ShmoopTube

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[ musical flourish ]

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And here's your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by a farewell address,

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an emotional send-off for your old apartment number. [a man crying while moving out of his old apartment]

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All right, finish the excerpt.

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[ mumbles ]

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All right, and the question:

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Which of the following is an example of Washington's

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fears realized later in United States history?

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And here are your potential answers. [sound of a blow horn]

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[ mumbles ] All right.

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Washington must have really had his finger on the pulse of U.S. politics,

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because many of his predictions struck right at the heart of American government.

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So were Washington's concerns later realized with A - [doctor checking President Washington's pulse]

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Democratic control of the House in the 1990s?

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Huh.

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Well, though Washington feared the existence of political parties

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and the power they could wield over government debate, [President Washington asking to stop bursting crackers]

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he was more afraid of an individual taking advantage of that power

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than the party itself.

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So that crosses out A and that crosses out B.

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Did Washington's fear come true with [sound of a buzzer]

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D - suppression of civil liberties during the Civil War?

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Well, actually, Washington gave this address around

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the same time that France had fallen into its reign of terror,

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and he stressed the survival of the governmental system

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over any kind of armed rebellion. [people running around because of heavy rains]

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So that puts D way down in the dumps.

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Which means Washington's fear were later realized with C -

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the political scandals of the 1970s.

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Washington mentions his worry that "the chief of

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some prevailing faction...

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turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation,"

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which means he feared that the head of one party would use his position

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for his own personal gain. [a man at a party with table full of food]

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And one of the biggest scandals of the 70s was Watergate,

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when President Richard Nixon attempted to cover up a break-in

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at the opposing party's national headquarters. [President Nixon talking to someone over a call]

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So C is the right answer.

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Washington was right on the money about the corrupting effect

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of political parties, but his accurate prediction is no

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cause for, uh... celebration. [President Washington wearing a party hat at a celebration]

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[ party horn ] [ fireworks ]

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