The Presidency of George Washington - (American Presidency) by Forrest McDonald

Book Synopsis

In this volume, Forrest McDonald admits that George Washington was no executive genius, and notes that a number of his advisers and cabinet members were considerably more important in formulating programs and policies than he was. Nevertheless, he maintains that, but for Washington, the office of president might not exist today. McDonald asserts that Washington's reputation as a man of integrity, dignity, candor, and republican virtue was well-deserved, and that he contributed best by serving as a symbol.

The book covers the central concerns of Washington's administration: a complex tangle of war debts; the organization of the Bank of the United States; geographical and social factionalism; the emergence of strong national partisan politics; adjustments in federal-state relations; the effort to remain neutral in the face of European tumult; the opening of the Mississippi River; and the removal of the threat of Indians and British in the Northwest Territory. McDonald also describes the rivalry between Washington's two most important department heads, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton.

From the Back Cover

'One of the most imaginative and suggestive works on the Washington years. McDonald has demonstrated in this work that presidential history can still be lively and compelling.'

Review Quotes

"A brilliant book. . . . It is pleasant to read, arresting, decisive, concise . . . a tour de force."--Washington Post

"One of the most imaginative and suggestive works on the Washington years. McDonald has demonstrated in this work that presidential history can still be lively and compelling."--History: Reviews of New Books

"Lucid, pungent, and convincing. Likely to become the standard brief account of Washington's administration."--Historian

"To a thrice-told tale, McDonald brings such zest and imaginative reconstruction that the narrative is shot through with new meaning. Nowhere will the student of American political history find a more explicit explanation of the early relations between Congress and the presidential office."--Presidential Studies Quarterly

"A deeply provocative and exciting book."--Journal of American History

"Intelligent, knowledgeable, incisive, lucid . . . [and] entertaining."--Journal of Southern History