Jimmy Carter's 1977-1981 presidency included successes like the Camp David peace accords, but also enough 

controversy for US voters to see him as weak -- and send him packing after 

only one term.

Carter's legacy however was largely built on his post-presidency, the longest 

in US history.

Here are a few key moments in the life of Carter, who died Sunday at the age 

of 100.

- The Panama Canal -

During his first year in office, Carter went back on a campaign promise and 

decided to hand back management of the Panama Canal -- which had been in US 

military control since its construction at the start of the 20th century.

"Fairness, and not force, should lie at the heart of our dealings with the 

nations of the world," he said at the signing of the canal treaties with 

Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos on September 7, 1977.

Carter was ridiculed for the move, which gave Panama control over the canal 

linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans at the end of 1999.

History, however, has looked upon the deal as a deft bit of diplomacy.

Giving Panama a meatier role in the canal's management in the run-up to the 

transfer allowed for stability, and broke with America's image as an 

overbearing imperialist power in Latin America.

Reacting to Carter's death on Sunday, President Jose Mulino said the former 

US leader helped Panama achieve "full sovereignty of our country."

- Morality in politics -

Upon his arrival in the Oval Office, Carter looked to distance himself from 

the realpolitik practiced by his predecessors -- a vestige of the Cold War -- 

and placed human rights at the heart of his agenda.

"Our principal goal is to help shape a world which is more responsive to the 

desire of people everywhere for economic well-being, social justice, 

political self-determination and basic human rights," he said in a 1978 

speech at the US Naval Academy.

In concrete terms, Carter notably signed the International Covenant on Civil 

and Political Rights in 1977. It was eventually ratified by the United States 

in 1992 after being blocked for years by the Senate.

- Camp David Accords -

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.

Operation Eagle Claw was thwarted by sandstorms and mechanical problems -- 

eventually, the mission was aborted. In the subsequent withdrawal, two 

American aircraft collided, killing eight servicemen.

In the following days, then secretary of state Cyrus Vance resigned, and the 

mission's failure symbolized Carter's inability to resolve the crisis.

The hostages were eventually freed on the same day that Republican Ronald 

Reagan took office, after thumping Carter at the polls in November 1980.

- The Carter Center -

Carter remained extremely active into his 90s despite his retirement from 

political life.

In 1982, he founded the Carter Center, which has focused on conflict 

resolution, promoting democracy and human rights, and fighting disease.

Carter -- often viewed as America's most successful former president -- 

traveled extensively, supervising elections from Haiti to East Timor, and 

tackling thorny global problems as a mediator.

- The Elders -

Carter was also a member of The Elders, a group of former world leaders 

founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007 to promote peace and human rights.

Fellow Nobel peace laureates South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu (who died 

in 2021), former Liberian president Ellen Sirleaf Johnson and the late UN 

secretary general Kofi Annan also belonged to the group.