-
The Cabinet
- George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution
- Narrated by: Janet Metzger
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $21.49
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Great first listens
![The Housemaid Audiobook By Freida McFadden cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51+UxIo+YNL._SL240_.jpg)
![Listen for the Lie Audiobook By Amy Tintera cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51zllGBPiuL._SL240_.jpg)
![Project Hail Mary Audiobook By Andy Weir cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51b6fvQr1-L._SL240_.jpg)
![The Housemaid's Secret Audiobook By Freida McFadden cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51WR3i5EfIL._SL240_.jpg)
![Kingdom of Ash Audiobook By Sarah J. Maas cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51r5TOoIdRL._SL240_.jpg)
![Tower of Dawn Audiobook By Sarah J. Maas cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51JhJaNpMWL._SL240_.jpg)
![A Court of Thorns and Roses (Part 2 of 2) (Dramatized Adaptation) Audiobook By Sarah J. Maas cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51vJxchNsxL._SL240_.jpg)
![Verity Audiobook By Colleen Hoover cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/511i1nvprYL._SL240_.jpg)
![The Duke and I Audiobook By Julia Quinn cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51XnZ3udYnL._SL240_.jpg)
![The Nightingale Audiobook By Kristin Hannah cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51lJVAGTuNL._SL240_.jpg)
![Words of Radiance Audiobook By Brandon Sanderson cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51yEEt2q0vL._SL240_.jpg)
![The Way of Kings Audiobook By Brandon Sanderson cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51hAwcG3oNL._SL240_.jpg)
![An Offer from a Gentleman Audiobook By Julia Quinn cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51qhFc8LJqL._SL240_.jpg)
![The Final Empire Audiobook By Brandon Sanderson cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61rYqiz8yJL._SL240_.jpg)
![The Inmate Audiobook By Freida McFadden cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51ORE1dbOaL._SL240_.jpg)
![Fourth Wing (Part 1 of 2) (Dramatized Adaptation) Audiobook By Rebecca Yarros cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61i95pK0DoL._SL240_.jpg)
![The Idea of You Audiobook By Robinne Lee cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41-CB3k8DrL._SL240_.jpg)
![James Audiobook By Percival Everett cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31FeDPikCWL._SL240_.jpg)
![The Serpent and the Wings of Night Audiobook By Carissa Broadbent cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61VDeWSV8iL._SL240_.jpg)
![The Viscount Who Loved Me Audiobook By Julia Quinn cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/515SoOHheML._SL240_.jpg)
![The Perfect Son Audiobook By Freida McFadden cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/510Bt0n2r-L._SL240_.jpg)
![Break Me Audiobook By K. A. Tucker cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/512TJtt1MlL._SL240_.jpg)
![The Well of Ascension Audiobook By Brandon Sanderson cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61jTUT0xfCL._SL240_.jpg)
![We Are Legion (We Are Bob) Audiobook By Dennis E. Taylor cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51rt2pFIW7L._SL240_.jpg)
![Oathbringer Audiobook By Brandon Sanderson cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51fKpuTPMdL._SL240_.jpg)
![The Great Alone Audiobook By Kristin Hannah cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51NeDaxcJwL._SL240_.jpg)
![The Hero of Ages Audiobook By Brandon Sanderson cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/611IBQxExyL._SL240_.jpg)
![The Mountain Is You Audiobook By Brianna Wiest cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41jiySKmibL._SL240_.jpg)
![Dawnshard Audiobook By Brandon Sanderson cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51oUwcEc9UL._SL240_.jpg)
![Unfu*k Yourself Audiobook By Gary John Bishop cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51l9kZheEAL._SL240_.jpg)
Publisher's summary
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.
Related to this topic
-
Franklin & Washington
- The Founding Partnership
- By: Edward J. Larson
- Narrated by: Andrew Tell
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Today the United States is the world’s great superpower, and yet we also wrestle with the government Franklin and Washington created more than two centuries ago - the power of the executive branch, the principle of checks and balances, the electoral college - as well as the wounds of their compromise over slavery. Now, as the founding institutions appear under new stress, it is time to understand their origins through the fresh lens of Larson’s Franklin & Washington, a major addition to the literature of the founding era.
