James Madison worried that George Washington would waste his political capital by attending an “abortive” convention. He thought Washington should delay his appearance until some progress at the Constitutional Convention had been made and suggested that in the meantime, Benjamin Franklin might provide “sufficient dignity into the Chair.” Before Madison could address the matter, however, Washington had already left for Philadelphia, as indicated by this letter from John Dawson (1762–1814), a fellow Virginian, who realized the high stakes of the convention.

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