Once enough delegates had arrived, the convention could begin its work. On May 25, 1787, the first day of the convention, George Washington was unanimously elected as the president of the convention. Benjamin Franklin, as the convention's oldest and most respected member as well as a delegate from the host state of Pennsylvania, was scheduled to make the speech nominating Washington. However, the rainy weather on the first day of the convention aggravated Franklin's gout, so another Pennsylvania delegate, Robert Morris, read Franklin's speech.

At this first session, the convention also appointed a committee to determine the rules for the debates. The committee proposed and the convention accepted these rules. All decisions in the convention were made by a simple majority vote, with each state getting one vote. To avoid rash decisions, they adopted an ancient debating device, created by the English Parliament, the...