Final answer:
The precedents established by Washington represented the democratic principle of elite leadership based on pedigree and elitism.
Step-by-step explanation:
Washington and those who celebrated his role as president established a standard for elite, virtuous leadership that cast a long shadow over subsequent presidential administrations. The presidents who followed Washington shared the first president's pedigree. With the exception of John Adams, who was from Massachusetts, all the early presidents-Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe-were members of Virginia's elite slaveholder aristocracy. These precedents established by Washington represent the democratic principle of elite leadership based on pedigree and elitism. Although democracy suggests that leaders should be chosen by the people and represent the interests of all citizens, the early presidents represented a small, privileged class of individuals.