Faith and the Presidency: From George Washington to George W. Bush

Book Description

In the wake of the 2004 election, pundits were shocked at exit polling that showed that 22% of voters thought "moral values" was the most important issue at stake. People on both sides of the political divide believed this was the key to victory for George W. Bush, who professes a deep and abiding faith in God. While some fervent Bush supporters see him as a man chosen by God for the White House, opponents see his overt commitment to Christianity as a dangerous and unprecedented bridging of the gap between church and state. In fact, Gary Scott Smith shows, none of this is new. Religion has been a major part of the presidency since George Washington's first inaugural address. Despite the mounting interest in the role of religion in American public life, we actually know remarkably little about the faith of our presidents. Was Thomas Jefferson an atheist, as his political opponents charged? What role did Lincoln's religious views play in his handling of slavery and the Civil War? How did born-again Southern Baptist Jimmy Carter lose the support of many evangelicals? Is George W. Bush, as his critics often claim, a captive of the religious right? In this fascinating book, Smith answers these questions and many more. He takes a sweeping look at the role religion has played in presidential politics and policies. Drawing on extensive archival research, Smith paints compelling portraits of the religious lives and presidencies of eleven chief executives for whom religion was particularly important. Faith and the Presidency meticulously examines what each of its subjects believed and how those beliefs shaped their presidencies and, in turn, the course of our history.

Customer Reviews:

Depth, Accuracy, and Perspective.......2007-02-22

Even though tomes have been written on the American presidents, Dr. Smith manages to bring fresh insight as a result of painstaking research. ( It could serve as a model for any student looking to document his research) The book is not "light" reading....but the author writes with clarity and with as much impartiality as humanly possible. I found his distinction between the ways that these presidents' faith shaped their policies to be thought-provoking. This book provides a strong framework from which to examine the coming election season.

Layperson and Lover of Presidental History .......2007-02-18

I encourage you to set aside a block of time each day as you loose yourself in the history and faith of each of these men. It is full of interesting faith facts that just a history of these presidents would never touch. I must confess it took me time to read and digest this book, but well worth the time. I look forward to reareading this book in order to grasp new facts that I did not glean from the first read. I would love to see it used in school class rooms everywhere. The research, notes and excellent writing of this work is outstanding!

Compelling, fascinating page-turner.......2007-02-12

A first-rate work in which eleven presidents are analyzed in terms of their religious beliefs and their actions. Solid framework of analysis. The work brims with new details, broad understandings, and sound and judicious conclusions. Impressive, varied bibliography. The copious notes, alone, are worth a close read. Sparkling writing and sound organization make this a page-turner.

A must read for 2007.......2007-02-10

If you are looking for fresh information about the role of faith and religion in the lives of some of America's greatest presidents then I highly recommend purchasing Faith and the Presidency.
The author, Gary Smith has done his homework. His research is very thorough and his style of writing is clear and free of technical jargon.
I thought the book presented a balanced view of democrat and republican presidents; and the author covers each president's religious affiliation without bias. After reading this book I finally understand why religion is such a hot topic during every presidential election.
Reading about Abraham Lincoln and how his faith helped him address the crises of the civil war is the best I have read to date.
Students, teachers of history, religious leaders and those with a love of presidential history need this book to complete their library. A must read for 2007!

Outstanding.......2007-02-08

Gary Scott Smith's Faith and the Presidency is fascinating to read and weighty in substance. Full of personal details drawn from the lives of various presidents as well as important observations about public policy and religious impulses, Smith hits the sweet spot between bold, exciting claims and strong supporting evidence.

I was particularly persuaded by the book's observation that the foreign policy of presidents more readily reveals their philosophical commitments because the U.S. presidency has greater latitude abroad than at home.

This is a book worth reading from cover to cover. Smith hits a home run with this exceptional book. A tour de force!

The Presidency of George Washington (American Presidency Series)

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Our First Administration
Excellent history of the most critical US presidency
Excellent and Concise Bio of Washington's Presidency

The Presidency of George Washington (American Presidency Series)
Forrest McDonald
Manufacturer: University Press of Kansas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0700601104

Book Description

In this volume, Forrest McDonald admits that George Washington was no executive genius, and notes that a number of his advisers and cabinet members were considerably more important in formulating programs and policies than he was. Nevertheless, he maintains that, but for Washington, the office of president might not exist today. McDonald asserts that Washington's reputation as a man of integrity, dignity, candor, and republican virtue was well-deserved, and that he contributed best by serving as a symbol.