-
-
Two together, written about at same time
- By fair & balanced on 03-28-21
By: Edward J. Larson
-
Washington and Hamilton
- The Alliance That Forged America
- By: Stephen F. Knott, Tony Williams
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the wake of the American Revolution, the Founding Fathers faced a daunting task: overcome their competing visions to build a new nation, the likes of which the world had never seen. Washington and Hamilton chronicles the unlikely collaboration between two conflicting characters working together to protect their hard-won freedoms. Yet while Washington and Hamilton's different personalities often led to fruitful collaboration, their conflicting ideals also tested the boundaries of their relationship - and threatened the future of the new republic.
-
-
Biography
- By Emily on 06-14-18
By: Stephen F. Knott, and others
-
A Country of Vast Designs
- James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent
- By: Robert W. Merry
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 18 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When James K. Polk was elected president in 1844, the United States was locked in a bitter diplomatic struggle with Britain over the rich lands of the Oregon Territory, which included what is now Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Texas, not yet part of the Union, was threatened by a more powerful Mexico. And the territories north and west of Texas---what would become California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and part of Colorado---belonged to Mexico.
-
-
A Decent Overview of Polk's Presidency
- By James on 06-20-10
By: Robert W. Merry
-
A Leap in the Dark
- The Struggle to Create the American Republic
- By: John Ferling
- Narrated by: Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff
- Length: 23 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It was an age of fascinating leaders and difficult choices, of grand ideas eloquently expressed and of epic conflicts bitterly fought. Now comes a brilliant portrait of the American Revolution, one that is compelling in its prose, fascinating in its details, and provocative in its fresh interpretations.
-
-
Loved every minute!
- By Richard on 03-03-15
By: John Ferling
-
The Virginia Dynasty
- Four Presidents and the Creation of the American Nation
- By: Lynne Cheney
- Narrated by: Nan McNamara
- Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A vivid account of leadership focusing on the first four Virginia presidents - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe - from the best-selling historian and author of James Madison.
-
-
Captivating
- By Jean on 11-19-20
By: Lynne Cheney
-
How the West Stole Democracy from the Arabs
- The Syrian Congress of 1920 and the Destruction of its Historic Liberal-Islamic Alliance
- By: Elizabeth F. Thompson
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 15 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Europe's Great War engulfed the Ottoman Empire, Arab nationalists rose in revolt against the Turks. The British supported the Arabs' fight for an independent state and sent an intelligence officer, T. E. Lawrence, to join Prince Faisal, leader of the Arab army and a descendant of the Prophet. In October 1918, Faisal, Lawrence, and the Arabs victoriously entered Damascus, where they declared a constitutional government in an independent Greater Syria. At the Paris Peace Conference, Faisal won the support of President Woodrow Wilson.
-
-
Good listen
- By Amazon Customer on 08-09-24
-
Franklin & Washington
- The Founding Partnership
- By: Edward J. Larson
- Narrated by: Andrew Tell
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Today the United States is the world’s great superpower, and yet we also wrestle with the government Franklin and Washington created more than two centuries ago - the power of the executive branch, the principle of checks and balances, the electoral college - as well as the wounds of their compromise over slavery. Now, as the founding institutions appear under new stress, it is time to understand their origins through the fresh lens of Larson’s Franklin & Washington, a major addition to the literature of the founding era.
-
-
Two together, written about at same time
- By fair & balanced on 03-28-21
By: Edward J. Larson
-
Washington and Hamilton
- The Alliance That Forged America
- By: Stephen F. Knott, Tony Williams
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the wake of the American Revolution, the Founding Fathers faced a daunting task: overcome their competing visions to build a new nation, the likes of which the world had never seen. Washington and Hamilton chronicles the unlikely collaboration between two conflicting characters working together to protect their hard-won freedoms. Yet while Washington and Hamilton's different personalities often led to fruitful collaboration, their conflicting ideals also tested the boundaries of their relationship - and threatened the future of the new republic.
