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Lesson 6.1 – Which social class(es) wrote the US Constitution?

In this lesson, we will ask the following guiding question: who wrote the Constitution? And, by “who” we mean “which social class”? This will build on our previous study of social classes, and clarify the fundamental choices and features of our Constitution. For example, why is there an Electoral College, why do we have an unelected Supreme Court?

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READ – Reading 6.1 – M. Parenti: “Class Power in Early America”

This reading gives a background on the history of how early American society was already deeply shaped by social classes. The interaction of these social classes directly account for the type of document the Constitution turned out to be. Who wrote the Constitution and what ideas were included in it, are key questions that we are interested in thinking about in this module.

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COMPLETE – Self-Assessment Exercise 6.1

In preparation for our discussion board, study the following questions, by following the readings closely.

1. In early America, what was required for someone to be able to vote?
2. Which social class did most people belong to in early America?
3. What was Madison’s goal in writing “Federalist #10”?
4. Why were the people who wrote the Constitution so afraid of democracy? This is an important point that we will discuss in our discussion board next.
5. What were some of the reasons why the Constitution never abolished the slave trade?

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READ – Reading 6.2 – Charles Beard: “Economic Interpretation of the US Constitution”

This reading builds on Reading 6.1 by presenting a bit of a historical overview of what social classes existed in the United States at the time of the writing of the Constitution. Though Beard does not use words like “capitalist” or “working class”, but he is clearly describing the different interests of people who were wealthy vs. those who lack material wealth and had to work to live:

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COMPLETE – Self-Assessment Exercise 6.2

In preparation for our discussion board, study the following questions, by following the readings closely.

1. What does the word “disenfranchised” mean? If you’re not sure, check it out in a dictionary such as https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/disenfranchised
2. Who were the members of the “Disenfranchised”? What were some common factors shared by members of this group? What social class that we have studied in previous modules is Beard describing here?
3. Which social class did the “real property holders” and those in “manufacturing, shipping and personal securities” belong to? Why, what makes their class membership clear?

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Here we continue our discussion from the previous lesson. Now that we have covered which social classes wrote the Constitution and which were excluded, the focus of this lesson is to identify and study the specific ideas that the ruling class of the wealthy put into the Constitution.

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READ – Reading 6.3 – “The Federalist Papers #10”

This reading is a classic text in American politics. It shows what the American capitalist class were thinking when forming this new government. Our goal is to read this text and understand how (and why) this social class defined the responsibilities, goals and purpose of American government to be:

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COMPLETE – Self-Assessment Exercise 6.3

1. What is a faction?
2. What are the two methods of controlling factions?
3. The two methods of removing the causes of factions?
4. Think about the word faculties. What does it mean?
5. What is the difference between pure democracy and republic?

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WRITE – Study questions (to be handed in)

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.
4. What concept that we have already discussed does “faction” remind you of?
5. According to Federalist #10 (written by James Madison), what is the source of wealth (private property)? What factor explains why some people get to possess wealth by owning private property, and others don’t (thus remaining poor)? This is a key question, because it shows how the authors of the Constitution thought about the difference between different classes of Americans! HINT: focus on the passage that begins: “The diversity in the faculties (WHAT DOES FACULTIES mean or refer to?) of men, from which the rights of property originate, is not les….”
6. Do you agree with this explanation of wealth and poverty?
7. What is the core mission (“first object”) of the US government? Does this surprise you, does it sound different from what our society today seems to suggest the core mission of the government is? Explain.
8. Given the discussion in questions 4-7, are you surprised that Federalist #10 is not in favor of democracy, and supports a Republican (representative) form of government? Why would d the author dislike a (pure) democratic form of government? Hint: think about how this question connects with the social classes…