If you want to find a clear demarcation line in history, I’d say the establishment of the Federal Reserve along with direct taxation in the 16th Amendment and direct election of Senators in the 17th Amendment. Each of these took us further away from the freedom gained in the 18th Century in the establishment of this Republic.
How is freedom lost by We the People electing our own Senators, rather than trusting the elites in our state legislatures to do it for us? I don't trust my Rat-controlled legislature to tie their own shoelaces, but even if I lived in a red state I'd rather my Senator be held accountable by the citizenry rather than by his/her cronies in the state legislature. I am as opposed to right-wing elitism as I am to left-wing elitism.
The word you are missing is the very last one in my post - Republic. Direct election of both houses of the Congress means that the states have no voice as those elected have to answer to the people directly, both Senators and Representatives. In a republic, there is a balance of the people and the states in order to ensure both have their interests represented. Elitism is a false argument. Go read the founding documents to understand why Ben Franklin strongly desired that the new country become a republic.