-
-
Biography
- By Emily on 06-14-18
By: Stephen F. Knott, and others
-
A Country of Vast Designs
- James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent
- By: Robert W. Merry
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 18 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When James K. Polk was elected president in 1844, the United States was locked in a bitter diplomatic struggle with Britain over the rich lands of the Oregon Territory, which included what is now Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Texas, not yet part of the Union, was threatened by a more powerful Mexico. And the territories north and west of Texas---what would become California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and part of Colorado---belonged to Mexico.
-
-
A Decent Overview of Polk's Presidency
- By James on 06-20-10
By: Robert W. Merry
-
A Leap in the Dark
- The Struggle to Create the American Republic
- By: John Ferling
- Narrated by: Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff
- Length: 23 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It was an age of fascinating leaders and difficult choices, of grand ideas eloquently expressed and of epic conflicts bitterly fought. Now comes a brilliant portrait of the American Revolution, one that is compelling in its prose, fascinating in its details, and provocative in its fresh interpretations.
-
-
Loved every minute!
- By Richard on 03-03-15
By: John Ferling
-
The Virginia Dynasty
- Four Presidents and the Creation of the American Nation
- By: Lynne Cheney
- Narrated by: Nan McNamara
- Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A vivid account of leadership focusing on the first four Virginia presidents - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe - from the best-selling historian and author of James Madison.
-
-
Captivating
- By Jean on 11-19-20
By: Lynne Cheney
-
How the West Stole Democracy from the Arabs
- The Syrian Congress of 1920 and the Destruction of its Historic Liberal-Islamic Alliance
- By: Elizabeth F. Thompson
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 15 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Europe's Great War engulfed the Ottoman Empire, Arab nationalists rose in revolt against the Turks. The British supported the Arabs' fight for an independent state and sent an intelligence officer, T. E. Lawrence, to join Prince Faisal, leader of the Arab army and a descendant of the Prophet. In October 1918, Faisal, Lawrence, and the Arabs victoriously entered Damascus, where they declared a constitutional government in an independent Greater Syria. At the Paris Peace Conference, Faisal won the support of President Woodrow Wilson.
-
-
Good listen
- By Amazon Customer on 08-09-24
-
Founding Rivals
- Madison vs. Monroe, the Bill of Rights, and the Election that Saved a Nation
- By: Chris DeRose
- Narrated by: Adam Verner
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1789, James Madison and James Monroe ran against each other for Congress-the only time that two future presidents have contested a congressional seat. But what was at stake, as author Chris DeRose reveals in Founding Rivals: Madison vs. Monroe, the Bill of Rights, and the Election That Saved a Nation, was more than personal ambition. This was a race that determined the future of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the very definition of the United States of America.
-
-
A Must for Anyone Interested in the Constitution
- By Garshom L. Arkoff on 07-09-13
By: Chris DeRose
-
The Three Lives of James Madison
- Genius, Partisan, President
- By: Noah Feldman
- Narrated by: John H. Mayer
- Length: 34 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over the course of his life, James Madison changed the United States three times: First, he designed the Constitution, led the struggle for its adoption and ratification, then drafted the Bill of Rights. As an older, cannier politician, he cofounded the original Republican party, setting the course of American political partisanship. Finally, having pioneered a foreign policy based on economic sanctions, he took the United States into a high-risk conflict, becoming the first wartime president and, despite the odds, winning.
-
-
Cogently organized, meticulously balanced
- By Diana Black Kennedy on 06-15-18
By: Noah Feldman
-
The Return of George Washington: 1783-1789
- By: Edward Larson
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Although Washington is often overlooked in most accounts of the period, this masterful new history from Pulitzer Prize winner Edward J. Larson brilliantly uncovers Washington's vital role in shaping the Convention - and shows how it was only with Washington’s support and his willingness to serve as President that the states were brought together and ratified the Constitution, thereby saving the country.
