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Joseph Smith for President: The Prophet, the Assassins, and the Fight for American Religious Freedom
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. Nearly half of them lived in the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, where Smith was not only their religious leader but also the mayor and the commander-in-chief of a militia of some 2,500 men. In less than twenty years, Smith had helped transform the American religious landscape and grown his own political power substantially. Yet the standing of the Mormon people in American society remained unstable. Unable to garner federal protection, and having failed to win the support of former president Martin Van Buren or any of the other candidates in the race, 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 runand his religionas a threat to the stability of the young nation. Hounded by mobs throughout the campaign, Smith was ultimately killed by onethe first presidential candidate to be assassinated.
Though Joseph Smith's run for president is now best rememberedwhen it is remembered at allfor 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.
Spencer W. McBride tells the story of Joseph Smith's quixotic but consequential run for the White House and shows how his calls for religious freedom helped to shape the American political system we know today.
Though Joseph Smith's run for president is now best rememberedwhen it is remembered at allfor 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.
Spencer W. McBride tells the story of Joseph Smith's quixotic but consequential run for the White House and shows how his calls for religious freedom helped to shape the American political system we know today.
296 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
January 1, 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.
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 experienced by (and indeed enacted on them by) the more culturally acceptable mainstream Protestant churches.
McBride covers some of the relevant LDS Church historical background before delving into more detail on the Missouri persecutions and the Church's Nauvoo era. He reviews Joseph Smith's unsuccessful appeals for recompense and protection by both the U.S. President and Congress, and his letters to 1844 presidential candidates requesting their responses to whether and how they would protect the members of the Church. Seeing no success from either effort, Joseph Smith decided to run for President, as a way of bringing attention to the plight of Church members more than as a realistic candidacy (some members thought divine intervention made a presidential win possible though not otherwise likely). McBride successfully shows how Joseph Smith's candidacy for President was just one way among others that Joseph Smith and the Church sought better protection for itself. The Nauvoo Compact was another effort, though one that was starting to show fragility in response to state and interstate public opinion and legal efforts to extradite Joseph Smith. More importantly, the Church reviewed the possibility of moving to either California, Oregon, Washington, or Texas - considering even leaving the country (these areas not being part of the U.S. at that point) - all while continuing to bet on the possibility of being able to get a public hearing through the presidential election of the country they were considering leaving.
McBride covers Church interactions with public officials and presidential candidates quite well, as well as the actual political positions Joseph Smith campaigned on and the efforts of electioneering missionaries campaigning for him. He also covers the influence of the Council of Fifty in the presidential campaign, and Joseph Smith's ideas about theodemocracy and the political kingdom of God. Since the book frames itself in the context of religious liberty, there's not as much of an emphasis on this political theology and kingdom-building as I would like - it would have been interesting to read up more on this theme including connections with other relevant examples of utopia- and kingdom-building in early American history. McBride also only lightly covers polygamy. What McBride focuses on, however, he does really well, providing a more thorough and contextualized history of Joseph Smith's candidacy for the Presidency than anything I've previously read.
McBride covers some of the relevant LDS Church historical background before delving into more detail on the Missouri persecutions and the Church's Nauvoo era. He reviews Joseph Smith's unsuccessful appeals for recompense and protection by both the U.S. President and Congress, and his letters to 1844 presidential candidates requesting their responses to whether and how they would protect the members of the Church. Seeing no success from either effort, Joseph Smith decided to run for President, as a way of bringing attention to the plight of Church members more than as a realistic candidacy (some members thought divine intervention made a presidential win possible though not otherwise likely). McBride successfully shows how Joseph Smith's candidacy for President was just one way among others that Joseph Smith and the Church sought better protection for itself. The Nauvoo Compact was another effort, though one that was starting to show fragility in response to state and interstate public opinion and legal efforts to extradite Joseph Smith. More importantly, the Church reviewed the possibility of moving to either California, Oregon, Washington, or Texas - considering even leaving the country (these areas not being part of the U.S. at that point) - all while continuing to bet on the possibility of being able to get a public hearing through the presidential election of the country they were considering leaving.
