Benjamin Park

We received such fantastic questions from the audience! Here’s the link to my conversation with @benjaminepark.bsky.social from last night.

Yup, the whole thing is available now at the same link.

The Rise of Mormon Extremism: A LIVE Discussion with Benjamin Park and Leah Sottile YouTube video by Benjamin Park, Historian

Here's the YouTube link. We'll be going live at 9pm ET, 7pm MT. www.youtube.com/live/pzWyl2q...

Folks: a reminder that tonight I'm hosting a LIVE discussion with @leahsottile.bsky.social. We'll dig into the varieties of Mormon extremism in the recent decades--you know, all the groups that have been the focus of so many HULU, HBO, and Netflix documentaries. It should be fun. (In a morbid way.)

I’m also Team Scrivener.

The Rise of Mormon Extremism: A LIVE Discussion with Benjamin Park and Leah Sottile YouTube video by Benjamin Park, Historian

I’ll be doing my first-ever livestream on YouTube tomorrow March 4 at 7 pm MT with @benjaminepark.bsky.social , author of American Zion. We’ll be talking all about extremism in church history, Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell, the Bundys, etc. Join us!
www.youtube.com/live/pzWyl2q...

Swingy for Texas, I guess. But the general election won't be much of a contest.

I think it's too early to say that. I'd still wager that Paxton pulls it out tonight--the remaining votes will swing his way--but Cornyn might be favored in a run-off.

I can’t believe I live in a state that might conclude both John Cornyn and Dan Crenshaw are “too woke.”

I grew weary with the infighting so pervasive in primaries, but am stoked to support either Crockett or Talarico in the senate election.

And also terrified that Texas Republicans have devolved to a point where they’re gonna nominate Paxton.

a man wearing a number 17 jersey stands in the stands ALT: a man wearing a number 17 jersey stands in the stands

I need @lollardfish.bsky.social to explain to me how Naz Reid is a real person. Dude is unfair.

I haven’t seen any evidence of that.

Or pronouncing “Nicene.”

YouTube video by Benjamin Park, Historian How Romney Paved the Way for Trump

Also, if you’re interested in the anecdote or want to use it in a classroom setting, I did a whole video on it:

How Romney’s Campaign Paved the Way for Trump
youtu.be/-TNp4eG-nFc

A moment I often think about is how when Romney, a Mormon, was eyeing a presidential run, his advisors organized a meeting with evangelical leaders in 2006. Jerry Falwell and Franklin Graham then grilled him on the Trinity & the Nicene Creed.

Just imagine Trump being grilled about the Nicene Creed.

S-USIH 2026 CFP: Intellectual Historians’ Toolkits: Methods, Theories, Practices | Society for US Intellectual History Society for U.S. Intellectual History Call for Proposals The 2026 S-USIH Annual Conference will be held in Madison, Wisconsin, on November 12-14, 2026, on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Mad...

This is such an engaging theme -- I have so many ideas! Please consider submitting your proposal: s-usih.org/2026/02/s-us...

dammit I was trying to go to sleep

A good mail week. I love me some good sweeping narratives with provocative arguments.

YouTube video by Benjamin Park, Historian How Accurate is The Testament of Ann Lee?

I loved the new movie on Ann Lee so much that I invited my friend and Shaker historian, Jennifer Dorsey, to join me in discussing its relationship to history. Feel free to share with others interested in the musical Ann Lee saga. youtu.be/fEutlCiNabw

Three historical images in a horizontal collage separated by thin burgundy lines. Left and right panels show eighteenth century soldiers in uniform with muskets. The center panel shows the words “We the People” on parchment.

Are you building a course about the American Revolution, preparing to write an essay on early America, or simply want to dig deeper into revolutionary history? Our new Revolutionary America Resource Guide is for you! A compilation of #EAS articles from 2010 through today: https://bit.ly/4cfsTEk

While there’s plenty of bloviating & lying about the country tonight, let’s celebrate one of the unequivocal goods right now:

The new mint chocolate sundae at Costco, one of the few institutions that has retained DEI and opposed Trump’s policies, that is absolutely delicious.

There’s a gofundme to help pay for funeral and headstone costs, keeping her blog alive and functional, and to support the Ardis E. Parshall Award at the Mormon History Association. Consider donating?

www.gofundme.com/f/honor-ardi...

Black Atlantic Worlds — Harvard University Press Landscapes are key to the Black Atlantic. The history of how Africans and their descendants populated and transformed nations, regions, and ecosystems has always been attentive to the multiple meaning...

It’s officially pub day for this incredible work! Thank you to Oscar de la Torre for making this possible!!
And thank you to CUNY DSI for research consults and permission to use your images in my work!!
www.hup.harvard.edu/books/978088...

‘Angel of FamilySearch’ — Relentless and revered LDS historian who gave voice to the voiceless dies Beloved independent historian Ardis E. Parshall, known for digging out little-known tidbits from Latter-day Saint history, has died.

The Mormon history world lost one of our absolute best recently. Ardis Parshall was a dogged researcher--one of the best the LDS tradition ever produced--and a fiercely loyal friend. She influenced so much, and her legacy should prompt us to be even better. www.sltrib.com/religion/202...

a basketball player wearing a spurs jersey is sitting on the court Alt: Spurs player Victor Wembanyama.

This Spurs/Pistons game is phenomenal.

NBA basketball is great.

The Central Fire of the Iroquois A comprehensive history of the Native American community at the heart of the HaudenosauneeThe people of the Onondaga Nation have lived in central New York St...

Our release date is still seven months away, but my book is now up on the Yale website. Grateful to so many people who helped make this possible.

yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300...

I understand the reservation, but I think it’s fair usage given some of them claimed the title for themselves. It was a way to reappropriate their place within the movement.

a man in a cowboy hat is holding a large american flag ALT: a man in a cowboy hat is holding a large american flag

I really appreciated America's frenetic overtime hockey win because I recently gave up crack cocaine and needed a fix.

USA! USA! USA!

YouTube video by Benjamin Park, Historian Did Joseph Smith Predict America’s Fall?

I got so many questions about it that I finally did a video. youtu.be/9V3B3cFt9iI?...

USA’s offense is stalled, momentum is Canada’s, and things look bleak. Which means there’s only one option:

The Flying V.