-
-
A readable history
- By Jean on 10-21-14
By: Edward Larson
-
Saving Freedom
- Truman, the Cold War, and the Fight for Western Civilization
- By: Joe Scarborough
- Narrated by: Joe Scarborough
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
History called on Harry Truman to unite the Western world against Soviet communism, but first he had to rally Republicans and Democrats behind America’s most dramatic foreign policy shift since George Washington delivered his farewell address. How did one of the least prepared presidents to walk into the Oval Office become one of its most successful?
-
-
An engaging review of a remarkable president
- By Mark A on 11-29-20
By: Joe Scarborough
-
John Tyler, the Accidental President
- By: Edward P. Crapol
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The first vice president to become president on the death of the incumbent, John Tyler (1790-1862) was derided by critics as "His Accidency." In this biography of the 10th president, Edward P. Crapol challenges depictions of Tyler as a die-hard advocate of states' rights, limited government, and a strict interpretation of the Constitution. Instead, he argues, Tyler manipulated the Constitution to increase the executive power of the presidency. Crapol also highlights Tyler's faith in America's national destiny and his belief in boundless territorial expansion.
-
-
Terrible book :( Incredibly TEDIOUS.
- By Mike on 10-02-19
By: Edward P. Crapol
-
Plain, Honest Men
- The Making of the American Constitution
- By: Richard Beeman
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 19 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Constitutional Convention affected nothing less than a revolution in the nature of the American government. Led by James Madison, a small cohort of delegates devised a plan that would radically alter the balance of power between state and national governments, and then sprung that idea on a largely unsuspecting convention.
-
-
Grand Narrative
- By Maddie49 on 10-12-11
By: Richard Beeman
-
Madison's Gift
- Five Partnerships That Built America
- By: David Stewart
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 14 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Short, plain, balding, neither soldier nor orator, low on charisma and high on intelligence, Madison cared more about achieving results than taking the credit. To reach his lifelong goal of a self-governing constitutional republic, he blended his talents with those of key partners. It was Madison who led the drive for the Constitutional Convention and pressed for an effective new government as his patron George Washington lent the effort legitimacy.
-
-
Excellent history of our nation's founding
- By JJay on 02-23-15
By: David Stewart
-
John Adams
- A Captivating Guide to an American Founding Father Who Served as the Second President of the United States of America
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jaimie Peters
- Length: 2 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Adams once wrote, “People and nations are forged in the fires of adversity.” That was very much Adams’ experience. Having been born in the English colony of Massachusetts in 1735, he not only witnessed a new nation emerging from the shell of infancy, but he also participated in its growing pains. Adams was a man who was frequently asked to assume roles in which he had little experience, like that of a diplomat to France and England. In a sense, he was a part of the vanguard that the government had thrown into the fray.
-
American Creation
- Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic
- By: Joseph J. Ellis
- Narrated by: John H. Mayer
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the first shots fired at Lexington to the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the negotiations for the Louisiana Purchase, Joseph J. Ellis guides us through the decisive issues of the nation's founding, and illuminates the emerging philosophies, shifting alliances, and personal and political foibles of our now iconic leaders: Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, and Adams.
-
-
Good But Not Quite There
- By Slide01 on 06-02-13
By: Joseph J. Ellis
-
Founding Fathers
- A Captivating Guide to Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, John Jay, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and James Monroe
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Desmond Manny, Jason R. Gray, David Patton, and others
- Length: 26 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Explore the captivating lives of the Founding Fathers. Eight captivating manuscripts in one audiobook. So if you want to learn more about the life of Founding Fathers, get this audiobook now!
-
-
filled with inaccuracies
- By Eben on 04-13-22
-
Jefferson and Hamilton
- The Rivalry That Forged a Nation
- By: John Ferling
- Narrated by: Bo Foxworth
- Length: 18 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The decade of the 1790s has been called the "age of passion". Fervor ran high as rival factions battled over the course of the new republic - each side convinced that the other's goals would betray the legacy of the Revolution so recently fought and so dearly won. All understood as well that what was at stake was not a moment's political advantage, but the future course of the American experiment in democracy. In this epochal debate, no two figures loomed larger than Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton.
