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.

 The rich and affluent wrote the constitution, while the working class (majority of the merchants, indentured servants, slaves, etc . . .) were excluded and not allowed in the process. In “Democracy for the Few” it is stated how only 10 percent of the population, consisting of wealthy property-owning white men, were allowed to vote. It goes on further stating that the Constitution required a four-month conference. Only the wealthy could stay away from their homes from that long and still be able to sustain themselves. The working class had to be where their work was located.

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 is the same today as it was in the early United States. The distribution of wealth is beyond atrocious. The country is still based on debt and creditors. People are still working to barely make their monthly obligations while they get into more debt. The difference is now, there is a greater illusion of opportunity. Many people are homeowners and drive nice cars. They have access to the “American dream”. And this American dream, for example, allows the wealthy to lend several mortgages on the same property repeatedly. A new buyer or a refinance is the beginning of a new loan, with the majority of the interest paid in the 1^st 5 years. The property and land is constant; but the borrowers keep changing.

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.

Democracy is a concept for all the people. But as stated before, only 10%, the affluent and wealthy, of the population were included in the political arena. So, the 10 % did not want the 90%, the working class, to have an impact on their ability to establish ways to secure their existing interests and generate more wealth.