Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, spoke to a capacity crowd Monday night at Hamilton College as the latest guest in the Sacerdote Great Names Series. Carter, president from 1977 to 1981, discussed his four years as president, human rights and the growing chasm between the rich and the poor. He said he would most like to be remembered for championing peace and human rights.
Carter spoke of his presidency in a 25-minute lecture that was followed by a question and answer session. He talked about what he sees as the greatest challenge in the world today -- "the growing chasm between the rich people and poor people on the Earth. I would say a rich person is one who has a home, who is not afraid to go out of their front door, who has a modicum of education and a reasonable chance of employment, maybe some health care. There are billions of people on Earth who have none of those things."
Carter knows firsthand of the plight of the world's poor, through his travels for the Carter Center, which is dedicated to resolving conflict, promoting democracy, protecting human rights and preventing disease around the world. He and volunteers for the Center also help oversee elections in many countries.
During his talk, Carter also discussed peace with the Middle East, relations with China and Taiwan, the American political system,and the Panama Canal, for which he negotiated treaties while he was president.
Among the crowd at the lecture were about 1200 students from local high schools. Also in attendance was Sol M. Linowitz, a 1935 Hamilton graduate who helped Carter negotiate the Panama Canal treaties, and who was instrumental in bringing Carter to Hamilton College for the lecture.
