Letter from James Madison to His Father (1787)

by James Madison
  • July 28, 1787
Image: James Madison, Sr. Polk, Charles Peale. (c.1800) Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James_madison_sr.jpg
Why might Madison state that “nothing definitive is yet done,” despite the Convention’s progress after the proposal of the Connecticut Compromise? How does this phrase reflect the uncertainty and complexity of the work being undertaken?
Given your understanding of the secrecy rule and Madison’s earlier correspondence, do you think this letter upholds the level of confidentiality the delegates intended? Why or why not? At this stage in the proceedings, would maintaining secrecy be of greater, lesser, or of equal importance? Explain your reasoning.
Constitutional Convention

“From James Madison to James Madison, Sr., 28 July 1787,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://teachingamericanhistory.org/1u3h.

I am sorry that I cannot gratify your wish to be informed of the proceedings of the Convention. An order of secresy leaves me at liberty merely to tell you that nothing definitive is yet done, that the Session will probably continue for some time yet, that an Adjournment took place on Thursday last until Monday week, and that a Committee is to be at work in the mean time....

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