Passage In America's Early Democratic Republic, the Superficial Signifiers of Social

Passage
In America's early democratic republic, the superficial signifiers of social status that had long distinguished the aristocracy in Europe were no longer supposed to apply.  However, despite political theory and an emphasis on rhetoric that implied democratic equality, many among the late eighteenth-century social elite flaunted their status and at the same time condemned any pretense by the lower classes to a higher social position.For the American "nobility," the immoderation that had marked public life since before the Revolution assumed epic proportions in the later decades of the century.  From the viewpoint of society's top tier, social pretense, revealed through presumptive choices of costume or coiffure, was becoming far too common.  Sumptuary legislation-largely a holdover from the colonial era-was accordingly reinstituted in some states as a means to regulate behavior and a remedy for inappropriate displays of extravagance.  Indeed, libertine attitudes so dominated the population that George Mason IV, a congressional representative from the Commonwealth of Virginia, proposed that the federal government impose sumptuary legislation on all strata of society, including the affluent who would have traditionally been excluded from such laws.  However, the motion did not pass, with such social trends proving too deeply rooted.  Nevertheless, Mason was hardly alone in his alarm at the specter of mounting excess.The more established members of the republican gentility had long freely indulged in decadent consumption without attracting much attention.  Nevertheless, most of these older elites criticized their own younger generation, whose coming-of-age was characterized by more overt disregard for the Puritan austerity advocated by their forebears.  The self-gratifying taste for grande cuisine and propensities for haute couture of the upper-class youth were perceived as decidedly improper conduct by their elders.  Moreover, as this ostentatious comportment worsened, it influenced those from the inferior echelons of society to adopt similar displays.The presumptuous behavior mimicked by the lower classes led to an uproar by those in positions of power, who swiftly moved to modify societal conduct.  In particular, dissonance swelled in Massachusetts, where, within Boston's most select circles, a palpable anxiety over the maintenance of social hierarchies and their rightful exterior signifiers arose.  For the elite few who made up America's haute monde, any posturing of manner or appropriation of dress disrupted the customary rigidity of the social hierarchy, which, to their dismay, had now become increasingly fluid.  There was a communal uneasiness, which grew into national dread, that artful impostors might slip through the boundaries of the social strata undetected.  Yet, vexingly, counterfeits were becoming more difficult to recognize.  Consequently, in order to restrict impersonation, those of questionable lineage faced the threat of ostracization for an act as simple as sitting for a portrait.At the same time, a movement materialized that had Boston as its epicenter.  The new paradigm mandated that eighteenth-century gentlemen as well as ladies project positive, even edifying, public images, as their privileged position behooved.  Therefore, a distinctly American variety of noblesse oblige, though not without its detractors, spread throughout the new democratic republic.  In metropolitan centers across the new nation, the attributes of honor, modesty, and public virtue assumed increasing importance among the "aristocracy."  Keeping up appearances-that were oftentimes not all they seemed-became paramount in order to set examples of permissible public behavior for the benefit of those of humble birth or who were less affluent.  Meanwhile, the bulk of the American population, consisting of those with little wealth or status, did their best not to emulate their "role models."
-Based on the passage, the elders within elite society most likely:

A) controlled those in the lower echelons of society.
B) supported reducing adherence to Puritan values.
C) engaged in decadent behavior discreetly.
D) openly flaunted their extravagant tastes.