Excerpt from The Book of History, Vol. 15: A History of All Nations From the Earliest Times to the Present, With Over 8000 Illustrations
Washington would have much preferred to remain in retirement at Mount Vernon to enjoy the peace and quiet of the plantation which he loved. The call to duty could not be resisted, however, and the expressions of respect and veneration which he received on his way to the seat of the new government must have thrilled him to the depths of his soul. All eyes were turned upon him, all hopes were centred in him. If he could not make the new union workable, no one could. Finally he reached New York, and on April 30, 1789, took the oath of office on the balcony of Federal Hall, on Wall Street.
There were no precedents to guide the new government. The Confederation had neither executive nor judiciary. The Congress which had been The Great governing power during Task of Revolution was simply a Washington revolutionary body. The Confederation, in spite of its impotence, still had friends, who had been unwilling to see it supplanted by a stronger body. The new government as contemplated by the yet untried Constitution was unlike anything in the experience of the men of the day. Prophets of evil were many, and some would not have been sorry to see their predictions of failure realised.
The task before the President and Congress was staggering. Federal departments must be created, their sphere of action defined and officials appointed; courts were to be created, and judges and court officials named; money for expenses must be found; commerce was to be regulated; treaties with foreign states must be made, and those treaties already made must be carried into effect. Something must be done about the debt, which was steadily piling up. Dozens of questions demanded attention.
Almost immediately a tax on imports was levied, not without acrimonious debate, and Congress then turned to the erection of the various departments. Only three of these Created were created during the first summer; viz. Foreign Affairs (soon called State), Treasury, and War. To these were appointed Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and General Henry Knox, Edmund Randolph was appointed Attorney General, but this office was not deemed so important as the others, and was not expected to require the entire time of the incumbent. Washington from the beginning called these men together to consult on matters of personal interest, and soon the name "Cabinet" was applied. The Postmaster General was not a member of the Cabinet until much later.
A Supreme Court, to consist of a Chief Justice and five associates, was created. A district court for every state was also formed, and intermediate circuit courts were established. Congress also examined the amendments to the Constitution recommended by the states, and submitted twelve to be voted upon by the people.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works. Это и многое другое вы найдете в книге The Book of History, Vol. 15 (W. M. Flinders Petrie)