The Iranian Hostage Crisis

There have been many different themes with many different topics for National History Day. The theme for this year’s National History Day is Leadership and Legacy in History. My topic is Jimmy Carter and the Iranian Hostage Crisis.

There was once time of prosperity and hope in this great nation. A time where it seemed that nothing could go wrong and a time that America seemed to be on top of the world as a powerhouse; however, by the late 1970’s, that time was no more. America went from an economic powerhouse to a country struggling to survive. America went from the land of the free and the home of the brave to citizens having no identity of patriotism following the Vietnam War. America went from doing the attacking and righting the wrong in the world, to being harassed and taken advantage of. This harassment is told through David Farber’s novel, Taken Hostage, which details the hostage takeover that involved sixty-six American citizens who had to endure 444 agonizing days of being taken hostage because America was no longer in control. During the time of the Iranian hostage crisis, Americans were held back by the tragedy for numerous reasons, many of which stem from the immediate reaction of combined shock and frustration towards the United States Government and President Carter, a lack of knowledge of the ongoing strained relationship between the two countries, and finally, the surprising tension and ineffectiveness of the Carter Administration’s foreign policy.

In January 1979, Iranians opposed to the Shah’s rule invaded the American embassy in Tehran and held a group of 52 American diplomats and other hostages for 444 days. The Shah left Iran and the victorious Ayatollah Khomeini returned that February. Of the approximately 90 people inside the embassy, 52 remained in captivity until the end of the crisis. The reputation of the Ayatollah Khomeini and the hostage taking was further enhanced with the failure of a hostage rescue attempt that cost lives. The Ayatollah Khomeini set forth several demands to be met prior to the release of the hostages. The US had options of their own; however, the risk to the hostages required the utmost consideration. In order to secure their freedom, outgoing

On David Farber 's book Taken Hostage, Farber informs us about the Iran Hostage Crisis and America 's First Encounter with Radical Islam. This book tells us how the United States and Iran got into conflict, leading to the Iranians holding American Embassy members hostage as revenge for them feeling betrayed by the United States. It also informs us about other events that occurred in a decade that caused the United States many problems. Farber talked about all the events that lead to the Iranian Hostage Crisis. November 4, 1979, seizure of the United States embassy in Tehran and the hostage of four hundred and forty four days following, were the first steps leading up to the perpetual War on Terror. Farber believes the failure from American policymakers and more specifically from President Carter, to identify the severity of the crisis made for the prolonged crisis. The sheer ineptitude of Carter administration was the cost of the US to lose it’s way economically, culturally, politically and even military. Carter struggled to respond to the impulses of Islamic fundamentalism within the prevailing Cold War paradigm. They saw the real battle as against secular modernism and they recognized that the US was the major force spreading this cultural and political belief throughout the world. The media misrepresentations of the struggle and mass media manipulation of Americans played on the peoples emotions. Although Carter was popular at the beginning of his presidency, this began

After the successful overthrow of Prime Minister Mossadegh, the Shah was back in control of Iran and was supported by the United States, even though he was extremely brutal to his citizens. The Shah used United States military trained Iranian police force, called SAVAK, to carry out his orders. This caused a strong dislike for the Shah by the citizens of Iran and a strong Islamic uprising. This uprising ended with the Shah being exiled from his country and the radical Muslim Ayatollah Khomeini gaining power over

Jimmy Carter took office in January 1977 after he overcame his opponent, Gerald Ford, in a close election. Soon after taking office, President Jimmy Carter set a goal to create jobs for the unemployed. President Carter also tried to make the government more useful and efficient by continuing the reforming of the regulatory system that had started during the time of the Nixon Administration. “Jimmy Carter’s plan did bring down the rate of unemployment, but he increased the cost-of-living stimulated by huge oil price hikes in the Middle East that soon dominated the Administration’s domestic agenda.” As Jimmy Carters relationship with Iran grew quickly, the shah of Iran came into communication with Jimmy Carter and he had accepted to protect

The Iranian hostage crisis was one of the most dramatic events in a series of problems that took place during President Jimmy Carter’s term. The crisis, beginning in November of 1979, received the most coverage of any major event since World War II. It was one of many problems faced in light of the United State’s complex relationship with Iran. The effects on both the US and Iran were astronomical, especially politically as well as economically and socially. It took a heavy toll on American relations with the Middle East and changed the way we engage in foreign affairs. In light of this crisis, Iran started an international war that we are still fighting thirty-two years later.

