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A review by donaldleitch
The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution by Lindsay M. Chervinsky
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.25
The Cabinet was a thoroughly interesting read. Lindsay Chervinsky's writing is clear and engaging.
The Cabinet offers considerable insight into the workings of George Washington's first cabinet and the personalities that sat around the small Cabinet table in George Washington's home study. Washington's first Cabinet dealt with the endless crises, domestic and international, that the new American republic faced. Washington and the four secretaries (Hamilton, Jefferson, Knox and Randolph) become multi-dimensional people with strengths, flaws and biases. Washington was aware that in holding these Cabinet meetings, he was setting the precedents that would guide decision-making by subsequent presidents and their administrations. He exercised this power carefully and wth great political acuity. A fascinating point relates to the term "Cabinet". Washington refused to use the term until after the conclusion of his presidency as he feared people may have identified it with the British crown.
I would recommend this well-researched book to anyone wishing to learn more of the formative years of the United States and its government.
The Cabinet offers considerable insight into the workings of George Washington's first cabinet and the personalities that sat around the small Cabinet table in George Washington's home study. Washington's first Cabinet dealt with the endless crises, domestic and international, that the new American republic faced. Washington and the four secretaries (Hamilton, Jefferson, Knox and Randolph) become multi-dimensional people with strengths, flaws and biases. Washington was aware that in holding these Cabinet meetings, he was setting the precedents that would guide decision-making by subsequent presidents and their administrations. He exercised this power carefully and wth great political acuity. A fascinating point relates to the term "Cabinet". Washington refused to use the term until after the conclusion of his presidency as he feared people may have identified it with the British crown.
I would recommend this well-researched book to anyone wishing to learn more of the formative years of the United States and its government.