1. Who wrote the Constitution and who was left out?

The Constitution was written mostly by rich, property-owning men—like big landowners, merchants, and business elites. They had money, land, and education, so they got to make the rules. Ordinary people, like small farmers, workers, and poor people, didn’t get to participate. Women, enslaved people, and Native Americans were also completely left out. For example, Reading 6.1 says most of the delegates owned a lot of land or businesses, while small farmers and laborers had no voice in government.

2. Was the social class structure the same as today?

It was kind of the same, but also different. Back then, wealth and property gave you almost all the power. Most people couldn’t vote or run for office unless they owned land. Today, almost everyone can vote, but rich people still have more influence because of money, education, and connections. So the details are different, but class still matters.

3. Why were the people who wrote the Constitution afraid of democracy?

The wealthy delegates were scared that ordinary people—like farmers and workers—would pass laws that could take away their land or money. They worried about “mob rule” and wanted to protect their wealth. That’s why the Constitution has things like the Electoral College, the Senate, and checks and balances: to make it harder for the majority to change things too quickly and to keep power in the hands of rich people

The Constitution was written by members of the upper social class, especially wealthy white men who owned land or businesses. These people were either lawyers, planters, or merchants, like George Washington and James Madison. People of the lower classes were excluded from this, this included poor farmers, laborers, women, enslaved people even free African Americans, and Native Americans. These groups had little to no political power and were not allowed to participate in the process. The main difference between the classes were access to wealth, education, and political influence.

Early US society had a very different class structure than today. Political rights were limited mostly to white men who owned property, which excluded many people. Today, although economic inequality still exists, most adults can vote regardless of wealth, race, or gender. Social mobility is also more possible now than it was in the early United States.

The writers of the US Constitution feared democracy because they worried the lower classes would gain too much power. They believed poor citizens might vote based on emotion or personal interest instead of stability. Events like Shays’ Rebellion made elites fear that popular rule could threaten property and their wealth. Because of this the writers designed a system of government that limited direct democracy while still allowing public participation.

1. From the readings I can say that the constitution was written by the propertied elite like the wealthy merchants, the bankers, landowners etc and the class that was excluded and not allowed to participate was the non-propertied people: like small farmers, workers,  women, the poor and more. 
2. I would say  that the social class structure of early United States society was different from today’s society. I say that because I n the late 1700s–1800s, American society was formally unequal in ways that would be illegal today. Back then class was shaped by slavery, race, gender limits, and landownership, mean while in today’s society things is more based on income, education, and occupation.
3. The people who wrote the Constitution so afraid of democracy because the farmers, the workers, women, the poor etc  had economic interests that threatened the wealthy elite. As Beard and Parenti explain, the Constitution was written by property owning landowners, merchants, and creditors, who designed it to protect their wealth.

Ariel Durham

1. From my analysis, the party that wrote the constitution was the wealthy class. These men owned land, businesses, and maintained power. The poor, enslaved, and small farmers, and many others, were left out of the writing.

2. I think it’s still similar to today, but in early America, only the wealthy and people of power could vote. Still, now everyone can technically vote, but to me, it’s a battle because the more affluent class is always threatening to due away with the right to vote act. That has not been accomplished, so they are making it extremely difficult for people to vote.

3. The framers were afraid of democracy because if the minority might realize what was going on and wanted to make a change. The minority would start taking power away from the wealthy. Framers protected their wealth by establishing a checks and balances system; with the same system, they can protect their own interests.

1. What concept does “faction” remind you of?
The word faction reminds me of political parties or interest groups. Madison described factions as groups of people who share common interests or opinions, and he worried that they could divide society or control the government. This really connects to politics today because we still see groups fighting for their own interests, sometimes more than for the common good.

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2. What is the source of wealth (private property)?
According to James Madison in Federalist #10, the source of wealth and private property comes from people’s different talents, skills, and abilities — what he called “faculties.” Everyone has different abilities, so some people end up earning and owning more than others. Because of these natural differences, not everyone can be equal in property or wealth.

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3. Do you agree with Madison’s explanation of wealth and poverty?
I agree with Madison to a point, but not completely. Yes, people are different in skills and effort, but not everyone gets the same opportunities. Some people are born into wealth or have better access to education and resources, while others have to struggle much harder just to survive. So, I think inequality comes from both natural talent and social conditions.

