The Cabinet

George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution

By: Lindsay M. Chervinsky

Narrated by: Janet Metzger

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.

©2020 The President and Fellows of Harvard College (P)2020 Tantor

Not quite convinced

Interesting content — much I had never heard before. Strong need for stubborn editor — lots of repetition, 1/3 too long. Mildly annoying narration — too emotive. This is not a romance. All things considered — I am very glad I listened.

Great Insight into Washington’s Presidency

The cabinet is a wonderfully written book. It offers a unique insight into how Washington ran the government during his presidency. You might be surprised to discover how much conflict existed between the legislative oversight and executive branches.

Wonderful, informative read

This book provided a surprising amount of information about a period of American history that I thought I knew extremely well. The reading was well done. Just a wonderful overall experience.

Wisdoms is in multiple heads talking together

Lindsey Chervinsky gives us a well-researched treatise on the origin and original functionality of the President’s cabinet. The US Constitution lays out some general duties of the President but left it up to the President to flesh out the details based on real-time experience. However, the idea of a cabinet was, in some ways, a touchy subject. There were suggestions at the Constitutional Convention to include a cabinet but these were soundly rejected. Our leaders at that time had the experience of the British cabinet on their minds, an institution that held significant powers with little strong oversight from Parliament or the King. With fears of a too-strong presidency already dominating the thinking of many, they feared any institution that might draw on the precedent of the British model.  

It was okay for him to appoint heads of departments and to ask advice of them in matters related to their department, but they feared a president relying too much on the discussions and possibly decisions of a group of people. Thus it was two and one-half years into his first term before he called a meeting of his department heads together for advice. 

Chervinsky emphasizes Washington’s military background as well as his own personality. We may think of Washington as a heroic father figure who was all wise and a great leader on his own. In fact, Washington’s wisdom was in gathering experts around him that he plied for information and advice, respecting them whether he took their advice or not, but making the final decision himself. That was his strength as a military leader and he took that humility into the presidency as well. That first cabinet meeting was a significant crisis and he wanted to hear from many different corners (and his cabinet included such polar opposites as Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson) before making the weighty decisions needed. 

So, while the cabinet had been rejected by the writers of the Constitution, there was nothing in the Constitution that forbade it. It was the personal choice of the president and Washington set the precedent that has continued, though adapted, throughout the presidency to this day. It was an advisory body and didn’t make decisions, which were left to the president. And, the whole cabinet met to give advice whether the issue was something directly under their department or not. 

Chervinsky goes through the history of the British cabinet, the discussions of the Constitutional Convention, and the history and personality of Washington. She shows how the cabinet helped in two major crises, one international and one domestic. Washington’s careful wording of the declaration of neutrality when war broke out between France and Britain is discussed in detail, but particularly the role that the cabinet played in the decision and in the wording of the declaration, which successfully kept the fledgling nation out of war at a time when it needed stability. The Whiskey Rebellion was a great test of the nation's will to remain united as well as the role of the federal government in a conflict in a single state. While this was an issue that fell under the Treasury Department, the input received from other cabinet members was invaluable at coming to a good solution both for the immediate problem but for the long-term precedent that all actions would create. 

Chervinsky writes in a style that can be easily read by anyone interested in history or government. Her research into Washington’s life and work is especially helpful and makes the book even more relevant to today as the role of the president is under such scrutiny. Washington created a cabinet because he wanted to listen. He was decisive but not impulsive nor foolish. He never felt that he had all the answers or that only he could solve things. 

I wouldn’t say that there is nothing that could be improved in this book. There were several places where it seemed that whole paragraphs were repeated. I’d like to have seen more about the parallels between his leadership as general and as president. But, I’d still highly recommend it to anyone who is thinking about the presidency and how it should operate. For that, this book provides food for thought and a good foundation for further study. 

Pretty dry.

Struggled to finish. Monotone narrator. A little repetitive. But a good look into the mind and heart of Washington.

Great historical view

This book explains Washington’s experience with various advisers and how the cabinet was put into practice by him.

Remarkable History Lesson

I had no idea what this was going to be like other then I truly had no idea of how the presidents cabinet came to be. This book was so detailed and yet so engrossing I could not put the book down and when I did I had to get this audio book. Truly a great read and a wonderful listen. Hope to see many more works by Dr. Chervinsky in the feature. Highly recommend this if you love history or just wonder how the Presidents Cabinet came to be. A fantastic Job by the Story teller Janet Metzger Thank you to all.

Fruitful review of the first Presidency

A well researched and developed story with much needed annotations of sourcing. I did feel like this was multiple theses puzzles together, because certain lines are repeated about the foundational knowledge.

Loved it

Not exactly what I expected but I thought it was great. Learned lots! Expected just a bit more of the cabinet and less history about each person. Still enjoyable!

An outstanding read

This is an outstanding history & political science book, it should be satisfying to the American history scholar, dabbler and even to the general reader. Chervinsky does a great job showing how the cabinet system was formed by reference the British models (pro & con), the operation of both states in the early Republic & the Confederation Congress, how Washington put his stamp on creating the cabinet system, and 'operated" it through the crises of the 8 years of his Administration. The book is revealing on how unstable and contentious Washington's cabinet turned out to be, with particular focus on Jefferson vs Hamilton, Jefferson's growing disloyalty, and such challenges as the Whiskey Rebellion, the Jay Treaty, the resignation of Edmund Randolph & relations with the unstable French government (and its ambassadors). The book is well-written - clear, short sentences, well organized sections & paragraphs, not afflicted with the terrific density of multi-syllabic words, and it is light on theory/philosophy. The narration by Janet Metzger is excellent.