1. The class that wrote the constitution was the wealthy class, which includes landowners, merchants, slaveowners etc. The class that was excluded was the lower class which were propertyless, farmers, servants and even white males who did not own any big property. the differences between the two classes were pretty great. The wealthy class consisted of creditors and owners of large assets who played roles in the nation’s finances. The excluded class which is the lower class included debtors, farmers, and laborers who were dealing with heavy debt and were robbed of their basic rights like voting.
2. id say the social class structure of early United States society is different compared to today. During that time in 1787 not just anybody could vote. In some states propertyless merchants in towns could vote while in other states the freehold qualifications excluded a huge number of males. Today, in 2026 everyone has the right to vote regardless of economic status or demographics.
3. The framers feared democracy because they saw society as being split into two groups, one group being the wealthy and the other group being the opposite which is poor. They were afraid that a democracy would allow the poor to vote, cancel debts and threaten the property of the rich. this ultimately will go against everything the framers had put together.

1. The social class that wrote the constitution were the wealthy elites. The ones who were big landowners, merchants, and bankers. The class that was excluded were the native Americans, women, indentured servants, and men who lacked enough property to vote. For example the laborers and farmers etc that were considered poor wouldn’t be able to have a say. Due to this, the wealthy class shaped the new government
2. I would say the social class structure is different from today because the early United States society were mostly divided into different categories and based off of several factors. There were rules of what people could do and couldn’t do. If a specific group of people wanted to do something for example vote they couldn’t because of what they were considered as or couldn’t meet the standards. Now it’s different, there’s still differences between people but now are able to participate in politics. Now it doesn’t matter if you’re wealthy or not people now have the right to choose
3. the people who wrote the constitution were so afraid of democracy because the poor people would gain power and would be able to change they way things are for the wealthy. With the wealthy having most of the political power, they could decide how things can work in a way that will continue benefiting them and being wealthy. If the poor people are able to to have a say, things will change and it won’t be the wealthy benefiting anymore but also the poor too

1) The Constitution of the United States was written by the wealthy, capitalist class; the “landed gentry” that formed a sort of American aristocracy in lieu of Great Britain’s nobility. As described in Michael Parenti’s Democracy for the Few (pg 5-12) the delegates of the Philadelphia Convention were the wealthy: merchants, slaveholders, and manufacturers. There were no representatives of what we would call the working class: laborers, artisans, let alone enslaved or indentured people. Nor where there Black people, women, or white men insufficiently wealthy. Indeed, a primary concern of the delegation was devising the means to keep power out of the hands of those not represented there, that they deemed to have “unequal faculties” unfit for the demands of governance.

2) I believe the social class structure of the United States today does still bear a resemblance to the structure of early America. While some advancements have been made — voters’ rights have expanded considerably — there remains a divide between the wealthy elite and the working class that makes the vast majority of our population. These wealthy few still seek out ways to prevent or circumvent populist decision making through government manipulation and the leveraging of capital; millions of dollars are invested to affect political races, sway officials and policies, and exhaust grassroots or individual opposition through legal battles and other means.

3) The writers of the Constitution were afraid of democracy because it diluted power too evenly, allowing a simply majority too much influence over decisions that would greatly impact the writers’ finances and liberties. They thought of White, wealthy men as superior to others; that their land and money were indicative of their higher faculties and that allowing others to have equal say would lead to ruin. A republic allowed them to mollify the masses by allowing them participation, but still ultimately allowed power to sit with a relative few who would be more amenable to the desires of the elite class.

1. The Constitution was written by the upper class people. This included bankers, property owners, and other wealthy people. The people that were excluded were those in the lower class, like poor farmers, indentured servants, and more. The wealthy has more power and influence than the lower class.
2. I think that the social class structure of early United States society is different from ours today, except that the rich still have a lot of influence today. Back then, many people weren’t allowed to vote. Only white male property owners were able to vote. As time went on more and more people were able to vote.
3. The people who wrote the Constitution were afraid of democracy because they were afraid the upper class they would lose power. The lower class would be able to challenge the wealthy and use their power to make change. An example of this is Shay’s Rebellion caused by high taxes and rent for small farmers. As a result the upper class wouldn’t be able to keep getting richer easily.

The social class that wrote the constitution was the wealthy elites made of rich white men of the early United States. They owned land, slaves, merchants. An example of this would be them protecting the wealthy from competing claims. Farmers were large landowners. They wrote the document to protect property rights and non-wealthy classes from participation and farmers made sure their wealth was not questioned by claims of other classes

The class excluded from participation was everyone…women, racial minorities and the poor. The constitution was not written for them or by them and it feared democracy.  In the reading 6.2 women and slaves were subjected to the discrimination of the common law and lead to not being represented in the convention which leads to no voting.

