Crisis of Confidence Speech by Naoki Atkins

Crisis of Confidence Speech

• *On July 15, 1979, Jimmy Carter delivered a speech
• *Also known as "malaise speech" b/c it reflected Carter's pessimistic views of the future
• ***topic: energy crisis, dependency on foreign oil, America's confidence
• *Carter criticized the American way of life
• Before delivering the speech, Carter spent 10 days at Camp David meeting with ordinary Americans
• Many Americans viewed the federal gov.t as a stagnant bloated bureaucracy that failed to serve the people
• Carter added that the political world was corrupt, inefficient, and evasive
• Carter asserted that these problems stemmed from a deeper "fundamental threat to American democracy"
• ***The crisis led to domestic turmoil and "the loss of a unity of purpose for our nation"