The Presidential Cabinet

The Presidential Cabinet — page 1
(cid:3) (cid:3) TABLE OF CONTENTS (cid:144)(cid:3)(cid:144)(cid:3)(cid:144) 4 INTRODUCTION In the 1790s running the United States government was a job full of surprises No one had done it before 7 CHAPTER NO_ 1 NOT IN THE INSTRUCTIONS There is not a word in the U S Constitution about the president’s cabinet Yet the 16 people in the cabinet today are among the most powerful in the U S 27 CHAPTER NO_ 3 THE NATURE OF THE JOB President Andrew Jackson found shortly after he became president in 1829 that his strategy for pick ing cabinet chiefs had backfired Over time he came to distrust at least three of them 17 CHAPTER NO_ 2 SUPERSTAR SECRETARIES A president chooses cabinet members based on their area of experience Those who helped the president get elected are also often given cabinet posts But it’s not all about politics 37 CHAPTER NO_ 4 CHANGING CHALLENGES From an original cabinet of 4 departments to today’s group of 15 the scope of the cabinet has reflected the ever-increasing complexity of the country