"MR. PRESIDENT": George Washington and the Making of the Nation's Highest Office

by Harlow Giles Unger

In this startling look at the birth of American government, award-winning author Harlow Giles Unger shows how George Washington transformed the presidency from a ceremonial post into the most powerful office on earth. Washington combined political cunning, daring, and sheer genius to seize ever-widening powers and impose law and order while ensuring individual freedom and self-government.

“Unger gives our precious American history the backbone it deserves and reveals more of Washington the man than Washington the demigod.”—New York Journal of Books

“[A] thoroughly researched and delightfully written book.… A real thriller of a tale told with skill and authority.”—Washington Times

“[A] fast-paced chronicle of Washington’s presidency.”—Publishers Weekly

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Presidents, American History, Politics, Audiobook

288 pages, Paperback

First published October 29, 2013

About the author

Harlow Giles Unger is an American author, historian, journalist, broadcaster, and educator known for his extensive work on American history and education. Educated at the Taft School, Yale College, and California State University, Unger began his career as a journalist for the New York Herald Tribune Overseas News Service in Paris. He later wrote for newspapers and magazines across Britain, Canada, and other countries, while also working in radio broadcasting and teaching English and journalism at New York-area colleges.
Unger has written over twenty-seven books, including ten biographies of America's Founding Fathers and a notable biography of Henry Clay. His historical works include Noah Webster: The Life and Times of an American Patriot, The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation’s Call to Greatness, and First Founding Father: Richard Henry Lee and the Call to Independence. He is also the author of the Encyclopedia of American Education, a three-volume reference work.
A former Distinguished Visiting Fellow in American History at Mount Vernon, Unger has lived in Paris and currently resides in New York City. An avid skier and horseman, he has spent time in Chamonix, France, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He has one son, Richard C. Unger.

Reviews

[Breck Baumann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harlow Giles Unger is known for his vast amount of biographical accounts of the Founders and famous men who have influenced the events pertaining to the American Revolution and Early Republic. With Mr. President, he takes on a character study of George Washington’s precedent-setting standards in just two terms of holding office—creating both an esteemed position and an efficient cabinet in a rather unique and new form of government. Unger focuses solely on his Presidential years, and brilliantly summarizes their everlasting effects on those sitting in the White House since that time. The trouble is, there is not much to this particular work that has not already been expanded upon or written about in prior Washington biographies—nor from those broad histories focusing on the birth of the American Republic.

Specifically, topics such as Washington’s tearful Newburgh address, his cabinet choices and their swaying on issues to the point of creating two distinct factions, as well as his annoyance to the pompous Citizen Genêt have all been covered in other books almost to the point of exhaustion. There are however some other fine points discussed throughout that make for an interesting dialogue—including his take on taxes and foreign policy—as well as the final chapters that skip forward in time to discuss the memories kept from his final days in office, and the modern governmental failures that Washington magnificently excelled at:

On the eve of Washington’s departure from office, he and Martha entertained for the last time in the presidential residence. “Ladies and gentlemen,” the President raised his glass to the political notables there, “this is the last time I shall drink your health as a public man. I do so with sincerity, and wishing you all possible happiness.” According to one witness, tears ran down the cheeks of those present as they tried to sip from their glasses.

Unger has a way of condensing his research into very readable and easy to follow chapters, in which he is also consistent in keeping the length of his history books shorter than average—as is the case for Mr. President. Regrettably though, it’s evident that he could have put his effort and brilliance into one of the many other less-covered Founders that are often in the shadows and behind the curtain of other more famous men—as he has with his biographies on Benjamin Rush, Richard Henry Lee, and John Hancock. Nonetheless, he does an adequate job in accomplishing the task of covering the Washington presidency in detail, but it just feels overplayed and almost produced as a single formality to be done with and moved on from. More than thirty illustrations are provided, as well as an interesting appendix focusing on the “Pillars of Presidential Power” that are brought up throughout the book, and another on the precedents set by Washington while in office.

