The Cabinet

Winner of the Daughters of the American Revolutions Excellence in American History Book Award Winner of the Thomas J. Wilson Memorial Prize Cogent, lucid, and conciseAn indispensable guide to the creation of the cabinetGroundbreakingwe can now have a much greater appreciation of this essential American institution, one of the major legacies of George Washingtons enlightened statecraft. Ron Chernow On November 26, 1791, George Washington convened his department secretariesAlexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Henry Knox, and Edmund Randolphfor 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 challengesand finding congressional help distinctly lackinghe 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 Washingtons 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 illuminatingan original angle of vision on the foundations and development of something we all take for granted. Jon Meacham FantasticA compelling story. New Criterion Helps us understand pivotal moments in the 1790s and the creation of an independent, effective executive. Wall Street Journal