DISCUSSION BOARD 6.2

1. The two classes were rich and poor. Because in one of the readings you have to make a certain amount of money to vote the only person who was allowed to vote was nonminority and the poor were not allowed to vote.
2. I would say it is different because African Americans and every other race can go out and vote in the United States.
3. The reason why they were afraid was that they realize that the house of Representatives revise some of the laws and whoever was not allowed to vote they have the opportunity to vote.

1.) The Constitution was believed to have been created in the year of 1787 with the intent of ensuring that it protected the country’s citizens and states. While it was believed that the opinion’s of all citizens was what aided in it’s creation, what became evident was that it did not truly include everyone. Reading 6.1 “A Constitution for the Few” by M. Parenti and reading 6.2 “Economic Interpretation of the U.S. Constitution” by Charles Beard, each created an argument regarding how one’s social class determined who was eligible to have a say in what the constitution should be. During this time, those with wealth or white men who owned property, created the constitution because they wanted a means of ensuring that their wealth continued to grow, be protected, and had minimal government interference. While they knew what they wanted, those who were classified as poor or the “working class” found themselves struggling to survive in a society that catered to people who were better off. This also meant that the two classes had different perspectives, what one wanted was not what the other saw as beneficial to them. For example, according to reading 6.1 “A Constitution for the Few,” paragraph 3 of page 5 states, “Major questions relating to the new government’s ability to protect the interests of property were agreed upon with surprisingly little debate. On these issues, there were no poor farmers, artisans, indentured servants, or slaves attending the convention to proffer an opposing viewpoint.” This quote from the text is a prime example of how the upper class sought to prioritize their needs first. Since this class composed of white men that owned valuable property, they wanted to ensure that the government’s power be used to protect their wealth. This obviously would not benefit the poor or working class because they do not own any property since they cannot afford it, making their needs a lot different from the upper class. Not to mention, despite the constitution being a means of including all citizens needs and rights, those of the working class such as farmers or slaves, could not attend the convention to protest because they cannot afford to take off from the jobs. On the other hand, there is reading 6.2 that focuses on the same stance of how a particular class dominates over the other one. Since the poor and working class consisted of people who are not as wealthy, this meant that basic rights were stripped from them. For example, according reading 6.2 “Economic Interpretation of the U.S. Constitution,” paragraph 2 of page 1 states, “In an examination of the structure of American society in 1787, we first encounter four groups whose economic status had a definite legal expression: the slaves, the indented servants, the mass of men who could not qualify for voting under the property tests imposed by the state constitutions and laws, and women, disenfranchised
and subjected to the discriminations of the common law.” This quote from the text focuses on individuals that make up the poor or working class category. These people were not able to vote, have a say when it comes to deciding who their future leaders will be. Not only is this injustice to them but also, falls back into the matter of how this class is not able to have a right; not in voting and not in the constitution’s creation.

2.) The social class structure of the United State’s in the earlier years comprised of the upper class or wealthy white men who owned valuable property. I believe that this class structure is what our society is like today because we can see quite a difference in how people are classified because of their amount of wealth. In our society today, we still have people of wealth-probably even more and they continue to grow and profit. Their businesses or corporations multiply, they seek to purchase products or create ones to be produced, and most of all, they have people who are in a lower class (such as working or middle) to work for them. Not only do they pay them much less than what their labor is worth but they are aware that they can get away with this because these individuals need their job in order to survive, a day without work can hinder their ability to afford various things they need. Many citizens across the country continue to believe that the wealthy gets wealthier and people who are not of that standard continue to suffer. Not to mention, considering the great rise in inflation, things that were a certain price have gone up substantially and the pay for many in other classes does not go up. Obtaining the American dream is in the hearts of many, the means of achieving it are quite far for them as well.

3.) The people who wrote the Constitution were so afraid of democracy because the people that compose the government are elected by the country’s citizens. The country is composed of people who are considered to be in different social classes; upper, middle, working, etc… These are all but a few names that classify various financial standings. Each one of these classes have people who want different things, someone who is of upper class standing would want the government to protect their property but someone in the working class would prefer financial help. Since everyone is obligated to vote on who they would elect as leaders, the country is composed mostly of people of lesser class and they would pick people that would think about their needs. Thus, the upper class would not have the government on their side and would not gain any benefits.

