The cabinet : George Washington and the creation of an American institution
- Author/Creator:
- Chervinsky, Lindsay M., 1988- author
- Publication/Creation:
- Cambridge, Massachusetts : The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2020
- Resource Type:
- Book
More Details
Additional/Related Title Information
- Full Title:
- The cabinet : George Washington and the creation of an American institution / Lindsay M. Chervinsky
Subjects/Genre
- Subjects:
- Washington, George,1732-1799--Influence
Hamilton, Alexander,1757-1804
Jefferson, Thomas,1743-1826
Knox, Henry,1750-1806
Randolph, Edmund,1753-1813
Cabinet officers--United States--History--18th century
United States--Politics and government--1789-1797
Description/Summary
- Table of Contents:
- Forged in war -- The original team of rivals -- Setting the stage -- The early years -- The cabinet emerges -- A foreign challenge -- A domestic threat -- A cabinet in crisis.
- Summary:
- "The US Constitution never established a presidential cabinet-the delegates to the Constitutional Convention explicitly rejected the idea. So how did George Washington create one of the most powerful bodies in the federal government? 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. Washington was on his own. Faced with diplomatic crises, domestic insurrections, and constitutional challenges-and finding congressional help lacking-Washington decided he needed a group of advisors he could turn to. He modeled his new cabinet on the councils of war he had led as commander of the Continental Army. In the early days, the cabinet served at the president's pleasure. Washington tinkered with its structure throughout his administration, at times calling regular meetings, at other times preferring written advice and individual discussions. Lindsay M. Chervinsky reveals the far-reaching consequences of Washington's choice. The tensions in the cabinet between Hamilton and Jefferson heightened partisanship and contributed to the development of the first party system. And as Washington faced an increasingly recalcitrant Congress, he came to treat the cabinet as a private advisory body to summon as needed, greatly expanding the role of the president and the executive branch"--
- Language:
- English
- Physical Type/Description:
- 416 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
Additional Identifiers
- Catalog ID (MMSID):
- 9937015412202486
- ISBN:
- 9780674986480
0674986482 - OCLC Number:
- 1111379181
- Barcode:
- 050000093949
010003089645
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