On November 4th, 1979, a group of enraged of Islamic revolutionists invaded the United States Embassy in Tehran. They had taken 60 Americans hostage for 444 days until President Ronald Reagan had taken Oath of office. It was nearly minutes after Reagan had taken office that they were released. Ayatollah Khomeini enforced an anti-Western Islamic theocracy, overrode the pro-Western monarchy of the Shah of Iran. Iran had felt that the United States was interfering with their internal affairs. They feared that they would return the Shah to power. The Shah had fled to mexico and the doctors there had uncovered that he was suffering an aggressive cancer. With this recent discovery they pushed the Shah to be admitted into a

The people of Iran became angry that the United States would allow the Shah to seek medical treatment in the US, and overtook the U.S. embassy in Tehran. Many of them feared that the United States planned to return to Iran and reinstate Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi as their leader, because of the close diplomatic ties that had been established with him. The United States had helped him to overthrow Iran’s Prime Minister during a power struggle in 1953 and modernize Iran (“The Hostage Crisis in Iran”). The Iranian protesters- many of whom were college students- took hostages, 66 of the hostages holding American citizenship, and refused to release them until the Unites States stopped helping the Shah and turned him over to them. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini decided to support the actions of the student protesters, and dissolved treaties that had been made with the Soviet Union and the United States, preventing international intervention towards the violent protests in Iran. Premier Mehdi Bazargan and most of the

The purpose of this investigation is to answer the question on how did the Iranian Hostage Crisis affect the relationship between United States and Iran. The main body of evidence will observe in depth the Iranian and United States relations during the hostage crisis. Evidence of this investigation will include secondary documents and books pertaining to the hostage time in Iran and US foreign policy. Speeches from the US President to the American public and to the world will also be analyzed. Information gathered will be evaluated in regards to their origin, purpose, value, and limitations. Research includes a book that analyzes why students invaded the US embassy in 1979, and why the Carter rescue mission failed so

Not only did the American public hope to be able to rely on and trust their federal government, but they also desired strong management of foreign affairs. During the Presidency of Jimmy Carter, America faced many blunders overseas. One particular high-profile issue was the Iranian Hostage Crisis where, “Iranian students stormed the U.S embassy in Tehran and took 53 Americans hostage,” and the attempted rescue of said hostages which resulted in a collision between two helicopters and eight dead marines (Davidson, et al 937). The Carter Administration’s handle on foreign affairs proved to be disastrous. As a result, the Republican party’s platform for the election of 1980, in which Carter was running for reelection, focused heavily on

Imagine being held hostage for four hundred and forty four days. The thought alone is scary but this was reality for Fifty-three Americans when they was held hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran. This was a tough situation because America and Iran had bigger problems to deal with. Insurgency broke out and former King Reza Shah Pahlavi was forced into exile by the people of Iran. The United States backed the former King and when Pahlavi came to America looking for refuge this caused a serious situation. The United States learned that Pahlavi had cancer and made a choice to let him in for treatment. This angered the people of Iran and forced Iranian students to protest outside of the American embassy. On

“On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking more than 60 American hostages.”(Iran Hostage Crisis). This happened when the pro-american monarchy, the Shah, was overthrown in a revolution. The 6o Americans were held for 443 days and released on the 444th day of being captured. During this time, Carter’s foreign policy team seemed weak because it took so long for the hostages to be released. However, the plan was executed correctly. It was executed correctly in a sense that no more Americans were killed in this extensive year and a half long crisis. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was admitted into an American hospital for treatment because Pahlavi had recently developed cancer. In return, the new power

It all started November 4, 1979, in the U.S Embassy. Iranian students rushed into the U.S Embassy taking sixty-three people hostage and later three more people were captured at the Iranian foreign ministry and taken hostage. Thus sixty-six people were taken hostage that day. Thirteen days later Ayatollah ordered them to release thirteen out of the sixty-six hostages to be freed, and one person got released because of a medical condition, which left fifty-two people to be held hostage. Instead of moving the location of where they were being held they all stayed hostage at the U.S Embassy.

Argo is an Academy Award winning movie, directed by Ben Affleck. The movie shows the first couple months of the Iran Hostage Crisis. Argo is a hollywoodized way of showing the true events of the escape and rescue of the six United States diplomats during the Iranian Hostage Crisis. Subsequently there has been various documentaries made based on the events of the Iranian Hostage Crisis, one of the best ones to date is Argo: Inside Story.