-
-
Biased and low quality
- By Yolanda Yzquierdo on 12-04-22
By: John Ferling
-
Patrick Henry
- Champion of Liberty
- By: Jon Kukla
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 17 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born in 1736, Patrick Henry was an attorney and a planter and an outstanding orator in the movement for independence. A contemporary of Washington, Henry stood with John and Samuel Adams among the leaders of the colonial resistance to Great Britain that ultimately created the United States. The first governor of Virginia after independence, he was reelected several times. After declining to attend the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Henry opposed the Constitution, arguing that it granted too much power to the central government.
-
-
Long awaited biography of Patrick Henry
- By GallowsJudge on 11-18-17
By: Jon Kukla
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Making the Presidency
- John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic
- By: Lindsay M. Chervinsky
- Narrated by: Lindsay M. Chervinsky
- Length: 14 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The United States of 1797 faced enormous challenges. The father of the new nation, George Washington, left his vice president, John Adams, with relatively little guidance and impossible expectations to meet. Adams was confronted with intense partisan divides, debates over citizenship, fears of political violence, potential for foreign conflict with France and Britain, and a nation unsure that the presidency could even work without Washington at the helm. Making the Presidency is an exploration of the second US presidency, a period critical to the survival of the American republic.
-
The Best and Worst Presidential Cabinets in U.S. History
- By: Lindsay M. Chervinsky, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Lindsay M. Chervinsky
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The political, and very human, dynamics behind presidential cabinets, from George Washington to Joe Biden, come to life in The Best and Worst Presidential Cabinets in U.S. History. What Lindsay M. Chervinsky offers in this eye-opening Audible Original is an investigation of the good, the bad, and the ugly of presidential cabinets. Covering more than two centuries of history, it’s a fascinating tour of scandals, colorful personalities, big events, and triumphs of diversity and bipartisanship. Not to mention jobs with a very high turnover rate.
-
-
Biased unreflective presidential history
- By thequickbrownfox on 10-28-21
By: Lindsay M. Chervinsky, and others
-
His Excellency
- George Washington
- By: Joseph J. Ellis
- Narrated by: Nelson Runger
- Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Acclaimed author Joseph J. Ellis penned the National Book Award-winning American Sphinx and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Founding Brothers, a fixture on The New York Times best seller list for an entire year, and one of the most popular history books of all time. Now this master historian turns his attention to the most exalted American hero, Founding Father and first President George Washington.
-
-
Ellis is a known liar
- By Theresa on 02-21-05
By: Joseph J. Ellis
-
The Ascent of George Washington
- The Hidden Political Genius of an American Icon
- By: John Ferling
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 17 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Even compared to his fellow founders, George Washington stands tall. Our first president has long been considered a stoic hero, holding himself above the rough-and-tumble politics of his day. Now John Ferling peers behind that image, carefully burnished by Washington himself, to show us a leader who was not only not above politics but a canny infighter---a master of persuasion, manipulation, and deniability.
-
-
A very Honest look at George Washington
- By DM on 03-24-22
By: John Ferling
-
The Birth of the Republic, 1763-89
- Fourth Edition
- By: Edmund S. Morgan, Joseph J. Ellis - foreword, Rosemarie Zagarri - contributor
- Narrated by: Lyle Blaker
- Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Birth of the Republic, 1763-89, Edmund S. Morgan shows how the challenge of British taxation started Americans on a search for constitutional principles to protect their freedom, and eventually led to the Revolution. By demonstrating that the founding fathers' political philosophy was not grounded in theory, but rather grew out of their own immediate needs, Morgan paints a vivid portrait of how the founders' own experiences shaped their passionate convictions, and these in turn were incorporated into the Constitution and other governmental documents.