The social class of early United States society still can be viewed the same. The rich are continuing to win just in different ways. Yes, the early U.S. was more open to being unequal and always rigged for the rich. Though it is less rigid. There are still limited opportunities depending on race and gender and class.

The people who wrote the constitution were so afraid of democracy because they saw it as a threat against their control. They had farmers and laborers which were always at the bottom. The slaves were denied rights and property. They were scared of women since most white men couldn’t vote because they were too poor and they believed women would organize and gain political power. They didn’t trust democracy

“A Constitution for the Few,” michael Parenti

1

The writers of the Constitution were wealthy elites, like merchants and landowners, who wanted to protect their commercial interests. George Washington wrote that this new government was needed to contain the threat of the people and limit their participation. On the other hand, struggling farmers and laborers, who were burdened by heavy debts and taxes, were completely excluded from this process.

2.

The social class structure was very different. As Michael Parenti explained in Chapter 2, “A Constitution for the Few,” the 1787 class structure ignored marginalized people, depriving them of power and the right to vote. Meanwhile, farmers, small freeholders, and laborers faced heavy taxes, low incomes, and high interest rates. This left them with heavy debts, foreclosures, and forced many into poorhouses.

On the other hand, there was a dominant, wealthy minority made up of creditors, merchants, planters, moneylenders, and land speculators. High property qualifications ensured that political power remained concentrated in this class.

Today, the class structure is different because changes to the Constitution have given voting rights to groups that could not vote before, such as women and black people. Also, the growth of the middle class allows for more social mobility than in 1787. Now, everyone can vote.

3.

In this second chapter, the section titled “Containing the Spread of Democracy” explains that the upper class was afraid of the majority. The chapter mentions that wealthy people were more focused on their money than on promoting a real democracy. They were afraid that public policies could threaten their wealth. Personal financial gain drove the political decisions of the time. For example, the quote “religious freedom is my immediate goal, but my long-range plan is to go into real estate” shows how they spoke about religion and ethics to the public, but their true priority was real estate. As the chapter mentions, their discussions aboutthat laws were very slowly to benefit the common people, but very fast to help the wealthy. The elite wanted to protect their personal wealth above all.

1. Parenti and Beard reveal that the Constitution was primarily written by men of great wealth who owned property. This class included landowners, merchants, creditors, investors, manufacturers, and slaveholders. People from the working class were not represented at the Constitutional Convention. Charles Beard, in his article, notes that people with no formal political power, including women and enslaved people, were excluded from the process. Another term used to describe those people in Beard’s article is “disenfranchised.” The difference between the two groups was that wealthy merchants wanted stronger protections for property, contracts, and commerce, while smaller merchants struggled with heavy taxes, low incomes, and high-interest debt. 
2. In early America, the social class structure, including inequality and class divisions, remains much the same today, but the legal and political conditions were different. Back then, your social class determined your political rights. For example, property requirements kept white men who didn’t own property from voting. Enslaved people, Native Americans, and free Black Americans were also prevented from voting. Wealth and property were associated with political power in early America. Today, Americans are not required to own property to vote, although social classes remain divided into high, middle, and low classes.
3. The main reason the people who wrote the Constitution were afraid of democracy was that they feared the lower class would use its numerical political power to challenge the economic interests of the wealthy. The interests of those who owned property and those without property were different. For example, the lower class would push for debt relief and changes to taxation. Shays’s Rebellion is a great example of farmers rebelling after experiencing heavy taxes and foreclosures. This rebellion demonstrated what could transpire if numerous lower-class citizens came together and fought against the existing system. 

Based on Readings 6.1 and 6.2, the Constitution was mainly written by the wealthy and upper social class, especially wealthy landowners, merchants, and other people who had economic power. The working class and poor people were mostly excluded from the process and did not have the same political power. For example, the readings explain that many of the people involved in writing the Constitution were wealthy property owners, while workers and poorer people had much less influence.

I would say the social class structure of early United States society was similar to ours today in some ways, but it was also different. There were wealthy people who had more money, property, and political power, while working-class and poor people had fewer resources and less influence. Today, we also have differences between wealthy people and working-class people, although society and political rights have changed.

The people who wrote the Constitution were afraid of democracy because they worried that working-class and poorer people could gain enough political power to change the economic system. The wealthy class wanted to protect their property and wealth. They were concerned that if more people had political power, they could support laws that would take power or wealth away from the wealthy class.

The Constitution was mainly written by wealthy, educated men like landowners, merchants, and lawyers who had property and political power. The lower class, like poor farmers and laborers, were mostly excluded, along with women and enslaved people. This shows there was a big difference between the wealthy class that had power and the lower class that didnt have much of a voice. 

I think the class structure was different from today because back then wealth and property had a much bigger role in who could participate in government. The writers were also afraid of democracy because they worried the poorer majority could gain power and make changes that would hurt the wealthy peoples property and money. They wanted to protect the social and economic power they already had.