1. In Readings 6.1 and 6.2, the arguments presented support the claim that the elite landowning and merchant class wrote the Constitution, and the other class which was excluded from this process is the working class, poor farmers, enslaved people, women, and Indigenous peoples. The Constitution was written by the elite landowning and merchant class which included wealthy plantation owners, lawyers and businessmen. These individuals, who were often called the Federalist elite, had a good deal of economic power and wanted to create a government that would guarantee their position, especially as regards property and order. Many of the Founding Fathers, such as James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, were part of this privileged class, and they were wary of the lower orders in politics. On the other hand, the working class, poor farmers, enslaved people, women, and Indigenous peoples were barred from the Constitutional convention. The landless, poor, and indebted people, many of whom had served in the army during the Revolutionary War, had no say in the formation of the new government. Stuents, women, and enslaved people had no voice in politics. Also, Native Americans were completely shut out from the legal system of the new republic. The distinction between these two classes was that the Constitution was meant to guarantee the rights of the wealthy and prevent the lower classes from directly exercising their political rights. 2. Do you think the social class structure of early United States society was the same as ours today or rather different? Explain. Although some features can be common between the social class structure of the early United States and the present world, there are some differences. As it was in the 18th century, wealth and power were exercised by a few elite in both the current world and the founding era; the modern elite comprises of corporate tycoons, political kings and billionaires. There is also a similarity in the levels of income inequality; the present levels of income inequality are reminiscent of the class structure of the past. However, there are differences. In the 18th century, there were legal barriers to participation, such as the property vote. Today, everyone is legally entitled to vote and stand for election, independent of their social status, skin color or gender, although economic power is still a major determinant of political power. Where early America was an agrarian society with a clear cut social structure based on the ownership of land, the economy of the present world is industrial and technological, and wealth is generated through companies and the financial sector. Therefore, although democracy has been expanded since the time of the Constitution, there are still some obstacles such as economic inequality and elite political power which makes the two classes system of today and that of the early United States completely different and at the same time completely the same. 3. Why did those who wrote the Constitution fear democracy? The framers of the Constitution were terrified of full democracy because they associated it with the mob and turmoil, especially the mob from the poor people. Many of them, including James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, feared that if too much power was given to the general population, especially to the heavily in debt farmers and workers, they would enact policies that would be detrimental to the wealthy elite. The Shays’ Rebellion of 1786-1787 which was a revolt by farmers who could not pay taxes increased these fears because it showed that the lower class had the capability of forming a rebellion. To avoid direct democratic control, the framers put in place the following measures to prevent the lower classes from having a say in government: The Electoral College was proposed to avoid a direct election by the population to the presidency. Senators were chosen by state legislatures and not by the people, thus the elite kept on controlling the government. The judicial branch was protected from public influence because Supreme Court justices were not elected but appointed. The House of Representatives was directly chosen by the people but they had shorter terms and less power than the Senate. In other words, the fear of democracy was based on the social class lemma; the rich were scared that a government by the people would endanger their position. Instead of establishing a direct democracy, the Constitution was meant to create a republic in which the power of the elite would be guaranteed while the majority would have something to say.