[Micah Cummins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harlow Giles Unger's Mr. President presents a snapshot into an incredibly important period in United States history. Not that of the founding of the country, but of the molding of its offices. Washington had no predecessors, there were no former presidents to lean on or go to for guidance. Every move he made, every word he uttered was being done so in uncharted territory, and he knew it. Washington had to not only lead America as President of the new United States, but he had to also sculpt the office itself, he had to realize what it meant it meant to be the president, what was done, and how it was done, in order to make it clear path for those who came after him.

I enjoyed this book. I thought it provided a well-balanced outline of the period covered. I do wish it was a little longer. Because of its shorter length, I never felt that the narrative settled in. There was a very present forward momentum forcing the narrative onward. However, for someone looking for an overview of the subject matter and period, this would be a wonderful place to start.

[Denise Morse · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the work to write the Constitution, get it ratified, and then what?..... This book tells the story of what comes next. How does a President with very little powers vested in him in the Constitution find a place for himself. It would have been easy for President Washington to sit back and remain a retired figurehead for the country but that wasnt enough, and with his actions, he shaped the future of the American President.

I truly enjoyed this book and learning more about the inner workings of what happens after the major event. History classes make it sound so easy and seamless following the ratification but what ensued was total chaos and confusion.

A few other thoughts:
1. I think the author is not a fan of Thomas Jefferson or the French outside of Lafayette. Jefferson is painted as a privileged, coddled little boy with a thirst for blood. Contrast that with Alexander Hamilton who comes out as a unblemished hero.

2. Politics then are not much different than they are now - majority and minority battles, crazy fringe groups mixing things up, media wars, and threats of secession. At least we don't tar and feather tax collectors anymore.

[Ben Denison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a very good book about George Washington's Presidency. How he basically created the position and "7 pillars" of power, (power to lead foreign policy, Exec Privilege, etc) that basically put the meat on the bones of what the constitution set up as the top position of the government.

Great section on frenchmen, Citizen Genet (want to read this guy's biography), and his undermining of the French/English/American relationship with a quasi-navy attacking/commandeering English ships off the American coast. AND undermining Washington's authority.

Another great section on the Whiskey Rebellion and Washington's handling of that internal conflict.

Finally fascinated by Jefferson/Hamilton conflict and the tension it created in Washington's Cabinet.

Good book.

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seriously.... Politics never change

[Bill Christman · Rating 4 out of 5]

They wrote the basic outline of the government but how was it supposed to work? This book is how George Washington after becoming President created powers for the the office.

The office is ill defined in the constitution. Washington after becoming President found himself with little to do. He slowly acquires powers for the President, which the author Harlow Giles Unger defines as pillars of the Presidency. Washington makes the office one of leadership and not just a figurehead. From commander in chief of the armed forces even without a war, to gaining law enforcement power, to controlling the cabinet and having it follow the President's policy instead of just managing the cabinet. Washington gained a lot of decision making power for the Presidency, but he also showed restraint, and respect for Congress at the same time. Washington walked a tightrope during his terms and by the end he had to be exhausted. A problem is once one makes decisions, one makes enemies.

Using primary sources Unger's portrayal of George Washington is not of a marble man but one of a man doing his best for his beloved country and becoming completely exhausted of the public life he is leading. Martha is a great help but one feels that the Washingtons are a team and looking to enjoy the final years.

Thomas Jefferson's image of Washington as one who was not that bright is shattered here. Jefferson clearly had his own agenda and Unger subtly shows how political propaganda can be seen as truth for generations. Washington's library and his hand written notes on the columns of the books show he was well read and had read more on politics than any other subject. This Washington is all too human. The personal aspects of his life that Unger brings out does make us see Washington as a husband and surrogate father, roles he absolutely loved.

