Read the excerpt from a speech by President Roosevelt in 1934. [Washington] knew that Nations grow as their commerce and manufactures and agriculture grow, and that all of these grow as the means of transportation are extended. He sought to knit the sections together by their common interest in these great enterprises; and he projected highways and canals as aids not to sectional, but to national development. . . . Washington . . . sought and worked for a consolidated Nation. You and I have it in our power to attain that great ideal. We can do this by following the peaceful methods prescribed under the broad and resilient provisions of the Constitution of the United States.
–Franklin D. Roosevelt,
Memorial Day speech delivered at
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania,
May 30, 1934
President Roosevelt’s main purpose in invoking the memory of George Washington was to

A. remind Americans of the benefits of regional development.

B. deflect criticism of his administration’s New Deal programs.

C. remind Americans there were no political parties under Washington.

D. suggest the executive branch is the strongest of the three branches.