I finally managed to speak directly to the Jimmy Carter Library AudioVisual department and they have confirmed that indeed all of Jimmy Carter’s speeches as president are in the public domain. I’d like to thank them for their help and their courtesy.
The ambiguity around the copyright status was only due to the fact that all of Jimmy Carter’s live televised addresses were broadcast by a large commercial network. However, any portion of the broadcast that features Jimmy Carter acting in his presidential capacity are in the public domain.
That now leaves 8 samples left to clear, all of which are in progress.
The particular Jimmy Carter speech that I’m sampling – referred to as the ‘Crisis of Confidence’ speech – is in my opinion one of the greatest presidential addresses ever given and is every bit as relevant today as it was in 1979. Here follows the complete edit that I am using in my newly updated track…
Mr. President, we’re in trouble.
It’s clear that the true problems of our nation are much deeper… deeper than gasoline lines or energy shortages – deeper even than inflation or recession.
Too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does but by what one owns. And we’ve discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning. We’ve learned that piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose…
…Mr. President, we’re in trouble.
What can we do? First of all, we must face the truth and then we can change our course. If you lead Mr. President, we will follow.