This book is an excellent look at the first administration of the US under the Constitution. The brief history is he made it work. This book examines how Washington made it work. It was not as easy as is generally thought, and closer to falling apart than we Americans will ever admit (I won't admit it) and Washington saw his reputation go from great hero to politician and then in some circles, a monarch needing to be overthrown. In this book Washington's thinking and feelings, about others and his country, are made far clearer and the statue that we think of as George Washington. Here he is fleshed out to reveal the imperfect man.

[Stan Lanier · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent telescoping of the formation of the powers of the Executive Branch, both Constitutional and extra-Constitutional, by our first chief executive. Unger delineates seven "pillars of Presidential power": foreign policy, executive appointments,government finance, military affairs, legislation by Presidential proclamation and executive order, federal law enforcement, and executive privilege. Highly readable, this work affords the basis for further profitable research and study. A great place to begin investigation of the subject.

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting, though insufficiently developed, look into Washington's establishment of presidential powers.

This exceedingly brief 2013 work starts with an interesting premise: What did Washington do to establish certain presidential powers that we currently take for granted? Unger goes too far in describing Washington's assertions of Presidential/Executive power as "usurpations" or (his go-to phrase) "coup d'états." As this was untrod ground for every power and branch under the new Constitution, everything everybody did set a precedent -- sometimes it lined up perfectly with the text of the Constitution, sometimes it was consistent with certain implied powers, and sometimes it was directly contrary. So from that perspective, this is fertile ground for exploration. Unfortunately, Unger hits the gas and we're done before we even start.

Unger's "seven pillars of power" that he (briefly) looks at are: foreign policy, executive appointments, government finances, military affairs, presidential proclamations and executive orders, federal law enforcement, and executive privilege.

Unfortunately, given that the book is so brief, Unger only chooses at most one or two examples of Washington's actions in each of these areas. And his assessment of their extra-constitutionality is mostly limited to "it's not explicitly permitted" and "some people disagreed." It's frustrating especially as Unger pads out a lot of his sections with largely irrelevant historical asides and mini biographies.

I really liked the *idea* of this book. It started well with Unger choosing wonderfully colorful excerpts that portray Washington as being supremely *bored* during his first few months as the newly elected President but unfortunately it never really developed its otherwise interesting premise.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

"... but the powerful presidential structure her husband (Martha Washington) built still stands, strong and stable. Many critics say too stable, too strong. While the anarchy Washington feared and despised reigns in endless countries around the globe, even in Greece, the birthplace of democracy, Americans have lived under one constitution and gone to the polls peacefully for more than 220 continuous years electing 44 different Presidents to office. Until the passage of a constitutional amendment limiting presidential terms in office, all but one observed the precedent set by Washington by voluntarily leaving the White House after no more than 8 years. Even in the face of foreign wars, a civil war, presidential assassinations and attempted assassinations, economic collapse, and terrifying natural and man-made disasters, every presidential transition in American history has proceeded seamlessly, calmly without violence or popular upheavals because of the stable presidential structure George Washington built."
Harlow Giles Unger, "Mr. President"

** read by Robertson Dean
app 7 hrs

[Shelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was very informative and interesting. I learned a lot that I didn’t know about not only George Washington, but how he helped develop the U.S. Presidental office into what it is today. I would recommend for anyone interested in U.S. History or politics.

[Samuel Bierig · Rating 4 out of 5]

very illuminating and useful for the leader in the here and now.

[NJB · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to read about what happened to the USA after winning the Revolutionary war & how George Washington shaped the office.

[Marty Reeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having just finished Nathaniel Philbrick’s excellent profile of Washington (and Benedict Arnold) as a leader and Revolutionary War general, I next reached for Unger’s novel Mr. President. Besides the fact that this was one of the last novels I remember my dad recommending to me before he passed away (and thereby lending it immediate sentimental strength), it also works as a fantastic follow up to Philbrick’s since it picks up more or less where Valiant Ambition left off and gives us Washington as a president, particularly the leadership aspects and precedents he set as the country’s first chief executive.

