The Presidency of George Washington

by Forrest McDonald

American Presidency Series (1)

84 Members (3.86)

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"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 show more 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."-- show less

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Founding Father
104 works; 11 members

Author Information

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29+ Works 1,693 Members
Forrest McDonald was born in Orange, Texas on January 7, 1927. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and received a doctorate there in 1955. He taught history at Brown University, Wayne State University, and the University of Alabama, where he retired in 2002. He wrote more than a dozen books including Novus Ordo Seclorum: The show more Intellectual Origins of the Constitution, The American Presidency: An Intellectual History, and biographies of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. He died of heart failure on January 19, 2016 at the age of 89. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Series

Common Knowledge

Canonical title
The Presidency of George Washington
People/Characters
George Washington
Dedication
For Sam - The Best Man I Know
First words
The significance of George Washington to the presidency of the United States is somewhat different from what is commonly supposed.

Classifications

Genres
History, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir, Politics and Government
DDC/MDS
973.4History & geographyHistory of North AmericaUnited StatesConstitutional period (1789-1809)
LCC
E311 .M12History of the United StatesUnited StatesRevolution to the Civil War, 1775/1783-1861By period1789-1809. Constitutional periodWashington's administrations, 1789-1797
BISAC

Statistics

Members
84
Popularity
383,535
Rating
(3.86)
Languages
English
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
4