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"Democracy is not an American ideal; republicanism is."

Ah... well... no, not really, since American Democracy goes back to Day One, arguably to, yes, Thomas Jefferson.
Jefferson, of course, referred to himself as a small-r "republican", but he was also a huge fan of the "Democratic" French Revolution (you know, "the blood of tyrants"), so his Federalist political opponents called his new party the "Democratic Republicans", "Democratic" referring to the French guillotine & such.
Well, it turned out that Jeffersonians liked that word "Democratic" and began calling themselves the "Democratics" and their party "the Democracy".

And today they still do, only today they say, "our Democracy", by which of course they mean their political party, but you're not supposed to know that -- you're supposed to think that by "our Democracy" they mean the United States constitutional government.
They don't, they mean their Democratic party, for example: "Donald Trump is a threat to our Democracy."
It's true as they mean it, but of course not as you're supposed to think.

Democracy is the ideal of the Democratic party -- "the Democracy".

The evils we experience flow from the excess of democracy.

— Elbridge Gerry, Madison Debates

(T)he first step in the revolution by the working class is to raise the proletariat to the level of ruling class, to win the battle of democracy.

— Communist Manifesto, chapter 2

What will be the course of this revolution? Above all, it will establish a democratic constitution, and through this, the direct or indirect dominance of the proletariat. […]

In America, where a democratic constitution has already been established, the communists must make the common cause with the party which will turn this constitution against the bourgeoisie and use it in the interests of the proletariat—that is, with the agrarian National Reformers. …

— Friedrich Engels, “The Principles of Communism”

(I)t is very clear that in fundamental theory, socialism and democracy are almost, if not quite, one and the same. They both rest at bottom upon the absolute right of the community to determine its own destiny and that of its members. Men as communities are supreme over men as individuals. …

— Woodrow Wilson

Never at any time did I say that the USA has no history with democracy. What I said is that republicanism (versus democracy) is the founding ideal, and is set so specifically in the Constitution.

Also take note that nowhere is democracy associated with liberty in the same way republicanism is, save of course the French Revolution and its wretched offspring/offshoots.