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.
   1. Based on Reading 6.1 and 6.2 the rich as well as property owning white men wrote the constitution. The working class was excluded and not allowed to participate in the process of the Constitution, this includes women, slaves, those who did not own property, indentured servants, and Native Americans. Those who owned property had to own assets over the amount the government of their state was asking. Those who wrote the Constitution preferred the elite class to have the majority vote and deciding powers.
2. Would say that the social class structure of early United States society, was the same as ours today, or different? Explain.
   1. The social class of the early United States society is the same as ours today in that the upper class and rich have power over the government and write the laws. The middle and working class who consume most of the debt in the United States have little rights in the decision making in the US. How the structure in hierarchy of classes was back then is the same as it is now with the wealthy, upper class, middle class m and the lower class.
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.
   1. Those who wrote the Constitution were so afraid of democracy because they wanted to continue to defend and protect their interest and the interest of property. They didn’t want the majority to have any control and they didn’t want them to be able to oppose their view points in regards to the new government. They viewed the working class as incompetent to many attributes, and were afraid of tyranny by the majority.

1. In Document 6.1 & 6.2 it states only wealthy people or land owners could participate in the building of the constitution. This means that any kind of poorer member of society was not allowed to participate in this build. “In the period from the American Revolution to the Constitutional Convention (1776–1787), the big landowners, merchants, and bankers exercised a strong influence over politico-economic life, often dominating the local newspapers that served the interests of commerce” stated on page 5 of 6.1  states wealthy politically involved members of society had great control of everything they could have control over.  “the slaves, the indented servants, the mass of men who could not qualify for voting under the property tests imposed by the state constitutions and laws, and women, disenfranchised and subjected to the discriminations of the common law.” stated on the first page of 6.2 shows the wealthy intended on keeping not only slaves but poorer men, women in general and indentured servants down below them, that they did not compare to them. (Which is unjust).
2. I would say our social class issues are a bit different but also sort of the same as this time that we’re learning about (Around the time of the Constitution). Back then there weren’t as many resources for the poor, not to mention the men and people of that time were ruthless they didn’t care about anyone that wasn’t their own. Today a majority of people have their freedoms, so that has changed. So has the resources we have, such as social security, financial aid, tuition payment, and funds. All that. I would say there definitely still are people who use their money for corruption, but also a lot of men and women with money trying to help the less fortunate. 
3. Good question. The constitution writers were afraid of democracy because democracy means the people have more power over the lower class people as well as everyone else, whereas in a republican area the power the government would have would come from the people and has a less likely chance to become corrupt (Even though both are now heavily corrupt).

1. The social class that was allowed to write the constitution but also participate in voting events were the upper class people, specifically, capitalist white males who owned property. On the contrary the class that happened to be excluded from these privileges were the working classes who consisted of folk who were “Native Americans (“Indians”), persons of African descent, women, indentured servants, and White males lacking sufficient property.”(Democracy for the Few, pg. 5). If someone was not a man, white and wealthy, they were not allowed to have a significant word within the making of the constitution.
2. The early social class structure of the united states is different than what is in modern day society. This is due to the fact that in our present day no matter what type social you are in, wether it be in the working class or upper class, we have a role in what goes on within the political atmosphere. For example, in the early days of the u.s. if you weren’t rich and white, you were not allowed to vote, however in today’s society that is not the case.
3. The people who wrote the constitution were afraid of democracy because they saw the working class were people who spent very little money, never payed debts and were in support of paper money. Because of these particular reasons they believed the working class were not allowed to have a word in society through democracy.

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. 

According to readings 6.1 and 6.2 the rich capitalist class was responsible for writing the United States Constitution. This is clear because during colonization and beyond, wealthy white men were given the gift of land as provided by the King of England. Additionally, between the time of the American Revolution and the Constitutional convention, affluent landowners, merchants, and bankers had a substantial amount of control and influence over politics throughout the United States. As represented in reading 6.1, only landowning white men were able to vote in twelve out of the thirteen states.  

The social class that wasn’t allowed to vote was considered the working-class citizens, who were the group of people who needed to work in order to survive. These people were referred to as the disenfranchised. The term “disenfranchised,” as defined on Wiktionary.org, is expressed as a set of people who aren’t represented, nor awarded the opportunity to vote in an election. This group was not allowed to participate in the development process of this newly formed country, especially in the creation of the government system. People who were deemed the disenfranchised were the Native Americans, Black people, women, indentured servants, and white men who did not have any claim to land. 

