The presidency of Jimmy Carter began at noon EST on January 20, 1977, when Jimmy Carter was inaugurated as the 39th President of the United States, and ended on January 20, 1981. Taking office in the midst of the Cold War, Carter reoriented U.S. foreign policy towards an emphasis on human rights. Carter opposed tax breaks for Protestant schools in the South, many of which were fighting integration, a position that alienated the Religious Right.