The Smith ‘heat’: Alfred E. Smith and the “catholic” issue

Abstract

This essay explores Alfred E. Smith's 1928 apologetic address delivered in response to arguments that a Catholic should not be president. This analysis indicates that Smith's speech failed for three reasons: 1) a lack of audience identification, 2) a failure to create an apologetic interface with the charges made, and 3) an over reliance on kategoria as an apologetic means. Smith's failure is useful to further understanding of John F. Kennedy's success in 1960 on the same issue.