In the beginning, George Washington was the leader of the Continental Army and the first president of the United States. There was a thought floating in the clouds as to why George Washington did not want to be present at the Constitutional Convention. Just the opposite of this, George Washington changed his mind and made his appearance at the Constitutional Convention. However, George Washington's presence at the Constitutional Convention was frankly expected and thus Washington expressed many of his thoughts and ideas during the intense meeting. For example, George Washington did not want to participate in the Constitutional Convention for a variety of reasons. Washington, for example, did not want to take part in the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia because he believed that at the meeting no one would approve the changes to the Articles of Confederation and was uncertain what the country should look like and the necessary provisions intended to form a more balanced. However, Washington did not want his name in the Constitution. An attempt was made to include Washington's name in the first draft of the Constitution because he was supposed to be present at the Convention, but he did not do so because "...it was my desire that my name should not remain in the delegation, to the exclusion of one other. ..” 1 This explains that George Washington planned to have other delegates and representatives attend the meeting. Additionally, Washington wanted to leave the Constitutional Convention of 1787 to his fellow students. Equally important, George Washington felt unable to attend the Convention because he suffered from severe rheumatism and, “at times could... middle of paper.....N's decision to attend the Constitutional Convention” (December 21, 2013) Kladly P. William Ph. D., “Convention Constitutional Convention” (December 21, 2013) The Charters of Freedom, “The American Founding Fathers Delegates to the Constitutional Convention” (December 22, 2013) US Department of State Office of the Historian “Constitutional Convention and Ratification, 1787–1789” (December 22 2013) Exploring constitutional conflicts, “The Constitutional Convention of 1787” (December 26, 2013)