Every U.S. president, from George Washington on, has had a Cabinet to advise him.

"Cabinet," in this sense, means a group of advisers to a top leader. The United States has had a Cabinet since the days of our very first president, George Washington. Washington had only four people in his Cabinet. One of them, Thomas Jefferson, Washington's secretary of state, went on to become the nation's third president. Since then, many different Cabinet departments have been added, as you see on the screen. The person who heads each Cabinet department is usually known its "secretary." According to the Constitution, the president picks members of the Cabinet and then these people must be approved by the U.S. Senate. In the photo, you see the room in the White House where the president meets with Cabinet members. The president depends on these people to help make decisions and to give him the best advice on many issues. Would you like to sit in on a meeting of the Cabinet? Have you ever visited Washington, D.C. and toured the White House? The members of the Cabinet are also part of something called the presidential line of succession. That means the order of those who would succeed, or take the place of, the president if a replacement were needed. According to our Constitution, if the president were to die or resign, the vice president would take his place. If the vice president were unable to do so, the top leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate are next in line, and then the members of the Cabinet, in the order they are listed on the screen. Do you think it would be interesting to work in the White House? What position would you like to have?

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