The First Congress: How James Madison, George Washington, and a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented the Government

By 1789, 11 states had ratified the U.S. Constitution, yet no mechanism existed for the government's operation. Historian Bordewich (America's Greatest Debate; Bound for Canaan) expertly conveys the excitement of how the first U.S. Congress (1789–91) created a government. The group produced an overwhelming amount of legislation despite sectional and personal animosities, self-interest, and heated deliberations over contentious issues that are still hotly debated today. Legislators and cabinet members argued over the threat of big government, power of the presidency, influence of big money, flexible or strict interpretation of the Constitution, government funding, national debt, states' rights, the location of the capital, and more. Each issue had profound regional and ideological implications. This Congress skirted, however, the most looming issue: slavery. Participants sacrificed some strongly held positions rather than risk endangering the government and shattering the union. Through journal entries, letters, and other documents, Bordewich records how major players strategized, deliberated, and compromised to establish precedents, processes, and protocols. James Madison's genius for government, Alexander Hamilton's financial expertise, George Washington's tactical discretion, and John Adam's acerbic disposition contributed to defining the government for years to come.