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4. What is the core mission (“first object”) of the U.S. government?
Madison believed that the main goal of the U.S. government is to protect people’s rights, especially their property rights. That surprised me because today we think about the government’s job as helping citizens — like with education, healthcare, and equality. Madison’s view shows that early leaders focused more on protecting economic and property interests than social welfare.

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5. Why is Federalist #10 not in favor of pure democracy?
Madison didn’t support pure democracy because he thought it could lead to chaos and unfairness. In a direct democracy, the majority could take away the rights of the minority. That’s why he preferred a republic, where citizens elect representatives to make decisions. He believed a republic would create a more balanced government and protect the rights of everyone, not just the majority.

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In conclusion
Reading Federalist #10 helped me understand how much Madison cared about balance and stability in government. Even though his ideas were written long ago, they still connect to how our political system works today — with debates about power, fairness, and protecting people’s rights.

Based on the arguments presented in Readings 6.1 and 6.2, which social class wrote the Constitution, and which class was excluded and not allowed to participate in this process? In your comment, make sure you clearly specify the difference between the two classes by giving examples from the readings

The U.S. Constitution was crafted by the propertied elite-a fact that is clear in both readings. They had their wealth in property, securities, and commerce. Propertyless laborers and small farmers were left out, their capacity to vote and hold office being blocked by state rules.

Parenti emphasizes how class power shaped early America, and Beard shows how the Framers designed for a system that would protect the interests of the wealthy from “an insurrectionist spirit” emerging from below. Beard uses evidence to support Parenti’s claim. Among the 55 delegates, 40 owned public securities and expected to profit from the funding of public debt.

Drafting Class: Propertied Elite

Wealth: Large amounts of personal property-owning speculative lands and public securities. Beard cites Robert Morris, who owned public securities valued at $26,000 during 1792; Morris was also speculating millions of acres.

Occupations: Merchants, lawyers, and financiers. Beard gives the example of Alexander Hamilton, a financier in New York, took up tariffs on behalf of manufacturers.

Participation: They were elected via property tests in state legislatures, and they met secretly in Philadelphia.

Excluded Class: Propertyless Masses

Wealth: Little to none, primarily small farms or in debt. Parenti cites those who were enslaved comprised one-quarter of the population, with no vote and no say.

Occupations: Farmers, laborers, mechanics. Beard gives the example of the fighters in Shays’ Rebellion, who were farmers driven by debt and opposed ratification of the Constitution.

Participation: Participation was blocked by freehold rules. For instance, in Massachusetts, property tests restricted suffrage to only one-fifth of males 21 and older.

All this creates a system that locked power with the elite. Both readings teach readers that the economic interests served as motive for drafting the document. The Framers were concerned with “the tyranny of the majority” and sought “checks” such as indirect elections, among others.

Would say that the social class structure of early United States society, was the same as ours today, or different? Explain.

Early US class structure differs from today’s. Property and race defined classes then. Income and education shape them now. Wealth still holds power.

Early US (1780s-1800s)

• Elite: Owned land, controlled politics.
• Middle: Farmers, artisans, limited voice.
• Poor: Laborers, slaves, no rights.
• Features: Property rules blocked voting. Women, non-whites excluded.

Today’s US (2025)

• Elite: Wealthy influence policy.
• Middle: Professionals, shrinking from wage issues.
• Poor: Service workers, gig laborers.
• Features: Universal voting. Wealth skews influence.

Differences

• Early US had legal barriers. Today allows mobility.
• Race, gender exclusion total then, less rigid now.

Similarities

• Wealth drives power. Early elites shaped laws. Today’s rich dominate policy.

You see more access now, but elites still rule.

Why were the people who wrote the Constitution so afraid of democracy? Hint: think about how to answer this question by discussing it in terms of social classes.

Framers of the Constitution, wealthy elites, feared democracy. It threatened their property and power. Lower classes could disrupt their control.

• Elite Fears: Landowners like Hamilton worried about losing wealth. Masses might demand redistribution. Parenti highlights their distrust of popular unrest.
• Class Conflict: Poor farmers, like those in Shays’ Rebellion, sought debt relief. Beard notes most framers held securities, tying them to stable rule.
• Response: Framers added checks, like indirect elections, to curb mass power. This secured elite interests.

