Today we went to Plains Georgia to see the home of Jimmy Carter. It was very interesting. The main attraction is the visitors centre, which is housed in the High School that he and Roseanne attended. It was fascinating to see the recreation of classrooms from the forties. JC's history was interesting too, trying to read between the lines of the presentations to find the crucial points in his life which enabled him to become President. He apparently came from a normal rural family, living in in a normal Main Street Town in Georgia, He joined the Navy, took over Dad's business, then became a State Congressman, then Governor, then President - easy. One pivotal point was his membership of the School Board. He had to make a decision about integration in 1966. He chose to go with the crowd and refuse integration, yet later, when his Baptist Church voted to remove blacks from all access to the church he (and his family) were the only people to vote against it, making him very unpopular. When he became Governor he spoke out strongly against racism, but then he didn't have to live in Small Town America then. He was also very fortunately placed to step into the Democratic nomination when it was obvious that Nixon/Ford Republicans would be thrown out of office. His Presidency ended as a disaster caused by the Iran Hostage affair.
This was a very informative and interesting visit.
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