Joseph Smith for President, Spencer W. McBride
Joseph Smith for President, Spencer W. McBride
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Joseph Smith for President
The Prophet, The Assassins, and the Fight for American Religious Freedom

Author: Spencer W. McBride

Narrator: Christopher Grove

Unabridged: 8 hr 56 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 12/28/2021


Synopsis

By the election year of 1844, Joseph Smith, the controversial founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had amassed a national following of some 25,000 believers. In less than twenty years, Smith had helped transform the American religious landscape and grown his own political power substantially. Unable to garner federal protection, Smith decided to take matters into his own hands, launching his own bid for the presidency. While many scoffed at the notion that Smith could come anywhere close to the White House, others regarded his run—and his religion—as a threat to the stability of the young nation. Hounded by mobs throughout the campaign, Smith was ultimately killed by one—the first presidential candidate to be assassinated.

Though Joseph Smith's run for president is now best remembered for its gruesome end, the renegade campaign was revolutionary. Smith called for the total abolition of slavery, the closure of the country's penitentiaries, and the reestablishment of a national bank to stabilize the economy. But Smith's most important proposal was for an expansion of protections for religious minorities. At a time when the Bill of Rights did not apply to individual states, Smith sought to empower the federal government to protect minorities when states failed to do so.

About Spencer W. McBride

Spencer W. McBride is an associate managing historian of the Joseph Smith Papers Project and the author of Pulpit and Nation: Clergymen and the Politics of Revolutionary America. He has written about the evolving role of religion in American politics for the Washington Post and the Deseret News. He is also the creator and host of The First Vision: A Joseph Smith Papers Podcast.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Umar on January 01, 2022

Joseph Smith for President by Spencer Mcbride was my 129th and final book of 2021. A very informative read about early Mormon history and a unique third-party candidacy. Some lessons for all religious minorities in America within this book.......more

Goodreads review by Erik on December 27, 2021

"Joseph Smith for President" covers Joseph Smith's candidacy for U.S. president, especially in the context of the history of American religious freedom (or the lack thereof), with Mormons being one example among others of a faith group experiencing an infringement of religious freedom not usually ex......more

Goodreads review by Joseph on April 30, 2025

Run for president to protect 1st amendment rights. Then get killed by a mob for destroying a rival printing press. What an arc!......more

Goodreads review by Kent on April 09, 2022

Intriguing look at the early Mormon history and how religious freedom played out in the mid-1800s. Especially interesting given the shift that actually lead to Mitt Romney voting for Ketanji Brown Jackson in the Supreme Court confirmation, largely on religious freedom grounds.......more

Goodreads review by Derek on March 16, 2025

An excellent history of a key moment in both Mormon and American history. The historian handles the material objectively and places the moment within the larger context text of American constitutional and religious history. Like the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, the prophet Joseph Smith had t......more