Unger’s purpose here is pretty clear. He wants to show how George Washington (necessarily) appropriated executive powers to the office of the president that were not specified by the Constitution. He does this by dividing up those, now firmly established, executive powers and then shows each incident where Washington took those powers up to his office. Each chapter explores that particular principle, and he keeps a running list, which he references often.

Having said that, his tallying of executive powers was perhaps the least interesting thing about his work. I think as a general principle, it is a good exercise in remembering how much we take for granted nowadays that had to be deliberately fought for or aggressively seized. It is also a good reminder for us to see how dysfunctional the Articles of Confederation were after the Revolutionary War and how close the “united” States were to dissembling completely.

The more interesting thing to me was how the personal character of George Washington was so entirely 1) deliberate and 2) indispensable in rescuing the failing United States experiment. One thing that I had vaguely heard about but not appreciated was how George Washington personally brought about the Constitutional Convention through his Albany Convention and correspondence with other influential political figures of the day. Not only was his presence at the Constitutional Convention legitimizing (my original impression), but the man actually had a strong hand in organizing and directing the convention in the first place (something I had not really considered).

In the same way, I loved how Unger makes clear Washington’s reluctance to be involved in the leading of this newly created government. Washington was invested in the U.S.’s success, not the least of which due to his miraculous ability to defeat a far superior British force years earlier and a hope that such efforts would not be in vain! But he legitimately, sincerely, and genuinely would soooo much rather spend his post-war time and efforts on his beloved farm at Mt. Vernon. Unger shows this through numerous correspondences with multiple people. Joseph Ellis (in His Excellency) cynically attributes this to Washington’s personal ambition and crafting of his historical reputation. While I won’t deny that Washington was aware of his historical legacy even while living and was careful to nudge it in one way or another through his writings, the vast amount of evidence of his love of his wife and paradisiacal homefront of Mt. Vernon (thanks to his strong vision)--and with Unger’s extensive evidence of Washington’s personal and sincere correspondence detailing just such an attitude--it seems obvious that part of Washington’s idyllic leadership ability was his personal humility and genuine resistance to powerful positions. Who better than a reluctant administrator to arrogate powers to his position, thus ensuring that only the ones necessary to good governing will be taken while ambitious ones discarded?

Through this process, Unger comically displays his bias against Thomas Jefferson in this work. I have long been skeptical of Jefferson’s political maneuverings during the time of the government’s founding (we’ll throw petty little Madison in there too). Yet, I came to terms with Jefferson’s own character, even if I struggle with a lot of his chosen methods. Unger has had no such pseudo-reconciliation. He writes about Jefferson as if he actually were on the ground at the time himself and working as some sort of Alexander Hamilton firebrand seeking to destroy Jefferson’s character forever. I feel like we have enough partisan problems with our current political climate, there is no need to reach back into the past to resurrect some of the old ones!

As I mentioned, the framework of the novel (executive privileges created or possessed during Washington’s presidency) is informative though forgettable. The revelation of a powerful yet humble and vital character through all of this process is by far the most valuable addition of Unger’s work. Well, that and the fact that years after I lost my dad, he and I got to positively connect with each other over a good book. Thanks, Dad!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

The worst thing about reading about George Washington is when you have to think about his teeth. Eighteenth-century dentistry. How thankful I am to still have my teeth: thanks, dental experts, who schooled my twenty-something dumb ass to start caring about gingivitis.

The second worst thing is how GW disappointed his wife Martha by eschewing the bucolic ease of retirement for the arduous father-of-the-nation road. I comfort myself with the plausible idea that, just as GW was quite skilled at getting the top job while claiming not to want it, Martha herself was likely just as skilled at finding her own way and of making her peace in her role as first First Lady. Also, “bucolic ease” came with the context of dozens of enslaved people doing the heavy lifting, so…no rest for the wicked, let’s say.

Besides teeth and enslaving, though, I really enjoyed this book which focused exclusively on George Washington’s two terms as President.

