If the president can shut down the government because he doesn't get what he wants America is a glorified daycare.
Gottlieb Mittelberger (1714 – 1758) was a German writer and lutheran pastor who described the miseries suffered by German inmigrants in the colonial US in his work <em>Journey to Pennsylvania</em>.
He described the miserable transatlantic journey plus the exploitation they suffered at their arrival when the colonists hired them as indentured servants, the loss of freedom, the lack of health conditions, etc. He tried to convince people not to immigrate from Europe as their life conditions would turn much worse than before.
The modern populism today is advertised as the same thing as manager years ago but it is much different. Populism is supposed to supposed to be the political idea of “the people” and the government should do things that benefit the people of America. Today modern day populism includes making peoples lives easier, and creating programs for those who cannot afford to live. In a way populism today is a way of making peoples life easier.
It allowed for slaves to be counted as people halfway to please the abolitionists, but didn't allow them to be citizens to please the pro-slavery side.
Democracy dates back to have started to develop in the days of Ancient Greece in the city state of Athens.
Not sure if this is what you were looking for but I hope it helps.
