When the Constitutional Convention began in May 1787, one of the first things delegates agreed on had nothing to do with the government itself. They agreed to keep everything secret. No one outside the convention could know what was being discussed, debated, or decided. Guards were posted at the doors of the Pennsylvania State House. Windows were kept shut even in the sweltering summer heat. Delegates were not allowed to share what happened inside, not in letters, not in conversation, and not in the newspapers.
The delegates had clear reasons for this rule. If their debates became public while they were still happening, people outside the convention might react before any final decisions were made. Delegates also worried that if they stated their opinions publicly too early, they would feel pressure to stick to those opinions even if they changed their minds. James Madison believed that without secrecy, no agreement would ever have been reached at all. The rule allowed delegates to argue and change their views. They could also compromise without worrying about criticism.
Not everyone agreed with the decision. Thomas Jefferson, who was in France at the time, said the secrecy rule set a deeply troubling example for a government that was supposed to represent the people. Some Americans were suspicious of what was happening behind those closed doors. A few delegates even broke the rule and quietly passed information to people outside. The public didn't know much about the convention's debates until Madison's notes were published in 1840, four years after he died.
