A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice Selection A history with sweeping implications, American Messiahs challenges our previous misconceptions about “cult” leaders and their messianic power. Mania surrounding messianic prophets has defined the national consciousness since the American Revolution. From Civil War veteran and virulent anticapitalist Cyrus Teed, to the dapper and overlooked civil rights pioneer Father Divine, to even the megalomaniacal Jim Jones, these figures have routinely been dismissed as dangerous and hysterical outliers. After years of studying these emblematic figures, Adam Morris demonstrates that messiahs are not just a classic trope of our national culture; their visions are essential for understanding American history. As Morris demonstrates, these charismatic, if flawed, would-be prophets sought to expose and ameliorate deep social ills―such as income inequality, gender conformity, and racial injustice. Provocative and long overdue, this is the story of those who tried to point the way toward an impossible “American Dream”: men and women who momentarily captured the imagination of a nation always searching for salvation. 8 pages of black and white photographs "The religious history of America is filled with cults and marginal sectarian communities. Morris fills in the fascinating details, with a focus on the charismatic prophets who dissented from traditional Christianity -- and claimed, in one way or another, to represent God directly." -- The New York Times, Editors' Choice "In 'American Messiahs,' Adam Morris offers up some truly strange historical characters....[a] gripping narrative." -- The New York Times Book Review "Scholar and journalist Morris examines the theological, ideological, and personal relationships among a series of American spiritual leaders over the course of two centuries in his captivating debut.... Morris's research is extensive, and his reconstruction of his subjects' complex personal histories is impressive.... A fine examination of a series of Americans whose lives and missions shed light on the dominant institutions and values they sought to subvert." --Publishers Weekly "A fine writer of prose, with an instinctive feel for storytelling and a genius for quotation....Morris is onto something." --The New Yorker "Throughout his book, Morris makes clear how much these movements had in common: their claims of divinity; their apocalyptic visions; their semi-socialist ideologies -- and often their fraudulence. His writing is sharp and the story is entertaining, though Morris makes clear his purpose is entirely serious: to say these cultists' rejection of society, conventional economic activity, and organized religion says more in the end about the failings of the institutions they left than about the goofy ones they built in their place." --NPR "In American Messiahs , journalist Adam Morris pulls fromyears of research into the messianic figures that have captivatedAmericans throughout history -- including Cyrus Teed, Father Divine, and Jim Jones -- and demonstrates their function within our nation'sculture. These self-described prophets and leaders could only exist in a country promised an impossible "American dream," and this fascinatingand provocative investigation illuminates the ideals underpinning thework of these flawed, larger-than-life characters." --BuzzFeed "Morris's book does for American history what Norman Cohn's The Pursuit of the Millennium did for pre-modern European history: Rather than accept that theUnited States is ever proudly marching forward toward progress,enlightenment,and democracy, American Messiahs makes plain thatwe have always been a nation waiting on the cusp of the Millennium, andthat time and time again we've turned to the prophets shouting that theEnd is close." --The New Republic " American Messiahs is both important historically and exceptionally well-written--that's a rare combination. Cults have always flourished in America, and now, thanks to Adam Morris, readers will finally understand not just how, but why. I wish I'd had American Messiahs for reference when I was writing my own books." --Jeff Guinn, author of Manson and The Road to Jonestown "Adam Morris demonstrates with impressive research and penetrating insight the true radicalism that animated so-called 'cult' movements in American history. American Messiahs is beautifully written, daringly sympathetic, and finally convincing." --Nikil Saval, author of Cubed: A Secret History of the Workplace "Only by understanding this influence, which Morris engagingly and vividly uncovers in American Messiahs , can we grasp who we are as a nation today, both in terms of our ideals and our nightmares." --Mitch Horowitz, PEN Award-winning author of Occult America and The Miracle Club " American Messiahs is a valuable contribution not just to the history of American religion, but to the nation's social, cultural, and p