One forgets how the domestic scene wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns in the aftermath of the Treaty of Paris. The idea of America as one people had not gelled at all. Confederation Congress. When it did meet, “its members often had little in common, and barely fathomed each other’s thinking. Without money, or means to raise any, Congress stopped repaying interest and principal on foreign debts, disbanded the American Navy, and reduced the Army to eighty privates.” Secretary of State Henry Knox wrote to Washington: “Different states have views that, sooner or later, must involve the country in all the horrors of civil war. A neglect in every state of those principles which lead to union and national greatness, and adoption of local, in preference to general measures, appears to actuate the greater part of the state politicians. We are entirely destitute of those traits that should stamp us One Nation.”

This book’s thesis is to show how Washington molded the nature of the office of POTUS, working outside or beyond the Constitution to create the suite of presidential powers we have mostly taken for granted in the subsequent centuries.

By now, we have centuries of legal precedent and scholarship, not to mention those 27 amendments, to tell us what the Constitution means. But in those days, those guys had just the text, and no precedents except what they were familiar with from British law. Article 2 section 1: “The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.” All the necessary governmental departments were being created – State, War, and Treasury, to start. It wasn’t obvious to anybody that ALL executive power should be vested SOLELY in the President, and so the Senate had the idea that they would select the department heads, and that those department heads would serve indefinite terms, unless removed for cause by Congressional impeachment. It was only Adams’s tie-breaking vote that allowed Washington to appoint his own department heads.

So here we have the second of seven pillars: the power over executive appointments and to establish the Executive as a separate branch of government. Prior to this, Washington had wrested control over foreign affairs, with a treaty negotiated by Jay and Knox with the Creek Indians. Adams inanely queried “Do you advise and consent?” to the Senate, as he read each section of the treaty with President Washington awkwardly standing by. Everyone was embarrassed by this spectacle, and Washington subsequently reasoned that while the Constitution allowed for Senate approval of treaties, he as President was solely responsible for treaty-making.

Washington collaborated with Hamilton over the issue of assumption of State Civil War debts, raising the power over the public purse as another pillar of presidential power. Due to the great rapidity with which the Bank of the United States filled up, Washington had wide latitude to borrow and spend without public approval. It was a proof of “the resources of our countrymen, and their confidence in public measures.” Often credited as the sole progenitor of the Bank, Hamilton himself averred that it was Washington who won its passage.

Thomas Jefferson was no friend of these emerging pillars of Presidential power, and author Unger is no admirer of Thomas Jefferson. The story of the Bank is just one of several junctures where he is at pains to point out how Jefferson, having nominally committed himself and his State to the Revolution, nonetheless retreated to his Monticello estate where he spent the entire war’s duration “sitting by the fire without firing a shot.” Opposed to the Washingtonian and Hamiltonian vision of a strong and active federal government, Jefferson, he cried tyranny while advocating “a naïve belief, akin to Rousseau’s, in the goodness of man and his ability to govern himself, free of government intrusion.” Jefferson even exalted anarchy, as “proof that the people have liberty…a little rebellion now and then is a good thing.”

The Genet affair was unknown to me prior this book, and is gob-smacking in how it shows the perilousness of American sovereignty itself in those early years of the Washington administration. It turns out that the Southern states were a hotbed of Francophile sentiment, not least because the plantation owners were furious about how the British had deprived them of thousands of their slaves in the course of the war. French general Edmond-Charles Genet showed up in Charleston, SC, and, not bothering to present himself to the President, proceeded to whip up the Southerners into open conflict with Britain, and more shockingly, into open calls for unseating of President Washington. Political cartoons of the South showed Washington and his cabinet being guillotined, French-Revolution style. It was only the fortuitous emergence of a Yellow Fever outbreak that prevented Genet from staging a legitimate coup d’etat.