By: Edmund S. Morgan, and others
-
John Hancock
- Merchant King and American Patriot
- By: Harlow Giles Unger
- Narrated by: David Stifel
- Length: 13 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Hancock's overnight transformation from British loyalist to fiery rebel and first governor of the independent state of Massachusetts is one of the least known stories of the American Revolution. Acclaimed author Harlow Giles Unger introduces us to the Founding Father whose name is as recognizable as George Washington's, but whose thrilling life story is all but untold. Applying his historical expertise and storytelling gift, Unger details the fascinating life of one of our most extraordinary business and political leaders—the first signer of the Declaration of Independence.
-
-
An easy read
- By Jean on 05-31-23
-
Making the Presidency
- John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic
- By: Lindsay M. Chervinsky
- Narrated by: Lindsay M. Chervinsky
- Length: 14 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The United States of 1797 faced enormous challenges. The father of the new nation, George Washington, left his vice president, John Adams, with relatively little guidance and impossible expectations to meet. Adams was confronted with intense partisan divides, debates over citizenship, fears of political violence, potential for foreign conflict with France and Britain, and a nation unsure that the presidency could even work without Washington at the helm. Making the Presidency is an exploration of the second US presidency, a period critical to the survival of the American republic.
-
The Best and Worst Presidential Cabinets in U.S. History
- By: Lindsay M. Chervinsky, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Lindsay M. Chervinsky
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The political, and very human, dynamics behind presidential cabinets, from George Washington to Joe Biden, come to life in The Best and Worst Presidential Cabinets in U.S. History. What Lindsay M. Chervinsky offers in this eye-opening Audible Original is an investigation of the good, the bad, and the ugly of presidential cabinets. Covering more than two centuries of history, it’s a fascinating tour of scandals, colorful personalities, big events, and triumphs of diversity and bipartisanship. Not to mention jobs with a very high turnover rate.
-
-
Biased unreflective presidential history
- By thequickbrownfox on 10-28-21
By: Lindsay M. Chervinsky, and others
-
His Excellency
- George Washington
- By: Joseph J. Ellis
- Narrated by: Nelson Runger
- Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Acclaimed author Joseph J. Ellis penned the National Book Award-winning American Sphinx and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Founding Brothers, a fixture on The New York Times best seller list for an entire year, and one of the most popular history books of all time. Now this master historian turns his attention to the most exalted American hero, Founding Father and first President George Washington.
-
-
Ellis is a known liar
- By Theresa on 02-21-05
By: Joseph J. Ellis
-
The Ascent of George Washington
- The Hidden Political Genius of an American Icon
- By: John Ferling
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 17 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Even compared to his fellow founders, George Washington stands tall. Our first president has long been considered a stoic hero, holding himself above the rough-and-tumble politics of his day. Now John Ferling peers behind that image, carefully burnished by Washington himself, to show us a leader who was not only not above politics but a canny infighter---a master of persuasion, manipulation, and deniability.
-
-
A very Honest look at George Washington
- By DM on 03-24-22
By: John Ferling
-
The Birth of the Republic, 1763-89
- Fourth Edition
- By: Edmund S. Morgan, Joseph J. Ellis - foreword, Rosemarie Zagarri - contributor
- Narrated by: Lyle Blaker
- Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Birth of the Republic, 1763-89, Edmund S. Morgan shows how the challenge of British taxation started Americans on a search for constitutional principles to protect their freedom, and eventually led to the Revolution. By demonstrating that the founding fathers' political philosophy was not grounded in theory, but rather grew out of their own immediate needs, Morgan paints a vivid portrait of how the founders' own experiences shaped their passionate convictions, and these in turn were incorporated into the Constitution and other governmental documents.
By: Edmund S. Morgan, and others
-
John Hancock
- Merchant King and American Patriot
- By: Harlow Giles Unger
- Narrated by: David Stifel
- Length: 13 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Hancock's overnight transformation from British loyalist to fiery rebel and first governor of the independent state of Massachusetts is one of the least known stories of the American Revolution. Acclaimed author Harlow Giles Unger introduces us to the Founding Father whose name is as recognizable as George Washington's, but whose thrilling life story is all but untold. Applying his historical expertise and storytelling gift, Unger details the fascinating life of one of our most extraordinary business and political leaders—the first signer of the Declaration of Independence.