You see their fear stemmed from class divides. They valued control over broad democracy.

1. From the readings, the Constitution was mainly written by the wealthy upper class—landowners, merchants, and bankers—who had money and property. They had the education, power, and resources to control the process. The working class, small farmers, enslaved people, and women were excluded because they didn’t own property and had no political rights. The framers were mostly protecting their own financial interests rather than representing everyone.
2. I think the social class structure back then is similar to today in some ways. In early America, only rich, property-owning white men had political power. Today, everyone can technically vote, but money still plays a big role in politics. Wealthy people and corporations have more influence through donations and lobbying, so the power divide between rich and poor still exists even if it looks different now.
3. The framers were afraid of democracy because they didn’t trust the lower classes to make decisions that might threaten their wealth. They worried that too much democracy would lead to majority rule, where poor people could vote to change laws or redistribute wealth. So, they built the Constitution in a way that protected property and kept real power in the hands of the wealthy.

1. In early America, what was required for someone to be able to vote?

In the early years of America, voting was mostly limited to white men who owned property. Some states also required the voter to pay taxes or meet a certain level of wealth. Women enslaved people Native Americans and poor men were excluded from voting rights.

2. Which social class did most people belong to in early America?

Most people in early America were part of the lower or working class. They were small farmers, laborers, or craftsmen who worked hard to support themselves and their families, but they didn’t own large amounts of land or wealth.

3. What was Madison’s goal in writing Federalist #10?

Madison’s main goal in Federalist #10 was to explain how a large republic could protect against the dangers of factions groups of people with strong interests that might go against the common good. He believed that a big republic would make it harder for any single group to take too much control.

4. Why were the people who wrote the Constitution so afraid of democracy?

The framers of the Constitution worried that pure democracy would give too much power to the majority, who might act on passion or self interest and harm the rights of minorities or property owners. They wanted to create a system of checks and balances to keep power from concentrating in one place.

5. What were some of the reasons why the Constitution never abolished the slave trade?

The Constitution did not abolish the slave trade because slavery was deeply tied to the economy, especially in the South. Southern states depended on enslaved labor for farming, and they threatened to reject the Constitution if slavery was banned. To keep the states united the framers compromised and allowed slavery to continue.

1. From what I got out of Parenti and Beard, the Constitution was mainly written by the wealthy upper class — men who had land, businesses, or money invested. They were the ones with the power and resources to actually be part of the process. The people left out were the majority: small farmers, poor laborers, women, and enslaved people. Basically, anyone without property had no real voice. Beard really stresses how the framers were protecting their own economic interests, while Parenti points out how shut out the lower classes were.

2. I think there are some similarities between then and now. Back in early America, the rich clearly had all the control and only property-owning men could vote. Today, everyone can technically vote, but money still plays a huge role in politics. Wealthy people and corporations have way more influence because of things like lobbying and campaign donations. So the structure isn’t exactly the same, but you can see that the divide between rich and poor still affects who really has power.

3. The framers were afraid of democracy because they didn’t trust the lower classes to make decisions that protected the wealthy. Parenti talks about how uprisings like Shays’ Rebellion scared them — poor farmers demanding relief from debts threatened elite interests. Beard shows that the Constitution was written in a way that kept property and wealth safe from majority rule. So their fear of “too much democracy” was really a fear of losing control to the common people.

When I look at both Parenti and Beard, it’s clear the Constitution was written mostly by the rich elites. This included big landowners, merchants, slaveholders, and creditors who wanted a stronger government to protect their property and investments. On the other side, poor farmers, debtors, women, Native Americans, enslaved Africans, and even most white men without property were left out. Parenti mentions that only about 10 percent of adults could actually vote, and Beard explains how creditors supported the Constitution because it stopped states from making debtor-friendly laws.

The class structure back then isn’t exactly the same as today, but there are similarities. Now everyone legally can vote, but money still plays a big role in politics. Wealthy people and corporations have more influence, just like the elites did in the 1780s. So in a way, things changed on the surface, but inequality in power still exists.

The framers were scared of democracy because they thought the poor majority would use it to cancel debts or divide up property. Madison even said in Federalist No. 10 that majority factions were dangerous. They didn’t trust ordinary people to make decisions, so they built in checks and limits like the Electoral College and indirect elections. Basically they wanted government to look democratic but not give too much real power to the majority.