The book covers the central concerns of Washington's administration: a complex tangle of war debts; the organization of the Bank of the United States; geographical and social factionalism; the emergence of strong national partisan politics; adjustments in federal-state relations; the effort to remain neutral in the face of European tumult; the opening of the Mississippi River; and the removal of the threat of Indians and British in the Northwest Territory. McDonald also describes the rivalry between Washington's two most important department heads, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton.

Customer Reviews:

Our First Administration.......2002-09-01

"The Presidency of George Washington" is exactly what its title implies. It is the story of the Washington Administration. It is not a biography of George Washington, nor is it even a book which revolves totally around George Washington. It is the story of the people, issues and events which made up the administration of George Washington.

The book starts out with an introduction into the United States of 1789. The regions and interests, as well as the political alignments, which supported and opposed the adoption of the Constitution are explained in some detail. The economy, trade, finance and the neighboring powers of Spain and England all laid the background for America's experiment with its new Constitution.

The first task facing Washington was the establishment of the National Government. While reading this book we come to understand just how little guidance he had from the Constitution. Many of the practices which we take for granted derive, not from the Constitution, but from precedents established by Washington and his successors. The title of address for the President and the role of the heads of the executive departments, which were to become the cabinet, were among the first issues to be addressed. The role of the Senate in granting "advice and consent" on foreign policy matters had to be defined. An early trial occurred when President Washington appeared in the Senate to present his proposals and ask for advise and consent. After this awkward exercise, the practice was established that the executive would formulate policies and negotiate treaties, which would then presented for advice and consent.

The power of removal of executive officers also had to be refined. It was presumed by some that any officer who required Senate confirmation for appointment, also required Senate consent for removal. It was the Washington Administration which established the principle that executive officers could be removed by the President without Congressional approval. This was an issue which was to be resurrected during the impeachment of Andrew Johnson.

Beyond organizational problems, the towering challenge facing the administration was that of finance. The debts of the Continental Congress and the states raised a myriad of issues. Should debts be paid? Should the debts be paid at par? Should payment be made to the bearer, who had often bought the bonds at a discount, or should some or all of the payment be made to the original lender? Should the national government assume the debts of the states? All of these issues had important consequences to the credit worthiness of the government. The assumption of state war debts had unequal impacts, depending on whether the individual state had serviced its debt or let it accumulate. Ultimately the Hamiltonian proposal to assume the war debt of the states and to pay the holders of the bonds was adopted, with the concession of the location of the national capitol in the South to win necessary support.

An issue which would remain controversial until the Administration of Andrew Jackson was the establishment of the Bank of the United States. One of the main reasons for the establishment of the bank was the dearth of banks in the country capable of handling federal deposits.

The domestic issues confronted by the administration introduced the spirit of party into the Administration. The differing views and personalties of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson brought contention into the administration. It was their personalties, particularly that of Hamilton, which came to be the heart of the Administration, even more than that of Washington himself.

The second term was to be dominated by foreign entanglements and a domestic insurrection. The advancement of the French Revolution and its wars with the powers of Europe brought European problems to America. The continuance or renunciation of America's treaty, made with Royalist France, was a hotly debated issue, as was the ratification of a later treaty with Britain. Acceptance of the Jay Treaty with Britain was, ultimately, decided in a reaction to alleged official corruption. In America's first encounter with Islamic Terrorism, raids against American shipping in the Mediterranean by Barbery Pirates, resulted in, again after heated debate, the establishment of the U.S. Navy.

1794 saw resistance to federal taxation on whiskey erupt into the Whiskey Rebellion. The assertion of Federal authority lead to the raising of the militia for the suppression of the rebellion. The declaration of the Rebellion and its suppression may have had more to do with Hamilton's desire to crush his political opponents and brand them as traitors than it did with any actual insurrection.

Washington's ultimate gift to the nation was his retirement and transfer of power to an elected successor at the conclusion of his second term.

This book is recommended to anyone desiring an understanding of the personalities who made up our first national administration, the challenges which confronted them, their responses to those challenges and their legacies to our country.