McBride covers Church interactions with public officials and presidential candidates quite well, as well as the actual political positions Joseph Smith campaigned on and the efforts of electioneering missionaries campaigning for him. He also covers the influence of the Council of Fifty in the presidential campaign, and Joseph Smith's ideas about theodemocracy and the political kingdom of God. Since the book frames itself in the context of religious liberty, there's not as much of an emphasis on this political theology and kingdom-building as I would like - it would have been interesting to read up more on this theme including connections with other relevant examples of utopia- and kingdom-building in early American history. McBride also only lightly covers polygamy. What McBride focuses on, however, he does really well, providing a more thorough and contextualized history of Joseph Smith's candidacy for the Presidency than anything I've previously read.
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!
April 9, 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.
March 17, 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 to navigate politics and religion simultaneously. This book shows how Smith toggled between the two primary aspects of his people’s lives. As a resident of Illinois, I am always especially interested in the Nauvoo history outlined here.
May 5, 2022
Probably not controversial enough for the typical reader (or rather non-reader) of Mormon History. None the less McBride demonstrates a bridled contribution to New Mormon History with a strong focus on the expanded understanding of how Joseph Smith’s platform for the Presidency removed a veiled understanding of what America was in the 19th century. This was well
worth the $4 I paid for it and a great adjunct to the Nauvoo years without deviating from Smith and his candidacy for President.
My favorite chapters were the conclusion and American Royalty about the visit of Josiah Quincy IV and Charles Francis Adams to Nauvoo to meet Joseph.
As CS Lewis said: “Never rely on second hand information when first hand is available.”
A couple quotes from that visit:
“We passed the whole day in his society, & had one of the extraordinary conversations I ever participated in… I have neither the time nor space to describe the faith or works of this extraordinary man but reserve them for a future occasion.”
Josiah Quincy lV about General Joseph Smith in 1844.
“Fanatic, imposter, charlatan, he may have been, but these hard names furnish no solution to the problem he presents to us. Fanatics and imposters are living and dying every day, and their memory is buried with them; but the wonderful influence which this founder of a religion exerted and still exerts throws him into relief before us, not as a rogue to be criminated, but as a phenomenon to be explained.”
Josiah Quincy lV about General Joseph Smith in 1884.
And my favorite:
Smith… “was accepted by a class of men which would seem to be intellectually superior to so miserable a delusion.”
-Quincy lV
worth the $4 I paid for it and a great adjunct to the Nauvoo years without deviating from Smith and his candidacy for President.
My favorite chapters were the conclusion and American Royalty about the visit of Josiah Quincy IV and Charles Francis Adams to Nauvoo to meet Joseph.
As CS Lewis said: “Never rely on second hand information when first hand is available.”
A couple quotes from that visit:
“We passed the whole day in his society, & had one of the extraordinary conversations I ever participated in… I have neither the time nor space to describe the faith or works of this extraordinary man but reserve them for a future occasion.”
Josiah Quincy lV about General Joseph Smith in 1844.
“Fanatic, imposter, charlatan, he may have been, but these hard names furnish no solution to the problem he presents to us. Fanatics and imposters are living and dying every day, and their memory is buried with them; but the wonderful influence which this founder of a religion exerted and still exerts throws him into relief before us, not as a rogue to be criminated, but as a phenomenon to be explained.”
Josiah Quincy lV about General Joseph Smith in 1884.
And my favorite:
Smith… “was accepted by a class of men which would seem to be intellectually superior to so miserable a delusion.”
-Quincy lV
September 28, 2023
I listened to this on audio, so I did not get to look through any footnotes or bibliography, but it concerns me that McBride seems to only have read through apologetic historian commentary to produce this book. It's also shocking that so much of his apologetic tone got past Oxford's editorial staff. I mean, I also love Richard Bushman's biography of Smith and will trust that over whatever new biography is currently being commissioned by the LDS church, but to cite Bushman's interpretations of Smith's polygamy and suggest that it should be taken as gospel truth is just bad academics.
