Despite the acrimony, Jefferson believed that the tone had little impact on governance, explaining that "The pain was for Hamilton and myself, but the public experienced no inconvenience. Podcast Mount Vernon Everywhere! Digital Encyclopedia Presidential Precedents Washington was well aware that he had been given the power to shape the American presidency.
Learn More. George Washington April 30, - March 4, Back to Main menu Center for Digital History. Metro Area. In times of war, when you're talking about diplomacy, if you're talking about negotiation and trade or disease, you need one voice speaking for everyone.
The decade begins the expansion of what the government is actually going to look like. The people in office are faced with constitutional questions that had never come up before. They're faced with the first international crises. They're trying to figure out what diplomacy is going to look like, what neutrality is going to look like. They're faced with the first domestic insurrection, the Whiskey Rebellion , which is a huge challenge. They're faced with the first presidential elections, which will turn over power.
So when we look back on all of the hundreds of years of precedent that has built out the United States and what it is, so many of those original precedents took place in that first decade. They continue to govern how we interact and see the government today. When they entered into the first administration, Hamilton and Jefferson had pretty different visions of what the nation should be.
Hamilton favored a more merchant trade, urban industrial focus for the future. Jefferson really prioritized the farmer citizen. So they were already predisposed to disagree with each other. Hamilton really admired the British system.
Jefferson was famously pro-French. Jefferson enslaved hundreds of people. Hamilton was surrounded by slavery but didn't seem to own individuals himself, and certainly spoke occasionally on behalf of abolitionists. They just had wildly different views. That was really Washington's goal whenever he brought together people that he wanted advice from.
He started the practice in the councils of war during the Revolution, where he would bring together his officers, sending them a list of questions ahead of time, and use those questions as his meeting agenda. Then they would discuss them and debate them. Washington liked that polite conflict because it allowed him to stress test the different positions that he was contemplating.
It allowed him to see how different arguments held up against each other. If they disagreed, then he would ask for written opinions and then go home and consider all the evidence in his own time and make a decision.
That decision-making process was really productive for him because it allowed him to get every perspective that he might not have had himself or expertise that he didn't have himself. He sought to emulate that in the cabinet, and Hamilton and Jefferson were perfectly positioned to provide different perspectives.
Jefferson came from a diplomatic background where if voices are raised, you're doing something wrong. He's used to having conversations at Versailles or other beautiful homes, and his enslaved servants are there providing food and wine to smooth over the conversation. The way Washington approached the cabinet meetings, he would allow there to be this open debate, which Jefferson found absolutely horrendous and he hated the conflict. He did. There are these amazing notes where Jefferson says like Hamilton gave a jury speech for three-quarters of an hour.
Imagine them being locked in a room that's about by feet, filled with furniture, and not particularly roomy. Washington had a very large desk and a comfortable chair, but the rest of them were squished around this temporary table and chairs, and Hamilton goes on for 45 minutes. The President of the United States delegates much work to the Cabinet. Each Cabinet member is the head of an executive department of the government.
Usually, they meet together once a week or every other week. This room faces the Rose Garden and is a beautiful room furnished with draperies, chandeliers, and leather chairs. President George Washington developed the Cabinet system by asking the heads of the existing three executive departments and the Attorney General to meet with him on a regular basis to discuss issues of importance and to report on their department's work.
The EOP has responsibility for tasks ranging from communicating the President's message to the American people to promoting our trade interests abroad. While Senate confirmation is required for some advisers, such as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, most are appointed with full Presidential discretion.
The individual offices that these advisors oversee have grown in size and number since the EOP was created. Some were formed by Congress, others as the President has needed them — they are constantly shifting as each President identifies his needs and priorities, with the current EOP employing over 1, people. The Press Secretary provides daily briefings for the media on the President's activities and agenda. Less visible to most Americans is the National Security Council, which advises the President on foreign policy, intelligence, and national security.
There are also a number of offices responsible for the practicalities of maintaining the White House and providing logistical support for the President. These include the White House Military Office, which is responsible for services ranging from Air Force One to the dining facilities, and the Office of Presidential Advance, which prepares sites remote from the White House for the President's arrival.
However, the majority of the staff is housed in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, just a few steps away and part of the White House compound. The Cabinet is an advisory body made up of the heads of the 15 executive departments. Appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, the members of the Cabinet are often the President's closest confidants. In addition to running major federal agencies, they play an important role in the Presidential line of succession — after the Vice President, Speaker of the House, and Senate President pro tempore, the line of succession continues with the Cabinet offices in the order in which the departments were created.
All the members of the Cabinet take the title Secretary, excepting the head of the Justice Department, who is styled Attorney General. The U. Its aims include meeting the needs of farmers and ranchers, promoting agricultural trade and production, assuring food safety, protecting natural resources, fostering rural communities, and ending hunger in America and abroad. The bulk of the department's budget goes towards mandatory programs that provide services required by law, such as programs designed to provide nutrition assistance, promote agricultural exports, and conserve our environment.
The USDA also plays an important role in overseas aid programs by providing surplus foods to developing countries. The Department of Commerce is the government agency tasked with improving living standards for all Americans by promoting economic development and technological innovation. The department supports U. The agency also formulates telecommunications and technology policy, and promotes U. The mission of the Department of Defense DOD is to provide the military forces needed to deter war and to protect the security of our country.
The department's headquarters is at the Pentagon. The Department of Defense is the largest government agency, with more than 1. Together, the military and civilian arms of DOD protect national interests through war-fighting, providing humanitarian aid, and performing peacekeeping and disaster relief services.
The mission of the Department of Education is to promote student achievement and preparation for competition in a global economy by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access to educational opportunity.
The Department administers federal financial aid for education, collects data on America's schools to guide improvements in education quality, and works to complement the efforts of state and local governments, parents, and students.
The DOE promotes America's energy security by encouraging the development of reliable, clean, and affordable energy. It administers federal funding for scientific research to further the goal of discovery and innovation — ensuring American economic competitiveness and improving the quality of life for Americans. The DOE is also tasked with ensuring America's nuclear security, and with protecting the environment by providing a responsible resolution to the legacy of nuclear weapons production.
The Department of Health and Human Services HHS is the United States government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves. Agencies of HHS conduct health and social science research, work to prevent disease outbreaks, assure food and drug safety, and provide health insurance. The Department's programs are administered by 11 operating divisions, including 8 agencies in the U.
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