Washington’s crushing of the Whisky Rebellion demonstrated Presidential power over law enforcement. The President had a right to call up troops to enforce the law and keep the peace. This not only raised another pillar of presidential power but also reinforced the other two branches of government: the power of Congress to legislate taxes without the consent of State legislatures, and the power of the federal judiciary to hold accountable those who disobeyed the laws.

The whole idea of a “separate but equal” Executive Branch is a Washingtonian invention, and the concomitant notion of Executive Privilege based on separation of powers of the Executive and Legislative branches is another pillar of Presidential power.

The seven powers: foreign policy, executive appointments, government finances, military affairs, legislation” by presidential proclamation and executive order, federal law enforcement, and executive privilege.

Unger seems to be out on a limb of his own making, in making Washington out to be a President operating far outside the Constitution and shaping the Presidency in his own image. But I suppose that, since the counterfactuals are unknowable, a different President would likely have set very different precedents, and we could be living in an unrecognizable alternate future. So I found this book amazing for its tight focus on George Washington as a leader besieged with existential problems, and rising to those challenges.

[Patrick Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Constitution gives the President very little power so how did they end up with the power that we see in the office today? This book puts forth a story on how George Washington built that power into the empty space of the Constitution during his eight years in office.

It's interesting to see how it was necessary at the time, to keep the fragile union together. To see the struggles he was presented with, with no easy answer to the many questions that were arising and no guidance or precedent to be had. With very little input from Vice President Adams and a Cabinet at odds with each other Washington had to walk the line and set precedent in the middle of the constantly feuding Hamilton & Jefferson who were at the opposite ends of the political spectrum.

Jefferson believed all powers to specifically outlined in the Constitution did not exist at the federal leve, they were reserved for the states. Hamilton believed in "implied consent" that powers not specifically spelled out could be set up and used by the President. Washington, well aware, that his decisions would influence those that came after him had to chose which powers and when to set the precedent with.

From appointments and treaties to the power to wage war and impose a draft Washington had to delve into the massive gray areas left by the Constitution and set up the guidelines by making choices with the arrival of each new problem or consideration.

This was an interesting book that brings forth problems and choices that today are codified and never thought of as controversial but in Washington's day were fought over by not only the cabinet but the masses. Who did he think he was? From the blasting in the press to the rebellions that needed to be quelled George Washington faced more than modern day people consider. This is the history that is not taught in history class.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

"This book gives our precious American history the backbone it deserves and reveals more of Washington the man than Washington the demigod as we might have believed him to be." Well done.

[Hill Krishnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. President by Unger
1. Washington created 7 pillars of control or power as an imperial president: 1) foreign policy; 2) federal appointments; 3) federal law enforcement; 4) power to control the executive appointments; 5) military affairs 6) government finances; 7) executive orders with secret fiats in cloak of executive privilege.
2. Some nuance parts: 1) “shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties,..” Washington argued that the advice and consent part in the constitution is within comas and therefore subordinate to the executive power of treaty making! (Pillar of foreign policy). 2) In article 2 the constitution says “The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.” Washington argued ALL the executive power shall be vested in a POTUS!
3. With US in $11 million debt ($2 million to Dutch and rest to France) Hamilton want to create a US bank but Washington thought constitution doesn’t allow government forming a corporation.
4. Whiskey Tax: Opposition grew like it did for Stamp Act. Tax collector was tarred and feathered and let to die by farmers. To raise army and March against them was the establishment of federal law enforcement.
5. Poignant parts: 1) When he resigned military commission and went to Mt. Vernon his left over tooth ached and had severe rheumatic pains; 2) when called back to be POTUS, he decided to go. Martha Washington despite her pain of missing her husband during the war again let him go and do his duty to the nation.
6. Inspiring parts: 1) Henry Knox gets his education by not going to college but reading every book in his bookstore. He even read books of engineering which came handy during the war; 2) Washington despite getting tired of being mobbed constantly kept his doors open to the public in NYC as POTUS because a republican leader must be accessible to his voters unlike the European monarchs!