That's only one of several errors I found in this book. McBride completely lacks in critically considering historical events and commentaries that predate his own. He is an apologist first and historian second. Nevertheless, it's high time we have an updated book that focuses on Smith's presidential campaign, so for that I have to give it three stars. It's a good text to have, and perhaps one day McBride's research will lend itself to more critical research that incorporates more of an outsider perspective and contextualization in American culture and history than as a blip in Mormon history.
That's only one of several errors I found in this book. McBride completely lacks in critically considering historical events and commentaries that predate his own. He is an apologist first and historian second. Nevertheless, it's high time we have an updated book that focuses on Smith's presidential campaign, so for that I have to give it three stars. It's a good text to have, and perhaps one day McBride's research will lend itself to more critical research that incorporates more of an outsider perspective and contextualization in American culture and history than as a blip in Mormon history.
October 24, 2024
Spencer W. McBride has been working with the Joseph Smith Papers projects and so has access to, and a deep understanding of, the historical facts and setting of this time in history. This book is a fascinating account of the political, government and religious climate and events of the time. It is also, interestingly enough, an expose on the evils in the world that pretty much reflects what we still do experience. A good read and very enlightening. Even if you are not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, you should read this book. The "Mormons" are not the only religious minorities that were (and are) persecuted in the United States... Catholics, Muslims and Jews were and still are persecuted, as well as others. This book makes it crystal clear why religious freedom is so essential for us as a nation.
February 23, 2023
McBride does a valiant job of trying to make the story of Joseph Smith’s long shot presidential campaign interesting. The problem is it’s not really that interesting of a story, and I say this as someone who finds both Smith and Mormonism to be a totally fascinating story. But for those looking to understand LDS’s early days in America, this is an essential read.
September 3, 2023
An interesting topic from an author I respect, but this particular volume descends into often amateurish polemics about modern politics.
August 10, 2023
Nobody ever says much about this event so it was nice to get the real story. It always seemed like he ran for President on a whim but it wasnt that way.
He went to the white house to talk to President Martin van Buren and was basically told there was nothing he could do about the treatment of the church members.
He decided that legislators were basically worthless amd just doing it for prestige. The bill of rights protects freedom of religion but the federal government wouldnt enforce it and the states didn’t think that they were subject to the bill of rights . (Many years later the supreme court ruled that states were subject to the bill of rights)
Joseph felt the best way to stand up for religious freedom was to run for president. He probably wouldn’t have won but we will never know because he was assasinated before the election.
He went to the white house to talk to President Martin van Buren and was basically told there was nothing he could do about the treatment of the church members.
He decided that legislators were basically worthless amd just doing it for prestige. The bill of rights protects freedom of religion but the federal government wouldnt enforce it and the states didn’t think that they were subject to the bill of rights . (Many years later the supreme court ruled that states were subject to the bill of rights)
Joseph felt the best way to stand up for religious freedom was to run for president. He probably wouldn’t have won but we will never know because he was assasinated before the election.
September 22, 2024
Fascinating! I love learning more of Mormon history within the political context of the times.
The book leans apologist more often than not, and it never really grapples with polygamy the way that I think a book about Joseph Smith during this era really needs to. Tackling polygamy, and how it related to the backlash to Mormons and Joseph Smith in particular would have elevated the entire text.
Still, lots to like here.
The book leans apologist more often than not, and it never really grapples with polygamy the way that I think a book about Joseph Smith during this era really needs to. Tackling polygamy, and how it related to the backlash to Mormons and Joseph Smith in particular would have elevated the entire text.
Still, lots to like here.
April 20, 2022
“Joseph Smith for President” is an excellent, in-depth study of Joseph Smith’s political views and the historical forces that shaped them. It is well written and thoroughly engaging!
September 28, 2023
An incredible piece of scholarship, enhanced through access to the Council of Fifty minutes. Spencer McBride brings Joseph Smith’s 1844 presidential campaign to life, places it squarely in the context of other presidential aspirants and sets forth Joseph’s platform: prison reform, anti-slavery, anti-poverty, pro-national bank and pro-religious freedom. The book is surprisingly relevant to today.
April 21, 2025
Americans weren’t ready for a Mormon president in the 1840s but i think the time is right for President Whitney Leavitt
August 10, 2022
Well written historical narrative on a little known topic. I enjoyed this book.
