Search  for anything...
NA

The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution

    • Based on 337 reviews
Condition: New
Checking for product changes
$18.00 Why this price?
Save $16.99 was $34.99

Buy Now, Pay Later

As low as $4 / mo
  • – 4-month term
  • – No impact on credit
  • – Instant approval decision
  • – Secure and straightforward checkout

Ready to go? Add this product to your cart and select a plan during checkout. Payment plans are offered through our trusted finance partners Klarna, PayTomorrow, Affirm, Afterpay, Apple Pay, and PayPal. No-credit-needed leasing options through Acima may also be available at checkout.

Learn more about financing & leasing here.

Free shipping on this product

30-day refund/replacement

To qualify for a full refund, items must be returned in their original, unused condition. If an item is returned in a used, damaged, or materially different state, you may be granted a partial refund.

To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.

View our full returns policy here.

Availability: In Stock.
Fulfilled by Amazon
Arrives Thursday, Mar 6
Order within 37 minutes
Available payment plans shown during checkout

Description

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 Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Belknap Press An Imprint of Harvard University Press; Reprint edition (February 8, 2022)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 432 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0674271033


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 36


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 1.25 x 8 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #250,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #417 in United States Executive Government #556 in U.S. Revolution & Founding History #922 in History & Theory of Politics


#417 in United States Executive Government:


#556 in U.S. Revolution & Founding History:


Frequently asked questions

If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is: Thursday, Mar 6

Yes, absolutely! You may return this product for a full refund within 30 days of receiving it.

To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.

View our full returns policy here.

  • Klarna Financing
  • Affirm Pay in 4
  • Affirm Financing
  • Afterpay Financing
  • PayTomorrow Financing
  • Financing through Apple Pay
Leasing options through Acima may also be available during checkout.

Learn more about financing & leasing here.

