Grounded in extensive historical research, this eye-opening survey reveals the long-undervalued role secret societies have played in American history. Revealing fascinating facts about some of the most talked-about covert societies, including the Freemasons, The Know Nothings, the Mafia, the Skull and Bones and the Ku Klux Klan, this book exposes the truth about the subcultures that made their mark on some of the most important events in the nation's history and contributed to the shaping of the country itself.