The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution
āThe Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American InstitutionāĀ by Lindsay M. Chervinsky.Ā ISBN 978-0674271036. Copyright 2022. Paperback.
Winner of the Daughters of the American Revolutionās Excellence in American History Book Award
Winner of the Thomas J. Wilson Memorial Prize
āCogent, lucid, and conciseā¦An indispensable guide to the creation of the cabinetā¦Groundbreakingā¦we can now have a much greater appreciation of this essential American institution, one of the major legacies of George Washingtonās enlightened statecraft.ā
āRon Chernow
On November 26, 1791, George Washington convened his department secretariesāAlexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Henry Knox, and Edmund Randolphāfor 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 challengesāand finding congressional help distinctly lackingāhe decided he needed a group of advisors he could turn to for guidance.
Authoritative and compulsively readable,Ā The CabinetĀ reveals the far-reaching consequences of this decision. To Washingtonās 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.