In September 1978, Carter invited Israeli premier Menachem Begin and Egyptian president Anwar Sadat to Camp David, the presidential retreat outside Washington.
After 13 days of secret negotiations under Carter’s mediation, two accords were signed that ultimately led to a peace treaty the following year.
The diplomatic triumph was cited when Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
‘Crisis of confidence’
In the summer of 1979, the economy rocked by inflation and his approval rating in free fall, Carter addressed the American people in a nationwide televised speech on July 15.
In that half-hour, he responded to his critics on his lack of leadership, instead laying the blame on a national “crisis of confidence.”
“The erosion of our confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social and the political fabric of America,” he said.
The speech was poorly received and would come back to haunt him. Five cabinet members resigned that week.
Iran hostage crisis
The hostage crisis — more than 50 Americans were held for 444 days at the US embassy in Tehran from November 1979 to January 1981 — was the death knell for Carter’s presidency.
A failed military rescue mission in April 1980 all but extinguished his chances of reelection later that year.
