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 Constitution was written by the elite, property owning class, wealthy merchants, landowners, and slaveholders who sought to protect their economic interests. In Reading 6.1, it highlights how many framers, including James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, were concerned about protecting property rights and preventing excessive democracy. In contrast, the working class, small farmers, debtors, enslaved people, and women were excluded, lacking political representation. In Reading 6.2, i discusses how events like Shays’ Rebellion, where struggling farmers protested debt and taxation, alarmed the framers, leading them to create a system that restricted direct participation by the masses. By establishing a strong central government with checks on popular influence, such as the Electoral College and indirect election of senators, the framers ensured that power remained in the hands of the elite.
Would say that the social class structure of early United States society, was the same as ours today, or different? Explain.
I think theres similarities and differences between both time periods. The main similarity is both wealth and power are concentrated among an elite class that influences government and economic policy, while the working class faces systemic barriers to upward mobility. In early America, political power was explicitly tied to property ownership, and disenfranchisement was legal, whereas today, legal voting rights are broader, though economic inequality and political influence still heavily favor the wealthy. Modern corporations and lobbyists function similarly to the landowning elites of the past, shaping laws to protect their interests. However, social mobility has increased, and legal protections exist for marginalized groups, making today’s class structure more fluid compared to the rigid hierarchy of early U.S. society.
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 people who wrote the Constitution, primarily wealthy landowners, merchants, and elites, feared democracy because they saw it as a threat to their power and economic interests. They believed that too much political influence in the hands of the lower classes such as small farmers, laborers, and the poor could lead to policies that redistributed wealth, canceled debts, or undermined property rights. Readings 6.1 and 6.2 highlight how figures like James Madison worried about “mob rule,” where the majority might use government to challenge elite control. To prevent this, the Constitution included safeguards like the Electoral College and the Senate, which limited direct democratic influence and ensured that real power remained with the upper class.