 As stated in reading 6.1, the qualifications for becoming a government official were so strict that many white men who were able to vote could not run for office. In reading 6.1 Michael Parenti quoted that “there is a class of men denominated “gentlemen”… they are creditors, and therefore interested in strengthening the government and watching over the execution of the law… it is for their interest to establish the credit of the United States in Europe on a solid foundation by the exact payment of debts, and to grant Congress powers extensive enough to compel the people to contribute for this purpose ” (Parenti 6). This simply means that the wealthy class was developing the United States constitution to align with their own self-interests and should compel the average working-class citizen that it is within their best interest to allow them to have this power. The wealthy capitalists did not want to include anything within this constitution that might protect the working-class people of society. In actuality these capitalist founders were convinced that land in the hands of working-class citizens would be misused, as explained in reading 6.2. Furthermore, there is a possibility that they would become wealthier and stronger than them. Therefore, in either case they would pose a threat to the capitalists’ existence and position in the social order.  

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

The social class structure of today’s society is the same as early United States society. As described in reading 6.2, we have almost identical class systems ranging from the poor lower-class citizens who have no wealth, the citizens who have a small amount of wealth, and the exuberantly wealthy capitalist class who owns most of the wealth within the country. The small farmers of early American society, who consisted of the poor whites, mechanics, and the European immigrants would be similar to today’s poor working-class citizens who have no wealth. The manorial lords who owned a little bit of wealth in early United States fall along the same lines as today’s working-class citizens who have some wealth. The third and final group of early America had a substantial amount of wealth, similarly to today’s wealthy capitalist class, and they were the slaveholders of the South. The two main class systems of early and modern society are the wealthy capitalist owners and the working-class citizens and are therefore the same. Regardless of the many advancements forward from the abolishment of slavery, the lack of indentured servitude, and the women’s right to vote, the class systems are essentially the same.  

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. 

The group of men that are known to have written and signed the United States Constitution were some of the wealthiest people in America. However, they were not very keen on the idea of democracy. Reading 6.1 it declares that the framers believed that democracy was “the worst of all political evils” (Parenti 8). Some even credited democracy as the source of all the nation’s problems. The wealthy leaders who wrote the Constitution never considered the new nation to be a democracy where all Americans were given equal opportunity to vote on all current issues. Instead, the Founding Fathers meant for the right to vote to be for the wealthy landowning and educated people. It is noted in the Parenti reading that Alexander Hamilton believed that people outside of the wealthy and wellborn class did not possess the qualities to make the right decisions for their country. The mass of people was very unstable and constantly changing their mind.  

Despite the equality depicted in the Constitution, the wealthy Founding Fathers did not want poor people to vote. They even excluded poor farmers, artisans, indentured servants, and slaves from their committee meetings. They did not care to hear any objections or opposing viewpoints and preferred to look after their own self-interests. For instance, many queries regarding the topic of property protection were settled and approved of with extraordinarily little argument. They spent many hours arguing about issues that pertain to merchants, slaveholders, and manufacturers, but not those of the common people. Constitution is written so that the average working American citizen has very little power. This was due to their fear of appealing to the turbulent masses. George Washington is quoted asking the Founding Fathers not to create a document “just to please people” (Parenti 8).  

To keep the poor out of the decision-making process the founding fathers implemented a list of rules to prevent the low wealth majority from unifying and becoming stronger. Some examples of these government rules are that the senators from each state were to be elected by their respective state legislatures rather than the voters, the president was to be selected by an electoral college whose members were elected by representatives in only five states, or by the state legislature or sheriffs in the other eleven states, the electoral college is to act like an obstacle for popular opinion where each state was represented by men of wealth and substance and chose a president who best fit their needs, and the Supreme Court would be a lifelong position appointed by the current president with approval by the senate. Slavery was also considered a form of property. Three-fifths of the slave population was counted when calculating state representation giving the slave states more reputation in congress. 

 Most of the laws mentioned are still in effect, most notably the primitive practice of the electoral college, with former slave states having more representation. The exception is the senator election process, which is now executed state by state and elected by their respective citizens. The only system of government elected by the people was the House of Representatives. People would vote for wealthy properties white men who would be responsible for choosing a president who had high character, yet selective judgment. The Founding Fathers constructed the American Constitution as a republic, a state where the power is held by the people and their representatives. Contrary to widespread belief, America is not a democracy appeasing the will of the people. This was done so informed wealthy delegates of the people would successfully serve the public good, while writing laws that benefit themselves and other members of the wealthy capitalist class. They were particularly afraid of creating an environment ruled by demagogues and mobs that would harm the wealthy class. 

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.