January 12, 2023
I read a lot on the LDS church and this book was amazingly unbiased. I still don't know if Mr. McBride has an opinion on the Church or its controversial leader. That is rare. Most of it I knew from other sources but it is a great perspective and has some really great insights. I would recommend this book to anyone that wants more info on the life of Joseph Smith. If you already are a hater then leave it alone, there is not enough fodder to satisfy you.
March 26, 2022
A fascinating look at an event usually just mentioned in passing when discussing Mormon history. Smith’s presidency was important for a number of reasons. Foremost among those reasons is that it helps to understand the politics of the mid-19th century moment within a larger US context. Latter-day Saints needed a government that protected their religious rights, and they not only couldn’t find it across several states, they were often met with horrifyingly violent opposition to their religious practice. Smith couldn’t get state or federal governments to help, so he attempted to take matters into his own hands. The other big reason his run at the presidency is interesting was his surprisingly progressive platform, including his stark anti-slavery position.
January 26, 2022
An interesting look at the political and cultural climate at that time. It is also a stark reminder of how often government has failed in protecting their citizens. Sometimes not only failing but purposefully engaging in bigotry and oppression. The fight for religious freedom continues on even today.
My one criticism with the book is that after detailing how inept and evil the government was and is, the author still thinks that the solution lies with them. I think it's clear that no earthly government is competent enough to adequately protect and preserve the rights of it's citizens.
My one criticism with the book is that after detailing how inept and evil the government was and is, the author still thinks that the solution lies with them. I think it's clear that no earthly government is competent enough to adequately protect and preserve the rights of it's citizens.
November 4, 2025
I had a hard time reading this book because people suck. Hence the four stars. The anti-Mormons' ignorance, their jealousy and pride, oh and all the raping and murdering of innocent men, women, and children! Why, all because the mormons believed differently from the protestants, and get this, the protestants didn't even like the catholics, shakers, or the jews, that's not Christian-like at all. Makes me sick. I had to stop reading, I got so mad and sad for what they went through. And Van Buren, the president of the USA, didn't even help because he feared he would lose votes and the institution of slavery! (pg 209) Disgusting! Shame on America, not only was this happening to people of faith, who thought they were coming to a country that supposedly has "religious freedom", (isn't this in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution?, asking for a friend), but also the South wanted slavery expansion. What is wrong with people?! I'm very thankful that I was born during our time period and not back then. The Civil War was the only way.
The book is not mine, so I couldn't highlight any paragraphs, but I took many pictures of sections that stood out to me: pages are:
83 talking about the birth of America, religious minorites were denied their basic rights was to deny their shared revolutionary heritage.
87 talking about Constitutional law and its application, Smith was desperate to combat a system that fostered religious intorlerance and violent persecution.
90 talking about the decline of the US starting on March 4, 1837, the day Martin Van Buren became president.
91 talking about Van Buren's thirst for power and corruption ....
103 talking about objections to penitentiaries, becoming a tool of social control. American elites "used the penal system to discipline and punish citizens in ways that advanced social heirarchies rooted in race, gender, class, and sexual differences." The system was designed to keep them down. (sounds like what's happening today. So the system isn't broken, it was made this way!)
195-196 talking about celebrating Independace Day yet ignoring violance against their fellow countrymen, religious outsiders, and terrorizing the Irish. "Bible-Riots". (The Hypocrites!!)
200-201 talking about Alexander Campbell's callous response about the Smith Brothers' murder. Bigotry among the Protestant clergy, operating on the belief that relgious freedom was a right reserved for Protestants. To them, violence against religious minorities was used to put down threats. (What threats? I can't find it, but the locals were jealous how the Mormons could develop and prosper a town/city so much faster and in so little time, then they could develop one that took them years. Is this the threat? They were afraid of them taking over? Again, not Christ-like at all.)
208-209 talking about America's failure of universal religious freedom. The perpetrators faced no legal consequences of the murders, rapes, extermination orders, expulsion, property confiscations, damages, all under the USA boundaries. (Seriously!?! Again, people SUCK!) Also talking about the Bill of Rights, 1st Amendment, and white Protestant men continued to exercise dangerous levels of authority. (Hmmm, maybe KKK?)
