A great look at the founders' divergent views on what our chief executive(s) should look like, how our current setup was implemented, and all of the discussion, rancor, and maneuvering it took to accomplish all of it. (Includes some explanatory material concerning the Electoral College and the Hamiltonian aversion to popular rule.)

Also a decent look into how the minds and personalities of Washington & Jefferson shaped many of the Presidential trappings we recognize today. Highly recommended for those interested in American and/or constitutional history, and *especially* recommended for anyone who likes to invoke the "founding fathers" as a monolithic group. ( )

An excellent narrative that debunks the popularly taught version of the Constitution and how the Government was formed. Most Americans believe the Framers and Founders were of a singular mind, holding a unanimous view of a Montesquieu-inspired separation and balance of powers. Raphael's research highlights how the complications of personal and regional self-interest conflicted with both altruistic ideals and day-to-day realities. Amusingly, human nature foiled some of the best intentions of the Framers and we live with the results to this day.

This book should be required reading for high school students studying the beginning of the nation (oops, in this politically correct environment, is civics and government still taught?), however, caution should be exercised by paying close attention to the meanings of words used in that era; it is easy for someone to rush through the book and misinterpret the intent of the participants. ( )

A good narrative account of the Constitutional Convention's debates over the nature of the American executive. Raphael really pushes the influence of Gouverneur Morris (and downplays the extent to which previous scholars have recognized Morris' contributions). He makes the very good point that examining the Convention's backing-and-forthing over the executive both chronologically and in the context of their other discussions is necessary to understand the final result; that is "How did the presidency develop day by day, speech by speech, and vote by vote at the Federal Convention?" (281). I wrote my undergrad thesis on a very similar theme, so the subject is one I take a great interest in.

Useful for understanding the not-necessarily-intuitive electoral college system and its origins. ( )

I liked the narrative parts of this book that take readers inside the action of the framers' development of executive power in the U.S.A. The author lets us see where the lofty ideals of independent governance intersect the economic and political realities of the day. This book is a must-read to understand how we got the kind of executive branch that we did. ( )