The Cabinet
eBook - ePub

The Cabinet

George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution

  1. English
  2. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

The Cabinet

George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution

About this book

Winner of the Daughters of the American Revolution's Excellence in American History Book Award
Winner of the Thomas J. Wilson Memorial Prize


"Cogent, lucid, and concise…An indispensable guide to the creation of the cabinet…Groundbreaking…we can now have a much greater appreciation of this essential American institution, one of the major legacies of George Washington's enlightened statecraft."
—Ron Chernow

On November 26, 1791, George Washington convened his department secretaries—Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Henry Knox, and Edmund Randolph—for the first cabinet meeting. Why did he wait two and a half years into his presidency to call his cabinet? Because the US Constitution did not create or provide for such a body. Faced with diplomatic crises, domestic insurrection, and constitutional challenges—and finding congressional help distinctly lacking—he decided he needed a group of advisors he could turn to for guidance.

Authoritative and compulsively readable, The Cabinet reveals the far-reaching consequences of this decision. To Washington's dismay, the tensions between Hamilton and Jefferson sharpened partisan divides, contributing to the development of the first party system. As he faced an increasingly recalcitrant Congress, he came to treat the cabinet as a private advisory body, greatly expanding the role of the executive branch and indelibly transforming the presidency.

"Important and illuminating…an original angle of vision on the foundations and development of something we all take for granted."
—Jon Meacham

"Fantastic…A compelling story."
—New Criterion

"Helps us understand pivotal moments in the 1790s and the creation of an independent, effective executive."
—Wall Street Journal

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Yes, you can access The Cabinet by Lindsay M. Chervinsky in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & Early American History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Introduction
  7. 1. Forged in War
  8. 2. The Original Team of Rivals
  9. 3. Setting the Stage
  10. 4. The Early Years
  11. 5. The Cabinet Emerges
  12. 6. A Foreign Challenge
  13. 7. A Domestic Threat
  14. 8. A Cabinet in Crisis
  15. Epilogue
  16. Citation and Abbreviation Guide
  17. Notes
  18. Acknowledgments
  19. Index