<P> George Washington was unanimously elected president of the Convention , and it was agreed that the discussions and votes would be kept secret until the conclusion of the meeting . Despite the sweltering summer heat , the windows of the meeting hall were nailed shut to keep the proceedings a secret from the public . Although William Jackson was elected as secretary , his records were brief and included very little detail . Madison 's Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 , supplemented by the notes of Robert Yates , remain the most complete record of the Convention . Throughout the debate , delegates constantly referred to precedents from history in support of their position . Most commonly , they referred to the history of England , in particular the Glorious Revolution ( often simply called `` The Revolution '' ) , classical history ( mainly the Roman Republic and the leagues of Greek city - states ) , and recent precedents from Holland and Germany . </P>
<P> George Washington was unanimously elected president of the Convention , and it was agreed that the discussions and votes would be kept secret until the conclusion of the meeting . Despite the sweltering summer heat , the windows of the meeting hall were nailed shut to keep the proceedings a secret from the public . Although William Jackson was elected as secretary , his records were brief and included very little detail . Madison 's Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 , supplemented by the notes of Robert Yates , remain the most complete record of the Convention . Throughout the debate , delegates constantly referred to precedents from history in support of their position . Most commonly , they referred to the history of England , in particular the Glorious Revolution ( often simply called `` The Revolution '' ) , classical history ( mainly the Roman Republic and the leagues of Greek city - states ) , and recent precedents from Holland and Germany . </P>
who chaired the constitutional convention during the summer of 1787
who chaired the constitutional convention during the summer of 1787
George Washington
George Washington