-
-
An easy read
- By Jean on 05-31-23
-
Mourning the Presidents
- Loss and Legacy in American Culture
- By: Lindsay M. Chervinsky - editor, Matthew R. Costello - editor
- Narrated by: Holly Adams
- Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The death of a chief executive, regardless of the circumstances—sudden or expected, still in office or decades later—is always a moment of reckoning and reflection. Mourning the Presidents brings together renowned and emerging scholars to examine how different generations and communities of Americans have eulogized and remembered United States presidents since George Washington's death in 1799. Over twelve individually illuminating chapters, this volume offers a unique approach to understanding American culture and politics by uncovering parallels between different generations of mourners.
By: Lindsay M. Chervinsky - editor, and others
-
Washington's Crossing
- By: David Hackett Fischer
- Narrated by: Nelson Runger
- Length: 18 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This New York Times best seller is a thrilling account of one of the most pivotal moments in United States history. Six months after the Declaration of Independence, America was nearly defeated. Then on Christmas night, George Washington led his men across the Delaware River to destroy the Hessians at Trenton. A week later Americans held off a counterattack, and in a brilliant tactical move, Washington crept behind the British army to win another victory. The momentum had reversed.
-
-
Particularly Good Military History
- By William on 10-11-04
-
Adams vs. Jefferson
- The Tumultuous Election of 1800
- By: John Ferling
- Narrated by: Jack Garrett
- Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Award-winning author John Ferling is a leading authority on the American Revolution. His entertaining and enlightening histories have greatly improved our understanding of early America and the Founding Fathers. Now Ferling opens a window to the past and explores the contentious presidential election of 1800.
-
-
Outstanding work of interpretive history
- By D. Littman on 11-01-04
By: John Ferling
-
Madison's Gift
- Five Partnerships That Built America
- By: David Stewart
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 14 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Short, plain, balding, neither soldier nor orator, low on charisma and high on intelligence, Madison cared more about achieving results than taking the credit. To reach his lifelong goal of a self-governing constitutional republic, he blended his talents with those of key partners. It was Madison who led the drive for the Constitutional Convention and pressed for an effective new government as his patron George Washington lent the effort legitimacy.
-
-
Excellent history of our nation's founding
- By JJay on 02-23-15
By: David Stewart
-
Patrick Henry
- Champion of Liberty
- By: Jon Kukla
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 17 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born in 1736, Patrick Henry was an attorney and a planter and an outstanding orator in the movement for independence. A contemporary of Washington, Henry stood with John and Samuel Adams among the leaders of the colonial resistance to Great Britain that ultimately created the United States. The first governor of Virginia after independence, he was reelected several times. After declining to attend the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Henry opposed the Constitution, arguing that it granted too much power to the central government.
-
-
Long awaited biography of Patrick Henry
- By GallowsJudge on 11-18-17
By: Jon Kukla
-
Hamilton
- An American Biography
- By: Tony Williams
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The award-winning, smash Broadway hit Hamilton: An American Musical continues to captivate sold-out audiences and has sparked unprecedented interest in its historical protagonist. In Hamilton: An American Biography, Tony Williams provides listeners with a concise biography that traces the events and values that enabled Hamilton to rise from his youth as a dispossessed orphan to Revolutionary War hero and Founding Father, a life uniquely shaped by America and who, in turn, contributed to the creation of the American regime of liberty and self-government.
-
-
Short sweet and to the point
- By Credible1 on 05-28-23
By: Tony Williams
-
Thomas Jefferson
- A Biography of Spirit and Flesh
- By: Thomas S. Kidd
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thomas Jefferson was arguably the most brilliant and inspiring political writer in American history. But the ethical realities of his personal life and political career did not live up to his soaring rhetoric. Indeed, three tensions defined Jefferson’s moral life: democracy versus slavery, republican virtue versus dissolute consumption, and veneration for Jesus versus skepticism about Christianity. In this book, Thomas S. Kidd tells the story of Jefferson’s ethical life through the lens of these tensions.
