Washington's Government: Charting the Origins of the Federal Administration

Description

Washington’s Government shows how George Washington’s administration―the subject of remarkably little previous study―was both more dynamic and more uncertain than previously thought. Rather than simply following a blueprint laid out by the Constitution, Washington and his advisors constructed over time a series of possible mechanisms for doing the nation’s business. The results were successful in some cases, disastrous in others. Yet at the end of Washington’s second term, there was no denying that the federal government had achieved remarkable results. As Americans debate the nature of good national governance two and a half centuries after the founding, this volume’s insights appear timelier than ever. ContributorsLindsay M. Chervinsky, Iona College * Gautham Rao, American University * Kate Elizabeth Brown, Huntington University * Stephen J. Rockwell, St. Joseph’s College * Andrew J. B. Fagal, Princeton University, * Daniel Hulsebosch, New York University * Rosemarie Zagarri, George Mason University Contents Acknowledgments Introduction George Washington and the Cabinet Washington’s Workforce The Theory and Practice of Federalist Political Economy Creating Interdepartmental Collaboration Indian Affairs and the Relentless American State “The Next Great Work to Be Accomplished” From Constitution Making to State Building The Legislative Output of Congress Afterword Contributors Index