The cabinet : George Washington and the creation of an American institution.

Winner of the DAR Excellence in American History Book Award Winner of the Thomas J. Wilson Memorial Prize “Cogent, lucid, and concise...indispensable guide to the creation of the cabinet. With her groundbreaking study, we can now have a much greater appreciation of...one of the major legacies of George Washington’s enlightened statecraft.” ―Ron Chernow, author of Washington: A Life The US Constitution never established a presidential cabinet―the delegates to the Constitutional Convention explicitly rejected the idea. So how did George Washington create one of the most powerful bodies in the federal government? 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. Washington was on his own. Faced with diplomatic crises, domestic insurrections, and constitutional challenges―and finding congressional help lacking―Washington decided he needed a group of advisors he could turn to. He modeled his new cabinet on the councils of war he had led as commander of the Continental Army. In the early days, the cabinet served at the president’s pleasure. Washington tinkered with its structure throughout his administration, at times calling regular meetings, at other times preferring written advice and individual discussions. Lindsay M. Chervinsky reveals the far-reaching consequences of Washington’s choice. The tensions in the cabinet between Hamilton and Jefferson heightened partisanship and contributed to the development of the first party system. And as Washington faced an increasingly recalcitrant Congress, he came to treat the cabinet as a private advisory body to summon as needed, greatly expanding the role of the president and the executive branch. The Us Constitution Never Established A Presidential Cabinet-the Delegates To The Constitutional Convention Explicitly Rejected The Idea. So How Did George Washington Create One Of The Most Powerful Bodies In The Federal Government? 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. Washington Was On His Own. Faced With Diplomatic Crises, Domestic Insurrections, And Constitutional Challenges-and Finding Congressional Help Lacking-washington Decided He Needed A Group Of Advisors He Could Turn To. He Modeled His New Cabinet On The Councils Of War He Had Led As Commander Of The Continental Army. In The Early Days, The Cabinet Served At The President's Pleasure. Washington Tinkered With Its Structure Throughout His Administration, At Times Calling Regular Meetings, At Other Times Preferring Written Advice And Individual Discussions. Lindsay M. Chervinsky Reveals The Far-reaching Consequences Of Washington's Choice. The Tensions In The Cabinet Between Hamilton And Jefferson Heightened Partisanship And Contributed To The Development Of The First Party System. And As Washington Faced An Increasingly Recalcitrant Congress, He Came To Treat The Cabinet As A Private Advisory Body To Summon As Needed, Greatly Expanding The Role Of The President And The Executive Branch-- Forged In War -- The Original Team Of Rivals -- Setting The Stage -- The Early Years -- The Cabinet Emerges -- A Foreign Challenge -- A Domestic Threat -- A Cabinet In Crisis. Lindsay M. Chervinsky. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The surprising history of the scientific method—from an evolutionary account of thinking to a simple set of steps—and the rise of psychology in the nineteenth century. The idea of a single scientific method, shared across specialties and teachable to ten-year-olds, is just over a hundred years old. For centuries prior, science had meant a kind of knowledge, made from facts gathered through direct observation or deduced from first principles. But during the nineteenth century, science came to mean something else: a way of thinking. The Scientific Method tells the story of how this approach took hold in laboratories, the field, and eventually classrooms, where science was once taught as a natural process. Henry M. Cowles reveals the intertwined histories of evolution and experiment, from Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection to John Dewey's vision for science education. Darwin portrayed nature as akin to a man of science, experimenting through evolution, while his followers turned his theory onto the mind itself. Psychologists reimagined the scientific method as a problem-solving adaptation, a basic feature of cognition that had helped humans prosper. This was how Dewey and other educators taught science at the turn of the twentieth century—but their organic account was not to last. Soon, the scientific method was reimagined as a means of controlling nature, not a product of it. By shedding its roots in evolutionary theory, the scientific method came to seem far less natural, but far more powerful. This book reveals the origin of a fundamental modern concept. Once seen as a natural adaptation, the method soon became a symbol of science's power over nature, a power that, until recently, has rarely been called into question.