-
-
This version is the standard non in depth bio
- By Fred F on 03-28-24
By: Thomas S. Kidd
-
Henry Clay
- The Man Who Would Be President
- By: James C. Klotter
- Narrated by: James Anderson Foster
- Length: 19 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Charismatic, charming, and one of the best orators of his era, Henry Clay seemed to have it all. He offered a comprehensive plan of change for America, and he directed national affairs as Speaker of the House, as Secretary of State to John Quincy Adams - the man he put in office - and as acknowledged leader of the Whig party. As the broker of the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850, Henry Clay fought to keep a young nation united when westward expansion and slavery threatened to tear it apart. Yet, despite his talent and achievements, Henry Clay never became president.
-
-
Wonderful book by a talented writer and historian
- By Timothy on 08-24-18
By: James C. Klotter
-
Tired of Winning
- Donald Trump and the End of the Grand Old Party
- By: Jonathan Karl
- Narrated by: Jonathan Karl
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Packed with new reporting, Tired of Winning: Donald Trump and the End of the Grand Old Party tracks Trump’s improbable journey from disgraced and defeated former president to the dominant force, yet again, in the Republican Party. From his exile in Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump has become more extreme, vengeful, and divorced from reality than he was on January 6, 2021. His meddling damaged the GOP’s electoral prospects for third consecutive election in 2022. His legal troubles are mounting. Yet he re-emerged as the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
-
-
Compelling and Terrifying
- By Shaz on 11-15-23
By: Jonathan Karl
-
John Adams: A Life
- By: John Ferling
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 20 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In John Adams: A Life, Ferling offers a compelling portrait of one of the giants of the Revolutionary era. Drawing on extensive research, Ferling depicts a reluctant revolutionary, a leader who was deeply troubled by the warfare that he helped to make, and a fiercely independent statesman. Bringing to life an exciting time, an age in which Adams played an important political and intellectual role. this book is a singular biography of the man who succeeded George Washington in the presidency and shepherded the fragile new nation through the most dangerous of times.
-
-
Excellent story, the narration ruined it for me
- By Benjamin on 04-09-19
By: John Ferling
-
The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787
- By: Gordon S. Wood
- Narrated by: Joel Richards
- Length: 24 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This classic work explains the evolution of American political thought from the Declaration of Independence to the ratification of the Constitution. In so doing, it greatly illuminates the origins of the present American political system.
-
-
This Audible book is NOT for a popular audience!
- By BigWally on 11-22-18
By: Gordon S. Wood
-
The Indian World of George Washington
- The First President, the First Americans, and the Birth of the Nation
- By: Colin G. Calloway
- Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
- Length: 23 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Colin Calloway uses the prism of George Washington's life to bring focus to the great Native leaders of his time and the tribes they represented: the Iroquois Confederacy, Lenape, Miami, Creek, Delaware; in the process, he returns them to their rightful place in the story of America's founding. The Indian World of George Washington spans decades of Native American leaders' interactions with Washington, from his early days as surveyor of Indian lands to his military career against both the French and the British to his presidency.
-
-
A Washington hate book
- By EJ morris on 02-08-19
What listeners say about The Cabinet
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- jspag
- 03-21-23
Well researched but author has TDS bad
Lots of interesting facts through the book. Clearly very well researched. For some reason the author decided to go after Trump at the end. Very strange.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Michael C. Martirone
- 12-29-22
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- J. White
- 03-23-24
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- William
- 12-21-21
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- William K.
- 02-13-22
Pretty dry.
Struggled to finish. Monotone narrator. A little repetitive. But a good look into the mind and heart of Washington.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Eric Wasson
- 09-12-23
Great historical view
This book explains Washington’s experience with various advisers and how the cabinet was put into practice by him.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Gil
- 09-07-20
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ross J. Patti
- 12-15-20
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jeff Carpenter
- 09-24-23
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!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- D. Littman
- 04-19-20
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
5 people found this helpful