World History
I have been reading Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling by Richard Lyman Bushman. It was published in 2005 by Alfred A. Knopf. I am about half way through the book and am enjoying it very much.
In the prologue, Bushman recounts the story from 1844 when Charles Francis Adams (son of President John Quincy Adams) meet Joseph Smith. He also includes some of the text that Adams wrote almost forty years later about the meeting.
Adams wrote, "It is by no means improbable that some future text-book, for the use of generation yet unborn, will contain a question something like this: What historical American of the 19th century has exterted the most powerful influence upon the destinies of his countrymen? And it is by no means impossible that the answer to the interrogatory may thus be written: Joseph Smith the Mormon prophet" (p. 5).
Looking back from the early 21st century, I have to wonder if Adams was not right. Was Joseph Smith the most influential American of the 19th century?
I am not Mormon. As such, I do not regard Joseph Smith as a divinely inspired prophet. However, I also do not believe he was necessarily a con man either as many think. I think it is possible that he truly believed what he said but that does not require me to have to acknowledge he was a prophet of God. And of course the question of how authentic he was is not at all relevant to the question of how influential he was.
As it is, the Mormons survived Smith's death in 1844. They moved west and thrived. The Latter-day Saints have spread their message all over the world. The Mormons have played an important part in American history and they continue to be an important part of the Republican electoral coalition today. Joseph Smith remains an influential man.
But is he more influential than other great 19th century Americans? This is where it gets tough. I think at this point that Abraham Lincoln has him beat. President Lincoln saved the Union which survives to this day to be the only remaining superpower. That has to rank him #1. Other 19th century Americans such as President's Jefferson and Grant, Thomas Edison, Andrew Carnegie, and even Brigham Young may come out on top of Smith as well.
However, in centuries and millennia yet to come, will Smith be looked back upon as the most influential 19th century American? If there is no United States of America 1000 years from now and the Mormon Church is still thriving, would that then make Joseph Smith the most influential of 19th century Americans?
If enough time passes, I think Adams may be right about Joseph Smith and his place and history. My thanks to Bushman for sharing this encounter between Smith and Adams in his book.
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World History
Joseph Smith: The Most Influential American of the 19th Century?
I have been reading Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling by Richard Lyman Bushman. It was published in 2005 by Alfred A. Knopf. I am about half way through the book and am enjoying it very much.In the prologue, Bushman recounts the story from 1844 when Charles Francis Adams (son of President John Quincy Adams) meet Joseph Smith. He also includes some of the text that Adams wrote almost forty years later about the meeting.
Adams wrote, "It is by no means improbable that some future text-book, for the use of generation yet unborn, will contain a question something like this: What historical American of the 19th century has exterted the most powerful influence upon the destinies of his countrymen? And it is by no means impossible that the answer to the interrogatory may thus be written: Joseph Smith the Mormon prophet" (p. 5).
Looking back from the early 21st century, I have to wonder if Adams was not right. Was Joseph Smith the most influential American of the 19th century?
I am not Mormon. As such, I do not regard Joseph Smith as a divinely inspired prophet. However, I also do not believe he was necessarily a con man either as many think. I think it is possible that he truly believed what he said but that does not require me to have to acknowledge he was a prophet of God. And of course the question of how authentic he was is not at all relevant to the question of how influential he was.
As it is, the Mormons survived Smith's death in 1844. They moved west and thrived. The Latter-day Saints have spread their message all over the world. The Mormons have played an important part in American history and they continue to be an important part of the Republican electoral coalition today. Joseph Smith remains an influential man.
But is he more influential than other great 19th century Americans? This is where it gets tough. I think at this point that Abraham Lincoln has him beat. President Lincoln saved the Union which survives to this day to be the only remaining superpower. That has to rank him #1. Other 19th century Americans such as President's Jefferson and Grant, Thomas Edison, Andrew Carnegie, and even Brigham Young may come out on top of Smith as well.
However, in centuries and millennia yet to come, will Smith be looked back upon as the most influential 19th century American? If there is no United States of America 1000 years from now and the Mormon Church is still thriving, would that then make Joseph Smith the most influential of 19th century Americans?
If enough time passes, I think Adams may be right about Joseph Smith and his place and history. My thanks to Bushman for sharing this encounter between Smith and Adams in his book.
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Scott Crawford has an interesting post about democracy in Hawaii in Response to Twigg-Smith - Thurston and "Republic" = anti-democratic. In it, he deplores how the Hawaiian Kingdom ended without a democratic vote. Crawford writes, "The truth is that the...
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John Adams. This is a brief but informative biography of the 2nd American President. He was the first President to have a son who also became President. George H.W. Bush is the second. From the site: John Adams (October 30, 1735 - July 4, 1826)...
- John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams. This is a biography of American President John Quincy Adams. He is also well know for being the successful lawyer for the famous Amistad Supreme Court case. From the site: John Quincy Adams ( July 11 , 1767 - February 23 , 1848...
- In The Footsteps Of Ibn Battuta: Documentary
Tim Mackintosh-Smith follows in the footsteps of Ibn Battuta in this three part BBC documentary series. Only this first part is available on line. Smith begins in Tangiers where Battuta was born and travels to Egypt where he visits the oldest university...