You can blame Lincoln for the Democracy confusion, it goes back a long ways. It's safe to say this problem will never be solved as long as there is a federal department of education.
I blame Lincoln for many,many things,including being maybe the most corrupt SOB to hold office anywhere at anytime in history,but all he did was start it.
Like everyone of you,I grew up learning in elementary school that "America is a democracy". I have no doubt that the programmed teachers that were teaching this nonsense didn't know any better,and were just parrotting what they had been taught without even thinking about it.
I had done enough reading that by the 3rd grade I KNEW better than this,and was arguing with my teachers about it. When my 3rd grade teacher decided to have us all dance around a May Pole to celebrate the communist holiday,May Day,I told her to kiss my big red ass because there was no way I was dancing in no commie dance party. She sent me to the principal over this,and I refused to back down to him,too. He just told her to let me sit it out and sent me back to her classroom.
She was probably in her early 20's at the time,and most likely had never had an actual thought in her entire life. Most people in the 50's and before were taught as children to do what they were told and to believe what they were told to believe,and to not ask any questions. I basically had to raise myself,so I HAD to ask questions to have any hope of making it to adulthood.