1. The Constitution was mainly written by people from wealthy, property-owning backgrounds, while those without property or wealth were mostly left out. The delegates at the Constitutional Convention were landowners, merchants, creditors, slaveholders, and businesspeople. According to Parenti, these delegates represented the interests of merchants, slaveholders, and manufacturers. There were no poor farmers, artisans, indentured servants, or enslaved people present to speak for the other side. The working class included small farmers, laborers, artisans, indentured servants, debtors, and people who did not own enough property to vote. Many faced high taxes, low wages, heavy debt, and sometimes lost their property if they could not pay what they owed. Beard also points out that enslaved people, indentured servants, women, and many men who did not meet property requirements could not vote and were not represented at the Convention. To me, this shows that the Constitution was largely formed by those who already held wealth and power, while people facing economic struggles had little or no say in forming the new government.
2. I would say the social class structure in early U.S. society was different from what we see today, though there are some similarities. Back then, class was closely tied to property ownership and political rights. Parenti points out that in most states, only white men who owned property could vote, while people without property, women, Native Americans, enslaved people, and indentured servants were left out. Beard also notes that many working-class people and those without property had little political power, even though they made up a large share of the population. Today, you do not need to own property to vote, and political rights are more widely available. Still, I think there are similarities because wealth can still create big differences in power and opportunity. People with more money have more resources, while working-class people often face problems with housing, debt, and financial security.
3. The people who wrote the Constitution were afraid of democracy because they worried that the working-class and poor majority might gain too much political power. The wealthy group included landowners, merchants, creditors, and slaveholders, while the lower class included small farmers, workers, and debtors. Parenti explains that events like Shays’ Rebellion made the wealthy even more uneasy, since struggling farmers demanded change. They feared that if the majority got too much power, they would pass laws that supported working people and debtors but went against the interests of the property-owning class.

Early U.S. class structures were different in form but very similar in function to those we see today. In the 1780s, political rights were tied directly to property ownership, meaning only wealthy men could participate in government. Enslavement meant only white men could participate, and women, regardless of class, had no political standing at all. Yet despite these legal differences, Parenti argues that the basic economic hierarchy has remained familiar: a small wealthy class continues to dominate political institutions. corporations, lobbyists, and high‑income donors hold a heavier influence, and economic inequality still shapes who has access to education, housing, and political power. Beard and Parenti both explain that the framers feared democracy because they feared the lower classes. They worried that ordinary people, especially debtors, small farmers, and laborers, would demand debt relief, challenge property rights, redistribute land, and elect leaders who favored the poor over the wealthy. To protect elite economic interests, the framers built institutions like the Electoral College, the originally unelected Senate, lifetime Supreme Court appointments, and multiple political sectors designed to slow or block popular demands. In this way, the Constitution was intentionally structured to keep political power in the hands of the elite founders and limit the influence of the masses.

  Who wrote the Constitution? Wealthy property‑owning elites: merchants, creditors, bondholders, land speculators, and slaveholding planters.

  Who was excluded? Poor farmers, laborers, non‑property‑holding men, enslaved people, and all women.

  Is class structure the same today? Legally different, but economically similar—political power still concentrates among the wealthy.

Why did the framers fear democracy? Because democracy meant giving political power to the lower classes, who might challenge elite economic interests.

1. 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.
2. Would say that the social class structure of early United States society, was the same as ours today, or different? Explain.
3. 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.