210-211 talking about how Smith, if were elected president, would protect all religious minority groups, his failed campaign was a vital but overlooked moment in american democracy. Questions are posed: Who deserves the rights of full Amercian citizenship? When Americans combine violence and coerion to deny their counrtymen their "self-evident" rights "to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness", should the federal government intervene? (What did the founding fathers really want? A caste system? just wondering.)
212 talking about turning the word "Mormon" into a verb. "Mormonize the Abolitionists", meaning, kill them all, because they wanted to keep slavery.
214 talking about why Smith ran for president, not just to protect religious minority groups, but to fight against the systems of goverance that empowered and ultimately protected such bigorty.
There are more pages, but this is what I have for now. The author did some great research with this book, and cited galore!
The book is not mine, so I couldn't highlight any paragraphs, but I took many pictures of sections that stood out to me: pages are:
83 talking about the birth of America, religious minorites were denied their basic rights was to deny their shared revolutionary heritage.
87 talking about Constitutional law and its application, Smith was desperate to combat a system that fostered religious intorlerance and violent persecution.
90 talking about the decline of the US starting on March 4, 1837, the day Martin Van Buren became president.
91 talking about Van Buren's thirst for power and corruption ....
103 talking about objections to penitentiaries, becoming a tool of social control. American elites "used the penal system to discipline and punish citizens in ways that advanced social heirarchies rooted in race, gender, class, and sexual differences." The system was designed to keep them down. (sounds like what's happening today. So the system isn't broken, it was made this way!)
195-196 talking about celebrating Independace Day yet ignoring violance against their fellow countrymen, religious outsiders, and terrorizing the Irish. "Bible-Riots". (The Hypocrites!!)
200-201 talking about Alexander Campbell's callous response about the Smith Brothers' murder. Bigotry among the Protestant clergy, operating on the belief that relgious freedom was a right reserved for Protestants. To them, violence against religious minorities was used to put down threats. (What threats? I can't find it, but the locals were jealous how the Mormons could develop and prosper a town/city so much faster and in so little time, then they could develop one that took them years. Is this the threat? They were afraid of them taking over? Again, not Christ-like at all.)
208-209 talking about America's failure of universal religious freedom. The perpetrators faced no legal consequences of the murders, rapes, extermination orders, expulsion, property confiscations, damages, all under the USA boundaries. (Seriously!?! Again, people SUCK!) Also talking about the Bill of Rights, 1st Amendment, and white Protestant men continued to exercise dangerous levels of authority. (Hmmm, maybe KKK?)
210-211 talking about how Smith, if were elected president, would protect all religious minority groups, his failed campaign was a vital but overlooked moment in american democracy. Questions are posed: Who deserves the rights of full Amercian citizenship? When Americans combine violence and coerion to deny their counrtymen their "self-evident" rights "to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness", should the federal government intervene? (What did the founding fathers really want? A caste system? just wondering.)
212 talking about turning the word "Mormon" into a verb. "Mormonize the Abolitionists", meaning, kill them all, because they wanted to keep slavery.
214 talking about why Smith ran for president, not just to protect religious minority groups, but to fight against the systems of goverance that empowered and ultimately protected such bigorty.
There are more pages, but this is what I have for now. The author did some great research with this book, and cited galore!
October 2, 2024
This book presents many familiar episodes of American history (Nauvoo-era Mormonism, the US presidential election of 1844, Joseph Smith's death at the Carthage jail) in a new light by focusing on Joseph Smith's long-shot presidential aspirations and how this often-overlooked aspect of his life influenced these episodes. It was particularly interesting to contemplate Smith's murder specifically in light of his offensive political actions taken as mayor of Nauvoo (that is, in addition to his offensive religious claims as Mormonism's so-called prophet).
One of McBride's central assertions is that the persecution of the early Mormon movement represents an abject failure of the Federal government to protect the rights of its citizens—McBride repeatedly compares Mormons to the disenfranchised slave population in the US South. This is of course true to an extent. However, I believe McBride is consistently biased in favor of Mormonism, Joseph Smith, and an anachronistically strong central government, and this bias makes the book tiresome.
