Election Sunday: How Third Parties Happen (1848)

It’s August 9th. On this day in 1848, former President Martin Van Buren was nominated as the presidential nominee for the breakaway Free Soil Party. The party was short-lived, but influential, and partly responsible for the Republican party’s anti-slavery stance.

Jody and Niki discuss the FSP, MVB, and what conditions it takes for a viable third party to arise in American politics.

Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory

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