Excellent history of the most critical US presidency.......2001-07-07

The general consensus is that the two greatest US presidents were George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. I firmly believe that and in my opinion, Washington was the greatest. Before he became president he did something very rare in the history of the human race. After the victory in the war of independence, his stature was such that he could have been "elected" king. However, his honor was such that he had to be persuaded to run for president and then re-persuaded to run for a second term. He then thoroughly rejected any thought of a third term.
The nation that he led was still very fragile and every action by Washington or congress that was not explicit in the constitution would establish a precedent. Furthermore, the world was still a dangerous place, with the French revolution and subsequent European war creating a dangerous environment for the new nation. His actions in building the new government and keeping it out of foreign entanglements fully justify the admiration that he receives.
This book kept my attention from the first page as the early years of the new government are described. For this is a book about the Washington administration rather than Washington the man. So many legends in the annals of history were there and setting the tone for over 200 years of continuous government. You also learn of the emergence of political parties, as Hamilton, Madison, Jefferson and Adams among others vie for power and influence. Alexander Hamilton is the most interesting of these giants, as he successfully creates the financial institutions that made the country fiscally sound.
The more I read about Washington and that period of history, the more I am impressed by him. I have no idea what would have happened if he had been different, but it is a sure bet that it would have been worse. It is unfortunate that we teach our children nonsensical myths like the one about the cherry tree. The truth is so much more inspiring, and he truly deserves the accolade of "the father of his country."

Excellent and Concise Bio of Washington's Presidency.......2000-10-27

Forrest McDonald is an excellent writer. He produced a wonderful full length bio of Alexander Hamilton that I recommend to anyone interested learning about our government's start and the role played by the man second only to Washington in ensuring that these United States succeeded in laying a firm foundation for self government.

This book is one of McDonald's two contributions to the Univ. of KA's "Presidency Series." It is splendid.

McDonald concisely explores the challenges presenting themselves and issues demanding attention from our new and untested government. In just under two hundred pages, the author does an excellent job of boiling down the topics to their essentials and describing how the nascent government struggled to define its role, the meaning of it's constitutional structure, the balance of factions and America's relation to warring European giants.

His book accomplishes this with brevity, clear and concise writing and in an interesting manner. Along the way are fascinating tidbits. For example, neither Washington nor the Senate knew what "advise and consent" meant regarding treaties. About to send negotiators to several indian tribes, Washington walked down to the Senate to seek their advice on instructions for his agents. As the Senate sat dumbfounded, and then finally began to debate the seven points Washington sought advice on, it became clear how impractical legislative micro management of treaty making would be. Washington turned on his heels and left in disgust when it became obvious the Senate could not give him clear and definative advice. Thereafter, it was mutually agreed that the Senate's role would revolve mainly around "consent" and come when the President presented negotiatied treaties to that body for consideration and not before the treaty making in the form of advice. And thus has it been, evermore.

This is a very good book that will inform those interested in learning how our government got up and running and how important Washington and the players around him were in charting the course for our young government.

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A worthy glimpse of the workings of American government

The White House World: Transitions, Organization, and Office Operations (Joseph V. Hughes, Jr., and Holly O. Hughes Series in the Presidency and Leadership Studies, No. 13)

Manufacturer: Texas A&M University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The White House Staff: Inside the West Wing and Beyond

The Nerve Center: Lessons in Governing from the White House Chiefs of Staff (Joseph V. Hughes, Jr., and Holly O. Hughes Book in the Presidency and Leadership Series)

Organizing the Presidency

Nerve Center: Inside the White House Situation Room

Presidential Transitions: From Politics to Practice

ASIN: 1585442275

Customer Reviews:

A worthy glimpse of the workings of American government.......2003-04-08

Compiled and edited by Martha Joynt Kumar (Department of Political Science, Towson University) and Terry Sullivan (Department of Political Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), The White House World: Transitions, Organization, And Office Operations is an imposing collection of scholarly essays by a variety of learned authors. Drawing from interviews with seventy-five former senior White House officials representing six administrations (as well as with former President Gerald Ford), to present a picture as assembled by top political scientists of what really goes on in the White House West Wing, The White House World would well serve future White House administrations seeking practical advice on how best to organize their presidencies. Topics scrutinized include the mechanics of Presidential transition, the role of various offices such as Press Secretary or The Office of Communication, and a special focus upon President George W. Bush's transition. A worthy glimpse of the workings of American government itself, The White House World is an invaluable contribution to Political Science reference collections and reading lists.

