Spellbound: How Charisma Shaped American History from the Puritans to Donald Trump

Spellbound: How Charisma Shaped American History from the Puritans to Donald Trump by Molly Worthen

People with charisma have been able to influence people. The term was originally used theologically and much of the book explores the charismatics from a religious perspective. In modern times, it has come to spread beyond religion to other people like Donald Trump. Charismatic people can influence others in various ways and have lead various large-scale religious movements. The Puritans and other early religious movements had many charismatic leaders. The second great awakenings were similar. (Though Joseph Smith was charismatic, many people were drawn in after reading the Book of Mormon before seeing him.) Political leaders also had their appeal based on their public oratory. Later television would play a role in changing how we viewed leaders (with Nixon/JFK being an early example.) The history of charisma is interesting, but almost too broad to be well covered.