Additional information
by Lindsay M. Chervinsky (Author)
Winner of the Daughters of the American Revolution's Excellence in American History Book Award
Winner of the Thomas J. Wilson Memorial Prize
--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
Number of Pages: 432
Dimensions: 1.3 x 8.2 x 5.4 IN
Publication Date: February 08, 2022
