Basically since the moment the pilgrims landed in the U.S. there have been cults here. From the beginning until now, the U.S. has had its fair share of self-professed messiahs. The week before last we posted an episode about our own personal experiences with cults, and this week, we're starting a tour of American Messiahs from the first to the contemporary. In this one, we're talking history, the pilgrims, the surprising ideology early cults were working with, why early America was such a fertile place to cults, and who The Public Universal Friend is.  CW: religious talk, cult talk, persecution, police  Music provided by Dark Fantasy Studios. [License]