The most Democratic aspect of a criminal trial is likely the jury process.
The jury process, unlike much of Judge led decision-making during trial, allows a group of the accused's peers to vote to determine whether they believe that the defendant is guilty of the crimes that they have been accused of in that trial. Majority decision-making is about as purely Democratic as it gets.
The Southern crop of peanuts.
During the 19th century, America had a strong reluctance to become involved in other countries alliances and affairs. Isolationists in America argued that the US had a different philosophy than European countries and the US should defend freedom and democracy by not being involved in such things.
During the Spanish-American War, the US remained isolated and the country fought the war without alliances and without fighting in Europe. But the mindset started to change since the motto of freedom and democracy was substituted by the US bringing an empire in the Caribbean and in the Pacific - the US had influence in the Phillippines, Puerto Rico and Guam -.
President Roosevelt had the big stick policy, he believed that the US should export its values and become a global power. At the same time, he defended that the US should avoid conflicts. President Roosevelt ended the isolationism in the US and started the modern American philosophy of acting aggressively in foreign affairs even without the support of the Congress.
Ask (male) and Embla (woman) on the Prose Edda or just Edda (13th century).