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Jimmy Carter, the democratic nominee, won against Gerald Ford in the 1976 election and later took office on January 20, 1977. -
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Carter nominated civil rights activist Andrew Young, the first African American in history to hold that position. Carter went on to nominate 28 more African Americans, 29 women, and 14 Latinos for the judicial branch. -
Carter cut off military aid to Argentina and Brazil to show them that they would not receive funding if they continued to torture their own citizens. Many U.S citizens did not agree with Carter's actions. -
Carter placed a tax on "gas guzzling" cars, removed price controls on gas, and put the new tax money towards finding new alternative ways of producing clean energy across the United States. -
Carter orchestrated a meeting between the leaders of Egypt and Israel to settle their strife. Israel had taken the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt in retaliation to Egypt not accepting Israel's right to exist. They came to an agreement at the meeting of Camp David where is was decided that Israel would remove their troops and Egypt would recognize Israel as its own territory. -
Carter negotiates the Torrijos-Carter Treaties and gives ownership of the Panama Canal improving relations with all of Latin America. -
After finding out that Russia had invaded Afghanistan, Carter abandoned the SALT II Treaty which limited the number of nuclear launchers/war weapons that both countries could produce.