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot about George Washington and early American History from this book. Admittedly, I haven’t read much about the topic prior to this book.

The author outlines 7 powers Washington assumes during his presidency that are not granted to him under the constitution. These pillars of power, as the author calls them, are upheld by precedent today granting presidents the power to set foreign policy, executive appointments, government finances, military affairs, legislation by executive order, federal law enforcement, and executive privilege. It explains why Washington assumes these powers within the context of the events of the times. Admittedly, the Constitution does not explicitly outline the duties of the President in the same way it does Congress or the VP, so some assumption of power is to be expected with our 1st President.

While I do feel Washington’s actions were necessary to preserve the young and fragile collection of states turned into a nation, I am not happy that, by accepting his power grab in the late 18th century, we must then grant those same powers to the President today. For example, Washington invoked executive privilege when the American people feared he and John Jay had conspired with the British when signing Jay’s treaty. Washington argued that it was not the legislative branch’s responsibility to set foreign policy and sign treaties, therefore, their investigation was not within their constitutional realm of concern. By non-compliance in this first circumstance calling it separation of powers, he has allowed all future Presidents the privilege of secret, potentially dangerous dealings that might not be in the best interest of the country and stripped congress of an important oversight role.

[Gary Schantz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book.

I learned a lot about how the Washington created many of the traditions that still stand today as well as his creating the actual role of the president.

However, there is one item that I think should never have changed in the Constitution in regards to the creation of terms for the President. Washington created the precedent of being president for only 8 years (2 full terms) which was honored from 1797 until 1939 when Roosevelt chose to pursue a third term then a fourth term. Due to party politics, the Republicans pushed forward the 22nd amendment limiting presidents to two four year terms. I think this is a mistake and like the Prohibition amendment, it was created for political reasons verus practical ones and therefore should be overturned. If no then term limits should be established for all three branches of government. The following terms should then apply to all branches equally: President gets eight years; Congress gets 16 years; and the Supreme Court gets 25 years.

On a side note, this just another book that furthers my opinion that Jefferson was the single worse of the founding fathers. He was passive-aggressive in his dealings with almost everyone.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting dive into how the newly-formed American government and first President navigated issues not covered by the Constitution, and how Washington's choices are reflected in the traditions and roles of modern Presidents. Especially important to be reminded of our country's strong ties to France (who financed the Revolutionary War) and the strong pull of state allegiance vs. country.

Among the most fascinating tidbits:

* Washington was the first and last American president to command a battlefield.
* There was a boat "duel" off the coast of Long Branch, NJ, observed by masses on the beach!
* The origin of the term "real" estate...never thought about this, I won't spoil.
* Origins of the Coast Guard as a force to prevent revenue dodging from ships trading with the US.
* After the Whiskey Rebellion, Washington moved all state capitals to the geographic center of each state, away from traditional places of power. Never thought about this either!

All in all, an easy read and an important one. Would recommend.

[Jared Kassebaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

As men in America age, they seem to hit a point one day where they pick one of the transformative wars/eras of our history and fixate on all its intricacies. For me that has been the Revolutionary War. All our country's flaws surely noted, the founding era-- which created the oldest constitution currently active in the whole world-- has become fascinating to me. The war itself, battles and troops, are not of much interest to me admittedly, but the political theory that emerges in the creation of the constitution and the country's formative years post-revolution are what stand out. This book goes into Washington's massive leadership in creating the first government under the new constitution and what decisions he made that created both the presidency as we know it as well as the nation's understanding of the blossoming constitutional democratic republic, an experiment the first of its kind. It is not a biography of Washington, although of course gives necessary details. But it's discussion of the 1780s-90s was a blast to read. (Listened on Audiobook)

[Bryan Cebulski]

Pretty good! While I apparently I love holistic, 800-1,500 page holistic history tomes the best, I appreciate history books that address one key historical question--in this case, "How did George Washington shape the presidency?" Harlow Giles Unger is definitely one of my favorite historians of the early republic, his clear sympathies predominantly toward federalism aside. The discussion of the whisky rebellion of 1794 was a particular highlight for me.

