Strictly speaking America didn't become a democracy until 1965 when the right to vote was extended to all Americans.

I also must point out that I don't disagree with your point regarding the founding fathers, who were slave holders and in the case of Jefferson, fathered children with the female slaves.

The point of the article is to point out the inevitability of the unravelling of the Chinese empire. It will go the same way as the British and the American empires.