Colonization of Africa begun well before the early 17th century. The whole of the Mediterranean coast of Africa was colonised by the Romans after the Punic Wars
Direct democracy would be extremely costly because people would have to vote on every single thing and this would cost time and money to ensure everyone has voted. It couldn't be resolved in early times, but maybe with the age of technology, you could surpass that by having everyone vote online or something similar.
California, New York, Texas, Tennessee and New Mexico
Many state constitutions expanded suffrage, which is the right to vote in political elections.