Winner of the Daughters of the American Revolution'sExcellence in American History Book Award Winner of the Thomas J.Wilson Memorial Prize "Cogent, lucid, and concise...Anindispensable guide to the creation of thecabinet...Groundbreaking...we can now have a much greater appreciationof this essential American institution, one of the major legaciesof George Washington's enlightened statecraft." -Ron Chernow OnNovember 26, 1791, George Washington convened his departmentsecretaries-Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Henry Knox, andEdmund Randolph-for the first cabinet meeting. Why did he wait twoand a half years into his presidency to call his cabinet? Becausethe US Constitution did not create or provide for such a body.Faced with diplomatic crises, domestic insurrection, andconstitutional challenges-and finding congressional help distinctlylacking-he decided he needed a group of advisors he could turn tofor guidance. Authoritative and compulsively readable, TheCabinet reveals the far-reaching consequences of thisdecision. To Washington's dismay, the tensions between Hamilton andJefferson sharpened partisan divides, contributing to thedevelopment of the first party system. As he faced an increasinglyrecalcitrant Congress, he came to treat the cabinet as a privateadvisory body, greatly expanding the role of the executive branchand indelibly transforming the presidency. "Important andilluminating...an original angle of vision on the foundations anddevelopment of something we all take for granted." -Jon Meacham"Fantastic...A compelling story." -New Criterion "Helps us understandpivotal moments in the 1790s and the creation of an independent,effective executive." -Wall Street Journal

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 "The US Constitution never established a presidential cabinet-the delegates to the Constitutional Convention explicitly rejected the idea. So how did George Washington create one of the most powerful bodies in the federal government? 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. Washington was on his own. Faced with diplomatic crises, domestic insurrections, and constitutional challenges-and finding congressional help lacking-Washington decided he needed a group of advisors he could turn to. He modeled his new cabinet on the councils of war he had led as commander of the Continental Army. In the early days, the cabinet served at the president's pleasure. Washington tinkered with its structure throughout his administration, at times calling regular meetings, at other times preferring written advice and individual discussions. Lindsay M. Chervinsky reveals the far-reaching consequences of Washington's choice. The tensions in the cabinet between Hamilton and Jefferson heightened partisanship and contributed to the development of the first party system. And as Washington faced an increasingly recalcitrant Congress, he came to treat the cabinet as a private advisory body to summon as needed, greatly expanding the role of the president and the executive branch"-- Provided by publisher 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...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 "Helps us understand pivotal moments in the 1790s and the creation of an independent, effective executive." --Wall Street Journal "Fantastic...A compelling story." --New Criterion 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 insurrections, and constitutional challenges--and finding congressional help distinctly lacking--Washington decided he needed to pull together a group of advisors he could turn to for guidance. Authoritative and compulsively readable, The Cabinet reveals the far-reaching consequences of that choice. The tensions in the cabinet between Hamilton and Jefferson sharpened partisan divides, contributing to the development of the first party system. And as Washington faced an increasingly recalcitrant Congress, he came to treat the cabinet as a private advisory body, greatly expanding the role of the president and executive branch. "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 U.S. Constitution did not create or provide for such a body. Washington was on his own. Faced with diplomatic crises, domestic insurrections, and constitutional challenges—and finding congressional help lacking—Washington decided he needed a group of advisors he could turn to. He modeled his new cabinet on the councils of war he had led as commander of the Continental Army. In the early days, the cabinet served at the president’s pleasure. Washington tinkered with its structure throughout his administration, at times calling regular meetings, at other times preferring written advice and individual discussions. Lindsay M. Chervinsky reveals the far-reaching consequences of Washington’s choice. The tensions in the cabinet between Hamilton and Jefferson heightened partisanship and contributed to the development of the first party system. And as Washington faced an increasingly recalcitrant Congress, he came to treat the cabinet as a private advisory body to summon as needed, greatly expanding the role of the president and the executive branch." -- description from publisher's website The US Constitution says nothing about a presidential cabinet, yet this institution has grown powerful. Lindsay M. Chervinsky tells the story of George Washington’s cabinet, an ad hoc panel that responded to emergencies of the day. It is supposed to be the Senate’s job to advise the president, but the first cabinet changed that expectation forever. The scientific method is just over a hundred years old. From debates about the evolution of the human mind to the rise of instrumental reasoning, Henry M. Cowles shows how the idea of a single "scientific method" emerged from a turn inward by psychologists that produced powerful epistemological and historical effects that are still with us today