This fresh examination of Carter's presidency (1977-1981), the first in over twenty years, sheds new light on his time in office, reflecting on his domestic record, his key policies on the economy, civil rights, and energy, and challenging misconceptions about his character and leadership.

The success of Jimmy Carter's post-presidential career and the scandals of his successors, have begun to generate a nostalgic view of Carter's time in the White House. This book looks at his presidency during a time of ideological conflict in the US political landscape, between liberalism and rising conservatism, embodied respectively by Kennedy and Reagan, Carter's efforts to hold the centre or non-ideological, moral position, and the impact of his character, particularly his faith, on how he exercised power in Washington. In doing so, it reveals new interpretations of his leadership style, and its impact on his time in office.