Yale Historian Max Farrand’s Records act as the preeminent source for the discussions that took place during the Constitutional Convention. William Jackson, who served as the secretary of the convention, gave these records to founder George Washington. Washington then turned the records over to the State Department in 1796. In 1818 Congress ordered the printing of the records, and Secretary of State John Quincy Adams oversaw this task in 1819. In addition to the official proceedings, a significant portion of the records consist of founder James Madison’s notes as well as notes and letters written by many of the other founders present at the convention.