The Impartial Examiner III - Electing Ratification Delegates

In Impartial Examiner III the anonymous Anti-Federalist author implores the people of Virginia to take the ratification of the US Constitution very seriously.

Impartial Examiner III

March 5, 1788

In the third essay of the Impartial Examiner, the anonymous Anti-Federalist author implores the people of Virginia to take the ratification of the US Constitution very seriously.

This essay is extremely long-winded and is largely dedicated to tugging at the emotions of the reader instead of attempting to convince them of the Constitution's flaws with political theory. 

Praising Washington

The Examiner spends a good chunk of the essay noting that he does not believe the Constitution’s authors to be acting maliciously.

He applauds the work of, “the magnanimous HERO, who has conducted our armies,” which is an obvious reference to George Washington.

Washington’s presence at the Constitutional Convention gave the document great weight and by acknowledging the General’s heroics, the Examiner is avoiding any accusations that he is attacking Washington.

Instead, the examiner believes that even great men are human and can make mistakes.

The Constitution, he argues, is one of those mistakes.

Electing Delegates

The most interesting part of Examiner III is the author’s attention to the people at large.

Instead of taking the usual Anti-Federalist route in persuading those elected to the ratification convention against the Constitution, the Examiner is recommending the voting public to choose Delegates who are already committed Anti-Federalists.

Some Complaints

The Examiner uses the latter third of this very long essay to reiterate major reasons the Constitution could be dangerous.

Most of these are fairly standard Anti-Federalist talking points such as the lack of trial by jury, pernicious taxation and (of course) the Supremacy Clause.

He ends with a call to establish a federal government, as opposed to the national one recommended by the Constitution’s authors.

If you would like to read the original text of Impartial Examiner III, click here to read it for FREE.

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