Carter mentions energy a lot in this speech. And we mean a lot, a lot.

In fact, before this speech, he had given four other speeches all relating to the topic of energy. But what exactly does he mean by "energy"?

From a literal lens, energy refers to the physical substances, like oil, coal and natural gas, used to power pretty much everything Americans use, from household appliances to your mom's SUV.

But from a deeper sense, whenever Carter mentions energy, add in your head afterwards the word "independence." Because what Carter really cares about is achieving energy independence. In 1979, America was dependent on foreign powers, like OPEC, for oil. This dependence made them vulnerable because they couldn't control how much or how expensive oil would be.

President Carter is especially concerned with this energy dependence, saying that:

In little more than two decades we've gone from a position of energy independence to one in which almost half the oil we use comes from foreign countries, at prices that are going through the roof. Our excessive dependence on OPEC has already taken a tremendous toll on our economy and our people. (42)

He views this dependence as a symptom of the previously-mentioned confidence issue. Americans, lacking confidence in themselves, have succumbed to quick fixes and allowed themselves to import more and more foreign oil, thus putting themselves in the position in which they find themselves during the summer of 1979.

He spends the rest of this speech advocating for how a changed attitude, how a renewed sense of confidence will help Americans to achieve, you guessed it, energy independence.