"teh concept that the source of civil power is the people of the nation"

* that doesn't sound so bad.

i see what you mean about the puritan aspects of the culture . . . but i also think there are two threads in the history of the country - i don't think the imperialists founding a new world order were governed by these aspects of moral piety. i agree that the european mindset, whether christian or enlightenment were similar in regards to treatment of the indigenous and african peoples. i think we can look into the jamestown colony in virginia for a better idea of the blueprint that these new world order types had for the american experiment.