Lindsay M. Chervinsky — Making the Presidency - with Peter Baker

Watch author Lindsay M. Chervinsky's book talk and reading at Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C.

PURCHASE BOOK HERE

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. Lindsay M. Chervinsky is a historian of the presidency, political culture, and U.S. government institutions. She is a Senior Nonresident Fellow at the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University. Dr. Chervinsky is the author of the award-winning The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution and the co-editor of Mourning the Presidents: Loss and Legacy in American Culture. Dr. Chervinsky has been published in the Washington Post, TIME, USA Today, CNN.com, The Bulwark, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Monthly, The Daily Beast, and numerous others; she is a regular source on American history for outlets like The BBC, Associated Press, Washington Post, New York Times, CBC News, and many more. She has recently appeared on CBS News and CNN.

Chervinsky is in conversation with Peter Baker. Baker is the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times, a political analyst for MSNBC, and the author of Days of Fire and The Breach.

Be Sure To Click SUBSCRIBE

@politicsprose

Visit us online at

Follow us on Twitter

Follow us on instagram

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Threads

Follow Us On TikTok

Subscribe to our e-mail newsletter:

Become a store member and save

Audio Archive

Founded by Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade in 1984, Politics and Prose Bookstore is Washington, D.C.'s premier independent bookstore and cultural hub, a gathering place for people interested in reading and discussing books. Politics and Prose offers superior service, unusual book choices, and a haven for book lovers in the store and online.

#books #booktube