I love how it treated the establishment of each pillar of executive power like a JRPG party collecting elemental crystals. Every time Unger was like "and thus the third pillar of presidential power was formed" I imagined a crest breaking on the barrier preventing the party from entering the final dungeon: The executive branch of the federal government.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this history is perhaps not exceptionally deep, it is an excellent general account of Washington’s efforts to establish a new government in the United States and the time he spent as a reluctant President long after he had hoped to retire.

Considering the political unrest in the United States today, it’s easy to think that this divisiveness is the worst it has ever been. Reading Washington’s history is an excellent reminder that this infighting has existed since the birth of this nation. There have always been those who wanted less federal government control and those who wanted more. There have always been people who have revolted against policy and taxation. Even the most effective leaders have faced constant opposition and threat of war. Human beings are exhausting.

I appreciated this book and am glad I read it.

[David Szatkowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Constitution itself envisions a weak chief executive. George Washington, who was one of the framers, did not realize (or envision) the problem a weak chief executive would create. As a result, Washington took to himself (and the federal government) powers NOT given to the federal government. This is an interesting biography that shows how Washington evolved as a chief executive, and how the reality of government forced Washington to confront problems that the framers had not thought of. It also put the nail into the coffin of 'strict interpretation', given that the framers themselves did not govern with that mindset.

[Jake Hauser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the conclusion was rendered tragically ironic by the 45th President’s tenure, this book serves as a useful illustration of the fact that vitriolic partisanship is as old, and perhaps as American, as the flag itself...a fact at once inspiring and worrisome.

Unger seems to overlook much of the power and clout still possessed by the Congress in assigning the “pillars” of Presidential Power that were established by Washington’s precedents. Even so, he has created a good guide to early implied powers and Presidential prerogatives, and related all of them through the lens of a compelling, true story.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book focuses on the ways that Washington expanded the presidency beyond the limits of the Constitution. It is evident that the author does not always think that what Washington did, or the effects of what he did, was a good idea. Sometimes that bothered me, but in the end I found it very instructive to see what was done and why. It gave me information to inform my own decisions about presidential powers and Constitutional limits. I read this book about the same time I was reading the author's book on Patrick Henry, and some of Henry's concerns about power and the Constitution dovetailed nicely with this book as well.

[Alexander J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book leaves Audible soon, so I had to slam through it. Overall really good, benefits tremendously from its focus on the Washington’s presidency rather than his whole life. Washington was one of the best presidents and deserves the esteem he has traditionally been held in. Thus far, the dynamic presidency has been a boon to the USA, though the prospect of it turning despotic is on our minds with a possible second Trump administration looming. Particularly fascinating to hear about how Washington accumulated powers the constitution didn’t explicitly grant him. He was a better spymaster than field commander, and that talent extended to political administration.

[Katie Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engrossing read. There was so much information I never knew about Washington, this book left me wanting to learn more about the all of our past Presidents. This book also gives a view into the formation of our government that shows just how perilously the forefathers teetered in their differences of opinion on everything, including, of course, the document we still argue about today, The Constitution. This is an intimate look at the life of the man that pulled a patchwork of states and people into the most powerful country on Earth.

[Tom Rowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book examines how George Washington established the power of the presidency. What I found most interesting is that this book deals with opposition to Washington as president. That is not often found it books. It is often deflected as opposition to Hamilton, but this book gives direct evidence that Washington himself was cursed and derided for his actions just like all other American presidents.

[Steven Voorhees · Rating 3 out of 5]

Impressive treatise on how Geo. Washington, the father of our country became, via circumstances, the father of our federal government. Unger also chronicles a little known contretemps that embroiled the infant United States with her first great ally, France. All told, a fascinating account of how Washington constructed the pillars that hold up both the national government and our foreign relations.