia. The home in Archery, Georgia in which the
Carter family lived was a Sears, Roebuck catalog home (Carter, 2015). The house did not hold a personal phone though and as a result, the Carters shared a “party line” with two other families, the Bacons and the Watsons (Ryan, 2006). Being born in rural Georgia to a family that did not discriminate, Jimmy Carter grew up far away from the life of an “average” president of the mid twentieth century.

Jimmy Carter spent the earliest years of his life surrounded by peanuts and fieldwork. Carter began his work as a peanut salesman at the mere age of five, selling peanuts to save money (Ryan, 2006). “My primary duties on the farm were all related to work in the field” (Carter, 2015, p. 19). Carter began his working experience by carrying water to fieldhands, mopping cotton, working in his father’s and uncle’s stores, and an infinite more chores (Morris, 1996). When it came to school, Carter had to excuse himself from extracurricular activities to go home and do chores and work (Morris, 1996). Carter was always kept busy working by his father. Growing up in rural Georgia, Jimmy Carter was always in the field or surrounded by peanuts.

Jimmy Carter was an extremely smart young man and proved it early. Carter entered the first grade early, before the age of six (Ryan, 2006). After selling peanuts for three summers, eight year old Carter had saved 125 dollars; he bought five 500 pound bales of cotton for a nickel a pound. The main instance where Carter caused himself to look uneducated was when in 1941 an April Fool’s joke went awry and cost Carter his role of valedictorian of the class of 1941 (Ryan, 2006). Carter was the only high school graduate on his father’s side of the family. Jimmy Carter spent his time being studious and excelled greatly at school. Growing up on a peanut and cotton farm never stopped Carter from being a smart man.

Despite being needed on the farm, Carter was very active in school.
After watching how self-disciplined Carter was, teacher Julia Coleman led Carter to poetry, art, and music (Ryan, 2006). Sports were as important to Jimmy Carter as books and debating (Ryan, 2006). Basketball season didn’t interfere with farming, and this allowed Carter chance to excel in the sport (Ryan, 2006). Carter was always busy if he wasn’t working on the farm. Carter was also very active in the Future Farmers of America (FFA) and was an officer of the organization in high school (Ryan, 2006). If he wasn’t busy with farm work or chores, Carter was always busy with extracurricular school
activities.

Jimmy Carter met and exceeded many expectations when it came to education. In the spring of 1941, Jimmy Carter became the first on his father’s side of the family to graduate from high school. After high school, Carter studied engineering at Georgia Southwestern Junior College Training Corps (NROTC) to continue studying engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. Carter later applied and was accepted to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Though Carter did not fit in well, he continued to excel and finished in the top ten percent of his class (“Biography of Jimmy Carter”, 2015). Carter never lost dedication to his studies and always stayed at the top of his class.

After high school, Jimmy Carter had a strong relationship with the United States Navy. Graduating from the US Naval Academy was a goal for Carter and his parents, even during childhood (Carter, 2015). After completing his sophomore year at Georgia Tech with a year of NROTC, Carter was appointed to the Naval Academy in 1943. On weekends, Carter learned to take off and land on water and to maneuver two planes as directed by pilots. Carter was assigned to multiple submarines after graduation (Carter, 2015). Carter was extremely dedicated to the Navy and stuck in it for many years.

Jimmy Carter was never a fan of racial discrimination. Carter grew up in a neighborhood surrounded by African Americans (Ryan, 2006). When Carter wrote his inaugural speech for governor of Georgia, he said the time for racial discrimination was over. Carter’s best friends in school were also African American (Ryan, 2006). When Carter entered the Navy, he was near the only one to make friends with African American shipmen (Carter, 2015). Jimmy Carter was truly raised morally right to not be light-hearted about racial discrimination.

Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Smith were destined to be together. Carter had actually known Rosalynn Smith since her birth. On his last night before departure and in search of a blind date, Rosalynn and Carter went on a date to the movies. Carter kissed Rosalynn on their first date (which never happened) and surprised both himself and Rosalynn (Ryan, 2006). The morning after their date, Cater told his mother that Rosalynn was the girl that he was going to marry. Carter fell for Rosalynn fast, and the sureness of his confession helped them remain together.