A quotation from the book's conclusion demonstrates the author's slanted reading of history (emphasis mine):
Certainly, the Federal government ought to have done more to protect the rights of Mormon citizens in Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois, during this wild time in the movement's early history. But to paint the states' rights doctrine as a bald-faced excuse for discrimination, and nothing more, is lame and intellectually lazy. If you believe the Federal government's (highly reasonable) opposition of polygamy and (completely legitimate) exercise of immigration controls equate to discrimination, you are not making a serious argument.
One of McBride's central assertions is that the persecution of the early Mormon movement represents an abject failure of the Federal government to protect the rights of its citizens—McBride repeatedly compares Mormons to the disenfranchised slave population in the US South. This is of course true to an extent. However, I believe McBride is consistently biased in favor of Mormonism, Joseph Smith, and an anachronistically strong central government, and this bias makes the book tiresome.
A quotation from the book's conclusion demonstrates the author's slanted reading of history (emphasis mine):
The Mormons in Utah had applied for statehood in 1849 and 1856. [...] Ultimately, they had to wait until 1896. The intervening years were difficult for the Mormons in large part because of continuing discrimination from the highest levels of government. The federal government instituted an immigration ban in 1879, denying Mormons from Europe entry into the United States. Furthermore, two acts in Congress and a Supreme Court decision aimed to eradicate the practice of plural marriage in the territory, forcing Mormon men engaged in the practice to choose between their religious beliefs and prison. Indeed, the federal government proved just as willing to discriminate against Mormon citizens as state governments had.
Certainly, the Federal government ought to have done more to protect the rights of Mormon citizens in Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois, during this wild time in the movement's early history. But to paint the states' rights doctrine as a bald-faced excuse for discrimination, and nothing more, is lame and intellectually lazy. If you believe the Federal government's (highly reasonable) opposition of polygamy and (completely legitimate) exercise of immigration controls equate to discrimination, you are not making a serious argument.
September 24, 2021
A campaign focused on religious liberty, abolition of slavery, prison reform, pan-Americanism, reform of congress, and a stronger federal government to protect civil rights – remarkably these were all key ideas in the manifesto of Joseph Smith, prophet of a new American religion and first presidential candidate to be assassinated.
Long persecuted and held in suspicion for their non-mainstream views on Christianity, the antebellum era was an unfriendly time for members of the LDS church and any other non-mainstream Protestant religious group. After the Panic of 1837 caused the flight from Kirtland, the fledging LDS movement settled in Missouri, the new American Zion, but hostility to both the LDS’s new religious beliefs and their abolitionism caused them to flee to Illinois to found the city of Nauvoo. Continued trampling of their civil rights galvanized Smith into running for president after receiving a frosty reception from Martin van Buren and being stonewalled in the Senate.
Spencer W. McBride not only follows the unprecedented presidential campaign by the prophet and general but situates it within a transformation of how Americans understood civic nationalism and civil rights. States’ rights were the predominant political belief that undergirded the federal lack of response but the hypocrisy over how slave states imposed on free states shattered Smith and the LDS members’ beliefs in the federal government. McBride delivers a strong narrative, showing how presidential campaigns were conducted during the early years of the Republic and how Smith took advantage of new technology and the growth of the LDS church to increase his outreach.
Most importantly, as McBride point out several times through the narrative, is the failure of American promises of civil liberties to extend to all citizens. Joseph Smith boldly took a step to ensure people of all faiths, and none, would be protected under the rights promised to them by the constitution but, unfortunately, as so often in American history, promises made early in its history took too long to realise. The death of Smith, assassinated in a Carthage jailhouse by a frenzied mob, drove the LDS movement out of Illinois and into the unknown West. Smith’s hopes of a more liberal, more generous America would wait longer for their fulfilment.