George Washington's War: The Forging Of A Revolutionary Leader And The American Presidency

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George Washington's War: The Forging Of A Revolutionary Leader And The American Presidency
Bruce Chadwick
Manufacturer: Sourcebooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 140220406X

Book Description

The American Revolution was won not on the battlefields, but in the mind of George Washington. A compulsively readable narrative and extensive history, George Washington's War illuminates how during the war's winter months the young general created a new model of leadership that became the model for the American presidency.

The Press and the Presidency: From George Washington to Ronald Reagan

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The Press and the Presidency: From George Washington to Ronald Reagan
John William Tebbel , and Sarah Miles Watts
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 019503628X

Book Description

Here at last is an authoritative, full-scale history of that most ambivalent of American political relationships: the interaction between the White House and the news media. From George Washington to Ronald Reagan, the authors explore the shifting and often dangerous currents in
press-president relations, showing how these currents merged at today's critical juncture.
Combining fascinating detail with trenchant commentary, Tebbel and Watts illuminate the influence of the press on presidential conduct and explain how presidents have come to manipulate the media, especially television, in ways never envisioned by the framers of the First Amendment. Seeing
government control as a genuine threat to a free press, they warn of the growth of an "imperialistic" presidency that "may well be capable of nullifying the First Amendment, in a relatively short time and with public support." The authors are not biased toward either the Democrats of the
Republicans, and they show that the media owners themselves bear much of the blame for placing their own freedom in peril.
In addition to offering a vigorous point of view, The Press and the Presidency is richly rewarding as narrative history. It unveils a dramatic pageant of American politics, replete with biographical and anecdotal nuggets. The authors are as vivid in discussing the press vilification that
plagued Jefferson and Lincoln, as they are in describing the media manipulations of modern administrations.

About the Authors:

John Tebbel, Professor Emeritus of Journalism at New York University, has had a long and distinguished career as a journalist and educator. Among his many works is a four-volume history of book publishing in the United States.
Sarah Miles Watts is a journalist with nearly thirty years of experience, Professor of Journalism at the State University of New York, and founder and former editor of The Journalist's World, a worldwide review of journalistic events and opinions.

George Washington and the Origins of the American Presidency

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George Washington and the Origins of the American Presidency

Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0275968677

Book Description

This essay collection is a retrospective analysis of the Washington administration's importance to the understanding of the modern presidency. Contemporary presidential scholarship gives little attention to the enormous impact that Washington's actions had on establishing the presidency. Most contemporary literature starts with 1933 and, although FDR's impact on the development of the modern institution of the presidency is undeniable, Washington's actions in office also established standards for practices that continue to this day. This analysis of the Washington presidency begins with an examination of Washington's leadership and its relevance to the modern presidency. The second group of essays looks at different aspects of presidential powers and the precedents established by the Washington administration. The third section examines Washington's press coverage, looking at the origins of Washington's image and the various myths in the press as well as the president's difficult relations with his contemporary press. A thoughtful and important corrective that will be of interest to scholars, students, and researchers involved with the American presidency and its history.

The American presidency in action, 1789;: A study in constitutional history

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The American presidency in action, 1789;: A study in constitutional history
James Hart
Manufacturer: Macmillan Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B0006ARICC

Presidents Above Party: The First American Presidency, 1789-1829

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Presidents Above Party: The First American Presidency, 1789-1829
Ralph Ketcham
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 080784179X

Book Description

George Washington's vision was a presidency free of party, a republican, national office that would transcend faction. That vision would remain strong in the administrations of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and John Quincy Adams, yet largely disappear under Andrew Jackson and his successors.

This book is a comprehensive and pathbreaking study of the early presidency and the ideals behind it. Ralph Ketcham examines the roots of nonpartisan leadership in Western thought and the particular influences on the founding fathers. Intellectual and political profiles of the first six presidents and their administrations emphasize the construction each put on the office, the challenges he faced, and the compromises he did and did not make. The erosion of nonpartisanship under Andrew Jackson is presented as a counterpoint that helps define the early presidency and the permanent transition from it.

Book Description

The American Revolution was won not on the battlefields, but in the mind of George Washington. A compulsively readable narrative and extensive new history, George Washington's War illuminates how during the war's winter months the young general created a new model of leadership that would become the foundation of the new nation and the model for the American presidency.

