THE success of the American experiment in government was by no means assured when George Washington assumed the office President of the United States. The very unity of the states (only eleven at the time-Rhode Island and North Carolina were wavering) was tenuous. Ratification of the Constitution had been a struggle and had been accomplished with varying interpretations of the powers and duties of its three branches. Washington's first task was to put together what would come to be known as his "cabinet" but only after overcoming congressional reluctance to release the control it had exercised over the departments under the Articles of Confederation. He chose primarily from those who had served with distinction during the war for independence. Henry Knox and Alexander Hamilton had been among his most dependable and courageous officers in many campaigns. Edmund Randolph had been his aide-de-camp, and James McHenry had served on his staff. John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams had braved the British-controlled seas to serve as ambassadors seeking aid for the cause. Jay had negotiated the Treaty of Paris that brought the conflict to a close. The challenges the President and his chosen advisors faced brought them continuously into bitter conflicts, and not all retained their leader's confidence. The Citizen Genet affair, the Whiskey Rebellion, the enormous national debt, continued British occupation of the frontier and impressment of American citizens on the high seas, constant power struggles with Congress-all threatened the future of the American presidency and the U.S. Constitution as the underlying structure of American government. But the challenges were met, and by the end of George Washington's second term, though more dark clouds were on the horizon, the powers and duties of the presidency were largely defined and the course of the young nation was firmly set.