Long persecuted and held in suspicion for their non-mainstream views on Christianity, the antebellum era was an unfriendly time for members of the LDS church and any other non-mainstream Protestant religious group. After the Panic of 1837 caused the flight from Kirtland, the fledging LDS movement settled in Missouri, the new American Zion, but hostility to both the LDS’s new religious beliefs and their abolitionism caused them to flee to Illinois to found the city of Nauvoo. Continued trampling of their civil rights galvanized Smith into running for president after receiving a frosty reception from Martin van Buren and being stonewalled in the Senate.
Spencer W. McBride not only follows the unprecedented presidential campaign by the prophet and general but situates it within a transformation of how Americans understood civic nationalism and civil rights. States’ rights were the predominant political belief that undergirded the federal lack of response but the hypocrisy over how slave states imposed on free states shattered Smith and the LDS members’ beliefs in the federal government. McBride delivers a strong narrative, showing how presidential campaigns were conducted during the early years of the Republic and how Smith took advantage of new technology and the growth of the LDS church to increase his outreach.
Most importantly, as McBride point out several times through the narrative, is the failure of American promises of civil liberties to extend to all citizens. Joseph Smith boldly took a step to ensure people of all faiths, and none, would be protected under the rights promised to them by the constitution but, unfortunately, as so often in American history, promises made early in its history took too long to realise. The death of Smith, assassinated in a Carthage jailhouse by a frenzied mob, drove the LDS movement out of Illinois and into the unknown West. Smith’s hopes of a more liberal, more generous America would wait longer for their fulfilment.
May 5, 2024
I had heard of Joseph Smith’s presidential run before, but I didn’t know much about it. Spencer McBride did a great job of setting the historical stage for why exactly Joseph Smith decided to run for president. I really feel like I got to know the Prophet better through reading this book. I’ve heard plenty about the history of the Church and its first president from Missouri until Joseph’s martyrdom, but seeing it through the lens of his presidential bid (the persecutions that highlighted the lacking power of the federal government, the establishment of Nauvoo with its very liberal charter as a way to protect their rights, etc.) provided a wealth of insights into who Joseph was. This deeper understanding lends itself to a greater appreciation for what he did (which increased appreciation is inextricably tied to a deeper understanding of his humanity).
I was struck by how often Joseph did things that, if they had been done by someone else, would have struck me as suspicious or dangerous. The accumulation of so much power (ecclesiastical, municipal, and military) would certainly have been a large temptation for most anyone.
I recently read The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, which made me question my understanding of the founding of America, and of the divinely privileged status of our country. Throughout this book, the negativity with which Joseph and other early church members spoke of their interactions with state and federal governments (and the fervor with which they considered and ultimately decided to leave the country) lead me to feel similarly.
Manumission, aver, ecumenical, declension, plat, phrenology, plenary, Lyceum, cashier (v.), invective, evince, perquisite, specie, stopgap, promissory, doughhead, collegial, cant, hegemony, vociferation, honeycomb (v.), accouter, expositor, salacious
I was struck by how often Joseph did things that, if they had been done by someone else, would have struck me as suspicious or dangerous. The accumulation of so much power (ecclesiastical, municipal, and military) would certainly have been a large temptation for most anyone.
I recently read The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, which made me question my understanding of the founding of America, and of the divinely privileged status of our country. Throughout this book, the negativity with which Joseph and other early church members spoke of their interactions with state and federal governments (and the fervor with which they considered and ultimately decided to leave the country) lead me to feel similarly.
Manumission, aver, ecumenical, declension, plat, phrenology, plenary, Lyceum, cashier (v.), invective, evince, perquisite, specie, stopgap, promissory, doughhead, collegial, cant, hegemony, vociferation, honeycomb (v.), accouter, expositor, salacious
June 6, 2025
Score: 4/5 (parts worth listening again).
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Themes: religious minorities, American state and federal powers, presidential elections
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I'm a long time student of the American Civil War, as well as a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, so all of the names, places, and themes were previously familiar to me.
This book unifies these ideas into a cohesive narrative which I still learned quite a bit from.
As Joseph Smith is a polarizing figure, it can be difficult for authors to either refrain from criticizing or alternatively, paying homage. This author attempts to remain neutral by listing the reasons Joseph Smith himself gave for his controversial actions, or occasionally explaining why there was no good option available, but doing no more to defend him. Nor does it attempt to criticize him, recognizing that he faced a number of impossible choices as the leader of a people too big to ignore, but too small to effectively demand justice.
Depending on your previously held opinions, your mileage regarding this approach will vary, but I thought it fair.
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Themes: religious minorities, American state and federal powers, presidential elections
************
I'm a long time student of the American Civil War, as well as a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, so all of the names, places, and themes were previously familiar to me.
This book unifies these ideas into a cohesive narrative which I still learned quite a bit from.
As Joseph Smith is a polarizing figure, it can be difficult for authors to either refrain from criticizing or alternatively, paying homage. This author attempts to remain neutral by listing the reasons Joseph Smith himself gave for his controversial actions, or occasionally explaining why there was no good option available, but doing no more to defend him. Nor does it attempt to criticize him, recognizing that he faced a number of impossible choices as the leader of a people too big to ignore, but too small to effectively demand justice.
Depending on your previously held opinions, your mileage regarding this approach will vary, but I thought it fair.
November 25, 2021
Few Americans are likely aware of Latter Day Saint prophet Joseph Smith's quixotic run for President in 1844. It was short lived, Smith was killed by a mob in June, four months before the election, making him the first US presidential candidate to be assassinated. Smith's decision to run was prompted in large part by his dissatisfaction with that old American political bugaboo - states's rights. He tried for several years to secure federal protection and/or redress from the murderous actions of Missourians to exterminate Latter Day Saints (under gubernatorial order). His lobbying in Washington was met with the same do-nothing reply that was used to ignore to slavery, i.e. it was not the federal government's role to protect Americans from violations of their constitutional rights. Rather, it was a matter for the states, even when the states were the aggressors. Mormons were joined by Catholics, Shakers, and a number of other "fanatical minorities" whose rights were trampled because they fell outside the Protestant mainstream.
April 11, 2022
This was a great book. Due to the other church history books that I had read I was already very familiar with much of the information found in this book. However, I had either forgotten or had never pieced together the fact that Joseph Smith was actively campaigning for president of the United States at the time of his martyr. I think that, in conjunction with all the other factors that played a role, was a big contributor to the motivation for the mob to assassinate him. And not that it is something that anyone wants attributed to their name but Joseph became the first presidential candidate to be assassinated.
March 30, 2022
Detailed and informative. Here’s something I hadn’t realized, “Before the Civil War, the Bill of Rights did not apply to the individual states.” WHAT??? It wasn’t until “the 1920’s, when the federal courts began expanding the protections of the Bill of Rights to include all levels of government.”
Sorry to be so naïve. This is something I should have known as a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
I was also struck by how similar politics and politicians are today. Will we ever learn?
Sorry to be so naïve. This is something I should have known as a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
I was also struck by how similar politics and politicians are today. Will we ever learn?
August 27, 2021
It was a great read with some new insights about Joseph Smith's analysis. McBride put some great little quips in the analysis that made the book lively and enjoyable. I learned many new things about a subject I've read quite a bit about.. This pairs nicely with Simeone's The Saints and the State (the latter contains far more lengthy argument, and is much more difficult (boring) to read). This book is well done.
January 4, 2022
This book is GREAT. A thorough and fascinating exploration of Joseph Smith's candidacy for president, digging into the political contexts of his age (and offering insightful readings of Brother Joseph's political platform in light of that context). The book also has a useful eye to the theological and religious components of joseph's candidacy.
A quick, insightful read on a subject that often reads like just a whacky footnote in a wild, chaotic time in Mormondom.
A quick, insightful read on a subject that often reads like just a whacky footnote in a wild, chaotic time in Mormondom.
August 3, 2022
A thorough examination of the events that motivated Joseph Smith to run for President of the United States, his proposed platform and policies, and his assassination.
Overall, I think the audience for this book is small as it will most likely appeal to Mormon history buffs, who will already be familiar with much of this book's content. Those interested in learning more about religious persecution in American history would be well served by reading this as well.
Overall, I think the audience for this book is small as it will most likely appeal to Mormon history buffs, who will already be familiar with much of this book's content. Those interested in learning more about religious persecution in American history would be well served by reading this as well.
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