Making the Presidency
John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic
An authoritative account of the second president of the United States that shows how John Adams’s leadership and legacy defined the office for those who followed and ensured the survival of the American republic.
The United States of 1797 faced enormous challenges, provoked by enemies foreign and domestic. 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 authoritative exploration of the second US presidency, a period critical to the survival of the American republic. Through meticulous research and engaging prose, Lindsay Chervinsky illustrates the unique challenges faced by Adams and shows how he shaped the office for his successors. One of the most qualified presidents in American history, he had been a legislator, political theorist, diplomat, minister, and vice president--but he had never held an executive position. Instead, the quixiotic and stubborn Adams would rely on his ideas about executive power, the Constitution, politics, and the state of the world to navigate the hurdles of the position. He defended the presidency from his own often obstructionist cabinet, protected the nation from foreign attacks, and forged trust and dedication to election integrity and the peaceful transfer of power between parties, even though it cost him his political future.
Offering a portrait of one of the most fascinating and influential periods in US history, Making the Presidency is a must-read for anyone interested in the evolution of the presidency and the creation of political norms and customs at the heart of the American republic.
“Dr. Chervinsky’s clear and fast-paced political history recaptures the uncertainties of the early American republic as men of principle and men without it jockeyed for power in the first years after George Washington retired. Blazing a trail as the nation’s second president, John Adams recognized the crucial importance of putting country above party, even as his opponents used foreign intrigue, lies, and even threats of violence to stay in power. With the support of his wife Abigail, Adams established the norms and precedents that kept our democracy stable for more than two hundred years. The story of how he accomplished that extraordinary feat illuminates not only his own political skill, but also the failings of those who mistook their own ambition for patriotism.”
“Those who want to know more about the extraordinary—but often unsung—talents and accomplishments of John Adams should read this well-written and thoroughly entertaining book that brings to life the complicated personality and immense talents of our second president.”
“Lindsay Chervinsky’s comprehensive and illuminating account of John Adams’s beleaguered, crisis-ridden presidency is a worthy addition to the story of the partisan politics of the 1790s. Making the Presidency chronicles Adams’s imprint on the new executive branch and provides a valuable reinterpretation of his character and abilities. Chervinsky has produced an important history of an overlooked presidency.”
“Making the Presidency is a stirring evocation of an era of conspiracy in which a foreign authoritarian regime sought to manipulate American democracy while a flawed, unpopular president found himself undermined by a folk hero predecessor and his ruthless allies. With an unerring eye for the dramatic and the lesser-known fact, Lindsay Chervinsky makes John Adams and his world come alive as a most relevant and cautionary tale.”