Democracy Not Found, Please reinstall Constitution

Get ready to scream into a $20 bill, because this episode isone wild, whiskey-soaked ride through the chaos that was Andrew Jackson’s presidency.

Our hosts Kyle and Eric break down the hot mess expressof Jacksonian democracy—starting with a literal mob trashing the White House and ending with an economic meltdown that somehow wasn’t even the worst thinghe did. (Trail of Tears, anyone?)

We’re spilling all the historically certified tea:

• The White House party that ended in broken china and thrown whiskey
• The Spoils System (aka Jackson hiring his buddies because… vibes?)
• The Maysville Road veto and his extremely petty beef with Henry Clay
• Nullification, drama with South Carolina, and the Force Bill showdown
• The Indian Removal Act, which absolutely deserves the rage it gets
• How Jackson personally tanked the economy and still walked away smug
• And the kicker: how his policies laid the foundation for the Civil War

Plus, we absolutely talk about that time Jackson beatan attempted assassin with his cane like he was starring in an 1830s action film. Don’t worry—Eric brought his economist hat, and Kyle’s here to stop the man from combusting on mic.

🎥 Want more context onthe complicated history of race, reason, and rage?
Watch our Benjamin Banneker episode (Thomas Jefferson Pt V), referenced in this chaos:https://open.spotify.com/episode/7qG3nWkHKSJ6OUqPPBNNH4?si=hZ5wWh1sSWSfkANj8Y3rCw

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Because if you thought history class was boring, that’sbecause they didn’t tell you Jackson almost started a war with France over unpaid shipping receipts.

Music:

Semper Fidelis by Heftone Banjo Orchestra, Free MusicArchive, license CC-BY-SA

Images:

Democratic Jackass: Thomas Nast, Public domain, viaWikimedia Commons

Jackson inauguration: Made by Robert Cruickshank as anillustration in the The Playfair papers, published in London by Saunders and Otley in 1841, v. 2., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

John Eaton: John Eaton and Ethel Osgood Mason, authors.Longmans, Green, and Co. (New York, NY), publisher., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Martin Van Buren: Mathew Benjamin Brady, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

John C Calhoun: George Peter Alexander Healy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Henry Clay: Matthew Harris Jouett, Public domain, viaWikimedia Commons

Maysville Road: https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwriizSOk4to0ighb2ajzbkF;_ylu=c2VjA2ZwLWF0dHJpYgRzbGsDcnVybA--/RV=2/RE=1754006542/RO=11/RU=https%3a%2f%2fwww.slideserve.com%2fshubha%2fthe-growth-of-democracy/RK=2/RS=rI0dKs2Jz9QB0b9zsA3rqEczIzI-

Peggy Eaton affair: Hoffay, A. A.; Robinson, Henry R.,-1850.Albert. A. Hoffay, published by Henry R. Robinson, 1833, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Floride Calhoun: See page for author, Public domain, viaWikimedia Commons

Peggy Eaton: http://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/128353,Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

John Marshall: Henry Inman, Public domain, via WikimediaCommons

Failed Assassination of Jackson: N/A, Public domain, viaWikimedia Commons

Chief Black Hawk: Charles Bird King, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

He called himself the champion of the common man—but spoiler alert: only if that man was white, land-owning, and totally cool with slavery.

In this hot-and-heavy second dive into the tangled legacy of Andrew Jackson, Kyle and Eric rip off the rose-colored glasses and get real about the president who practically invented political branding and executive overreach.

From a booze-soaked inauguration that turned the White House lawn into a frat party, to doubling down on slavery while claiming to fight for “the people,” Jackson’s contradictions are as big as his ego. We’re talking abolitionist gag orders, the rise of the Democratic Party, and how Jackson paved the road to Civil War—with a grin and a hickory stick.

It’s messy. It’s maddening. And it’s the foundation for American politics as we know it. So buckle up, history lovers—Jackson’s back on the mic, and this time, we brought receipts.

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🔗 Explore more at www.chinashopproductions.com
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Music:

Semper Fidelis by Heftone Banjo Orchestra, Free Music Archive, license CC-BY-SA

Images:

William & Mary, Small Building: Smash the Iron Cage, CCBY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Jacksonianism, The Moder Balaam and his ass: Henry R. Robinson, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The County Election: George Caleb Bingham, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Andrew Jackson’s Rowdy Party: Louis S. Glanzman, image courtesy the White House Historical Association

Abolition Newspapers: Wm. Lloyd Garrison?, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

We showed up ready to drag Andrew Jackson—and somehow left kinda rooting for the guy.

Before he was torching democracy and flexing executive power like a toddler with a crown, Jackson was a dirt-poor, rage-powered teen orphan with a scar on his face and a grudge against the British.

In this jaw-dropping origin story, Kyle and Eric trace how this scrappy frontier misfit went from bootless brawler to war hero, courtroom enforcer, and surprise national darling.

He lost his whole family, got stabbed in the face, shot in the chest, and still managed to climb the ranks, write a state constitution, and casually steal Florida. Like him or not, the man did not come to play.

Come for the chaos. Stay for the uncomfortable empathy.

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🖥️ Visit buckstartsherepodcast.com for bonus content, full episodes, and behind-the-scenes chaos.

📬 Have thoughts? Hot takes? Historical grievances? Email us at buckstartsherepodcast@gmail.com—we’re listening. (Unless you’re defending Buchanan. Then… maybe don’t.)

Music:

Semper Fidelis by Heftone Banjo Orchestra, Free Music Archive, license CC-BY-SA

IMAGES:

Portrait: Jengod, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Abolition Poster: Boston Public Library, CC BY 2.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Dred Scott: Schultze, Louis, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Waxhaw, NC map: The original uploader was Seth Ilys at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons

Brave Boy: published by Currier and Ives, circa 1876, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Rachel Donelson Jackson: Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Duel: Unidentified illustrator, Public domain, viaWikimedia Commons

Jean Lafitte: anonymous, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

General Jackson: John Wesley Jarvis, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Battle of New Orleans: Kurz & Allison., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Battle of Horseshoe Bend: The New York Public Library,Digital Gallery [1], Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Adams Onis Treaty: Milenioscuro, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons