Spencer McBride
November 03, 2022
The Great Hall
SUU’s Premier Event Series is joined this week by historian, writer, speaker, and podcaster, Spencer McBride. He is the author of multiple books on religion and American politics. McBride’s writing discusses the evolving role of religion in American political culture. His works have been featured in publications such as the Washington Post and the Deseret News.This week he will be talking about his book, Joseph Smith for President: A Portrait of American Dissent.
In the history of the United States, no third-party candidate has ever been elected president. But those longshot campaigns matter to American history beyond their electoral viability. Such independent campaigns typically illuminate discontent among certain segments of Americans. Such is the case for Joseph Smith's improbable run for the presidency in 1844. The leader of a religious minority group published a platform that described deep discontent with the political status quo in the United States and proposed a bold plan for the reform of American society. His candidacy serves as a historical window to American discontent in the nineteenth-century.
Podcast
No podcast episode
Songs from the episode:
“Jesus, etc.,” Wilco
“Ripple,” The Grateful Dead
“Gospel,” The National
“No Surprises,” Radiohead
“Walls (No. 3)”, Tom Petty
“Good Feeling,” The Violent Femmes
Video
Photos