Based on more than 1,500 original sources and written in the tradition of David McCullough's John Adams, historian Bruce Chadwick, Ph.D., dramatizes how the greatest threat to the American Revolution was not the British Army, but the infancy of the United States. During those terrible times, Washington had to create a military with soldiers who most often quit after a brief enlistment; deal with a backbiting and often uncaring Congress and the emerging states; overcome starvation, mutinies and a smallpox epidemic; and face winters so bitter that some of his men, without blankets or shoes, would freeze to death. By holding together an often despairing army and a disparate nation through creative, ingenious and often shocking methods, and by supporting democratic institutions to do so, Washington sired the republic that we know today.

Authoritative and dramatically rendered, George Washington's War is a spellbinding account of the hardships and real-life events that forged a great leader and a nation.

Customer Reviews:

Absorbing reading.......2007-02-17

One of the better histories of Washington's role in the Revolutionary War. Convincingly argues that without Washington, we would very likely still be an English colony today. Absorbing read!

Disappointed............2007-02-03

The title is misleading, I assumed a book titled George Washington's War, would be a book about the his military exploits,tactics, and descriptions of the battles fought.....right? Wrong.

I should have realized that this wasn't a military/warfare book by the fact it didn't have any battle maps, actually there are no maps at all. By the 4th chapter I realized what I bought. An extremely comprehensive and detailed account on the struggles of the incredibly hard task Washington faced with everything from logistics, inflation, small pox, half naked soldiers, famines, lack of ammunition, Loyalist, greedy merchants, etc, etc....

It does start off with promise. The detailed information was fascinating about life in the military camp and showcasing Washington's incredible genius to be an administrator and his perserverance in dealing with extreme adversity. Then it falls flat.

At times I thought I was reading the same exact page word-for-word from a previous chapter. I expected him at some point to go back and describe in any detail at all, the battles of Lexington and Concord, Battle of Bunker's Hill, his retreat throughout New York, Battle Of Brandywine creek, etc,etc. But instead it is the same scenario over and over on the difficulties the soldiers faced, logistic nightmares, his numerous problems with Congress, lack of money, etc., chapter after chapter.

The author is well informed and has a great depth of knowledge, but he loses the audience with the incredible amount of repetitive details and too many people who are irrelevant to the story. This book is not for those who want any type of military narrative or details on the battles that were actually fought. They are only talked about as a passing thought. There is no build up to anything, the detailed information becomes so repetitive it is hard to finish reading.

The Fight for America's Freedom and Democracy.......2006-01-18

Every kid in high school should be REQUIRED to read this book, Our founding father went through pure hell to fight for our country, establish democracy, freedom, and break from the British tyrants. The soldiers went through starvation. Eating the bark off trees, eating their dogs-anything to stay alive. Many times the Continential Army were at the breaking point, but the steady determination of George Washington, Nathaniel Greene, and countless leaders were determine to have victory at any cost. I could not lay this book down. It is very well-written, and you feel drawn into the book as if you were a part of the action. The winter's at Valley Forge & Morristown were harsh, and the epidemic of small pox would have destroyed the army if not for General Washington's orders of quarantine.
War is Hell, but the price of freedom is not cheap!

Wasting Washington's War.......2005-06-14

There are great overviews of the American Revolution: Angel in the Whirlwind, there are great analyses of critical moments: Washington's Crossing and there are many great biographies: John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, The First American. This tries to be all three fails miserably across the board. No insights, no new news and poor editing make this a real slog.

"Serving at the pleasure of the President".......2005-05-28

This book was excellent, if for no other reason, because it showed the true bravery and heroism of not only General George Washington, but those who followed him faithfully into the very jaws of oblivion! Such men as Knox (Washington's artillery commander -- whom the famous fort is named after) and Greene followed Washington through the war and faced a terrible and bloody end if they were captured by the British. What drove these men to follow one man on a quest for such an unheard-of dream?

"George Washington's War" chronicles the reasons why George Washington was so victorious not only in winning the American Revolution, but also in getting the men around him and those in the Continental Congress to put enough faith in him and grant him enough power to get the job done! As well, it shows how these very achievements were brought, by the glorified commander-in-chief, to the position of President of the United states several years later.

If you are a fan of the Revolution, you will find this book entertaining. However, if you are interested in how our nation's most celebrated office formed, and what that office trully stands for and is intended for, this book will be both entertaining and enlightening. Indeed, it made me yearn for politicians who thought the way this brilliant man did!

The age of Washington: George Washington's Presidency, 1789-1797

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The age of Washington: George Washington's Presidency, 1789-1797
George Washington Nordham
Manufacturer: Adams Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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