The civil rights movement was well underway when Carter took office . He and his family had become staunch John F. Kennedy supporters . Beginning in 1962 , the town of Americus was the site of mass beatings and incarcerations of black protesters , echoing similar unrest throughout the country . Carter remained relatively quiet on the issue at first , even as it polarized much of the county , to avoid alienating his segregationist colleagues . He did speak up on a few divisive issues , giving speeches against literacy tests and against a change to the Georgia Constitution which , he felt , implied a compulsion to practice religion . At the time of President Kennedy 's assassination , Carter was informed by a customer of his peanut business of the killing , prompting Carter to remove himself from work and sit alone . Carter later called the assassination " the greatest blow that I had suffered since my father died . " Carter was a diligent legislator who took speed-reading courses to keep up with the workload . Within two years , his connections landed him on the state Democratic Executive Committee , where he helped rewrite the state party 's rules . He became chairman of the West Central Georgia Planning and Development Commission , which oversaw the disbursement of federal and state grants for projects such as historic site restoration
President Kennedy 's assassination
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
Jimmy Carter