Left, Right, Out: The History of Third Parties in America

Left, Right, Out is the untold story of American political history. Exploring American history from its founding, David A. Epstein presents the phenomena that shaped the nation and its politics through the prism of third party politics. Whether short-lived or longer-lasting, each party examined in Left, Right, Out represents a unique and acute expression of the great social, economic, and political forces that influenced the evolution of the United States. Left, Right, Out reveals how much that we take for granted in American politics and society finds its origins in third party politics. Monumental movements such as Abolition, Prohibition, and Civil Rights, long associated with major party politics, originated in the efforts of pioneering third parties and their adherents. Left, Right, Out takes you into the remote corners of U.S. history and explores the forces and personalities forgotten in a standard reading of American political history.