Similar Products

Top Amazon Reviews

    • Prepare for a lecture.
I enjoy Dr. Chervinsky on the "Thomas Jefferson Hour" podcast. She is witty, learned, interesting and has a take no nonsense attitude. That is what I was expecting here. Instead we got her classroom lecture, which was informative and instructional but none of the scathing humor I was expecting. Dr. Chervinsky is well prepared. She makes a statement and then she proves it, thoroughly. She avoids opinion and presents facts. It is not open to interpretation, this is what was said and done. Washington's thoughts and motivations are clearly presented and explored. This is a slow read. Chervinsky wants to make sure we are prepared for her message, which we don't get until the epilogue. I get the idea that this book was motivated by concern regarding how Donald Trump created and used his Cabinet. Trump organized his Cabinet to suit his leadership style. Which is fine, that is what every president since Washington has done. Chervinsky's message, I believe, is that the Cabinet MUST also reflect America, which did not happen under Trump. I believe Dr. Chervinsky's concern is well founded. Our government MUST reflect who we are, how we think, how we live. Which is why I wish that she had been stronger about pushing her message. I understand her caution. She does not want to be dismissed simply as yet another Trump hater. Her message is important and needs to be heard. Perhaps she can publish a 2nd edition, after Mr. Trump is, um, no longer a public figure. She could include a forword or an afterword focusing deeper into Mr. Trump's Cabinet. Or simply write a book on Trump's presidency. Yes, I do recommend reading this book, it is well worth the effort. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2023 by Old Time Tales
    • Highly readable, well researched, informative narrative
In Lindsay Chervinky's The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution, the reader is afforded the opportunity to learn how President George Washington utilized the managerial skills he learned as commander of the Continental Army and incorporated them into the creation of the first presidential cabinet. The cabinet, functioning in a similar fashion as Washington's most trusted military advisors from the Revolutionary War were essential in assisting the first president in the decision making process related to both domestic and international issues. The narrative highlights how Washington relied upon the opinions of Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Henry Know, and Edmund Randolph both in oral and written form to guide him through his use of the executive powers of the presidency. Through detailed analysis of incidents such as Shays Rebellion, the Neutrality Crisis, the Whiskey Rebellion, and the Jay Treaty, Chervinsky shows the inner workings of the cabinet. More importantly, Chervinsky highlights Washington's skill in managing four differing personalities, who despite personal animosity between some (jefferson and Hamiliton) worked to ensure the executive branch was not merely a figurehead position, but one with relevant functions within the national government. Towards the end of Washington's presidency, we are introduced to new members of the cabinet and are shown how the president began to rely less on his cabinet, other than Randolph for important decisions. We see a president who by this point in his presidency has undergone intense criticism and dealt with government authorities (federal and state) who were unwilling to work with him for the good of the nation, but more so for the good of either the Federalist party or the Republican-Democratic party. We see the frustration in Washington as these political opponents often tried to undermine the executive power of the President. But we are also shown how Washington stuck to his foundation and used his cabinet and other advisors to defeat the opposition and achieve results for the good of the nation. While not all of the decisions may have been the correct one's, they were not made through impulsive acts. They were made through careful deliberations and consultations and a thorough review of evidence. Concluding the narrative, Chervinsky brings to light the influence Washington's use of the cabinet had on his successors up to the modern era. While not all presidents have had the same success as Washington had with his cabinet or have utilized the cabinet in the same manner as Washington, the tools and techniques he used within his own cabinet carried over to John Adams and Thomas Jefferson and many more presidents that followed. For those seeking an understanding of Washington's inner circle of advisors and how they along with the first President managed the first eight years of the executive office, this narrative is the perfect start. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2020 by Gerald
    • Important history
I read this book right after I read David S. Heidler and Jeanne T. Heidler's 2015 book "Washington's Circle," which I enjoyed, but I couldn't help wondering while reading if it might have been better as a more tightly focused story of George Washington's Cabinet as opposed to a more wide-ranging story of all the family, friends, colleagues and advisers who influenced him. Well, "The Cabinet" is exactly that - a tightly focused story on Washington's Cabinet, how it came to be, how its members came to be a part of it, and how it evolved into Washington's go-to advisory board. It's a very thorough, well-researched history that provides a window into Washington's management style, as well as the personalities of - and the occasional clashes between - those who served him. I would say the writing style is somewhat more prosaic than lyrical. Topics are clearly signposted at the beginning of each chapter, points are made, restated and summarized, and every chapter ends with a point-by-point review of "what we've learned." So it's more of an academic work than a general-interest read - there's a lot more storytelling and insightful, revealing anecdotes in the Heidlers' work, for example - but that's not to say that "The Cabinet" is a heavy lift. For a serious history, it's still very readable and not at all dense. It's just the kind of book to read if you want to learn something, not if you're just looking to be entertained. I think the other side of the coin in how Washington created the idea of the Cabinet as a presidential advisory board, is why it's not really used that way today. The Cabinet has become so large, and has been largely supplanted by non-Cabinet confidantes like the Chief of Staff, National Security Advisor, President's counsel, various strategists and assistants to the President, etc., that the Cabinet itself simply isn't used in the way that it was in Washington's time. I would have liked for the epilogue to get into this a bit. Instead, the epilogue explains how Adams and Jefferson largely followed Washington's lead with their own Cabinets - then makes the dizzying, sweeping statement that every other president pretty much followed the same pattern until Trump came along. I think the book wades into potentially treacherous territory with the Trump references in the epilogue. One, it dates the book - this book should stand as the definitive history of Washington's Cabinet, but it's going to feel outdated once Trump is out of office. And two, while I don't necessarily dispute the characterizations of Trump's Cabinet as compared to other presidents' (nor with what I perceived as a subtle dig in the end notes, saying Jefferson's Republican Party "should not be confused with the Republican Party that emerged in the 1850's, nor the Republican Party of the twenty-first century"), it's too simplistic to suggest that every Presidential Cabinet in history has been wonderful until Trump came along. Either trace the evolution of the Cabinet from Washington to Trump, or it would have been better to just leave Trump out of it altogether and keep the entire book focused on Washington's time. Ultimately, this is a good companion piece to "Washington's Circle," though I would read "The Cabinet" first for the nuts and bolts, and then "Washington's Circle" for a broader view. As a first-time author, Dr. Chervinsky has done a great job. And as a young, female Washington biographer, she's to be commended for doing the hard work and letting that work speak for itself, as compared to a certain one of her contemporaries whose Washington book came out at about the same time, and who spends far too much time patting herself on the back for being a young, female Washington biographer. I look forward to Dr. Chervinsky's next book, whatever it might be, and hopefully many more to come. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2020 by wcw

Can't find a product?

Find it on Amazon first, then paste the link below.