The US was approaching democracy but it never actually reached that point. In order for the US to have ever been a democracy there are a lot of fundamental government structures that would have needed to be destroyed. The Electoral College is obvious, but also the Senate and the cap on House members and the fact that voting rights aren't guaranteed and the sabotage of public campaign finance and the fucking Supreme Court- the list goes on. The US never actually became a full democracy at any point in its history, you are being idealistic.