According to the Readings, the Constitution was written by wealthy elites, such as landowners, merchants, and slaveholders, who wanted to protect their property and political power. This upper class included figures like James Madison and George Washington. In contrast, the working class, poor farmers, women, enslaved people, and Indigenous peoples were excluded from the process and had no voice in shaping the new government. The founders were afraid of democracy because they feared that if the lower classes gained too much power, they would vote for laws that threatened the wealth and status of the elite. While the class structure of early America was more openly unequal, with voting and power limited to cis white male property owners, many can argue that economic inequality and political influence still reflect similar divisions today, just in more passive or hidden forms.