"The Kingdom of Nauvoo" by Benjamin E. Park

Above: "The Kingdom of Nauvoo." - Benjamin E. Park - 279 Pages.

Most people know about Brigham Young, Smith's able, pragmatic, successor, and the well organized Mormon crossing of the American plains he orchestrated. But, that trek would have been impossible without a people hardened in the crucible of Joseph Smith's remarkable city of Nauvoo. Park's book is a needed, well told story about American exceptionalism and an exceptional American. Read it.

I completed reading this book today.

I'm gonna cheat this time... herewith is the Amazon review, on which I couldn't improve. I'll add a couple of comments at the end (whoops...turned out to be more than a couple of comments).

AMAZON
Compared to the Puritans, Mormons have rarely gotten their due, treated as fringe cultists at best or marginalized as polygamists unworthy of serious examination at worst. In Kingdom of Nauvoo, the historian Benjamin E. Park excavates the brief life of a lost Mormon city, and in the process demonstrates that the Mormons are, in fact, essential to understanding American history writ large.
Drawing on newly available sources from the LDS Church―sources that had been kept unseen in Church archives for 150 years―Park recreates one of the most dramatic episodes of the 19th century frontier. Founded in Western Illinois in 1839 by the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith and his followers, Nauvoo initially served as a haven from mob attacks the Mormons had endured in neighboring Missouri, where, in one incident, seventeen men, women, and children were massacred, and where the governor declared that all Mormons should be exterminated. In the relative safety of Nauvoo, situated on a hill and protected on three sides by the Mississippi River, the industrious Mormons quickly built a religious empire; at its peak, the city surpassed Chicago in population, with more than 12,000 inhabitants.

The Mormons founded their own army, with Smith as its general; established their own courts; and went so far as to write their own constitution, in which they declared that there could be no separation of church and state, and that the world was to be ruled by Mormon priests.

This experiment in religious utopia, however, began to unravel when gentiles in the countryside around Nauvoo heard rumors of a new Mormon marital practice. More than any previous work, Kingdom of Nauvoo pieces together the haphazard and surprising emergence of Mormon polygamy, and reveals that most Mormons were not participants themselves, though they too heard the rumors, which said that Joseph Smith and other married Church officials had been “sealed” to multiple women. Evidence of polygamy soon became undeniable, and non-Mormons reacted with horror, as did many Mormons―including Joseph Smith’s first wife, Emma Smith, a strong-willed woman who resisted the strictures of her deeply patriarchal community and attempted to save her Church, and family, even when it meant opposing her husband and prophet.

A raucous, violent, character-driven story, Kingdom of Nauvoo raises many of the central questions of American history, and even serves as a parable for the American present. How far does religious freedom extend? Can religious and other minority groups survive in a democracy where the majority dictates the law of the land? The Mormons of Nauvoo, who initially believed in the promise of American democracy, would become its strongest critics. Throughout his absorbing chronicle, Park shows the many ways in which the Mormons were representative of their era, and in doing so elevates nineteenth century Mormon history into the American mainstream.
35 black-and-white illustrations."

Bishop's notes:
I grew up hearing sanitized versions of Nauvoo history in Sunday School. Polygamy, of course, was deemphasized in those lessons. My attitude as a youngster, when I learned about polygamy, was one of shock. Even in the Mormon cultural milieu where I was raised, polygamy was as anathema to me as it was to mainstream American culture.

It is astounding that, today, acceptable lifestyle choices are more outre than polygamy was, as practiced by the Mormons of yore. Irrespective of whether polygamy was conceived as a result of the randy inclinations of a super charismatic religious leader with inexplicable, mesmerizing power over his adherents, or, whether, in fact, the practice was conceived in righteous purpose, polygamy, at least as practiced by the post Joseph Smith, Utah, Mormons, emphasized family integrity and responsible child rearing.

Good people... William Law, Church First Counselor to Joseph Smith and his wife, Emma, wife of the prophet Joseph Smith, and many others were aghast on hearing the rumors wafting through 1843 Nauvoo, that their beloved Prophet was surreptitiously taking plural wives. It was almost as though Joseph Smith had a death wish as he persisted in the practice of polygamy despite the rising sense of indignation of many of his otherwise loyal followers. Many of Smith's most staunch adherents would desert him as a result of polygamy. Some even cooperated to insure his undoing. Most of these "polygamy deniers" (Law, et al.) are cast as faithless traitors to the Mormon cause in modern Mormon lore about Nauvoo. But, its easy to have sympathy, trying to put yourself back into those times, for those who risked challenging Joseph Smith on his practice and advocacy of the controversial practice of polygamy.

You would think that after getting expelled from Missouri in 1839, Joseph Smith and his followers would realize how lucky they were to be embraced by the tolerant people of Illinois. Illinois, sympathetic to the Mormon's plight as refugees, welcomed them with open arms.

But, Joseph Smith was not content to settle down in the quiet Illinois back country and live peacefully in concert with his neighbors... neighbors who lived in a in a conventional American value system where there was a marked separation between church and state. Joseph Smith had lofty aspirations, and work to do. Almost immediately after arrival in Nauvoo, Joseph Smith pursued Federal redress for the losses suffered during the Missouri persecution. And, he was building a kingdom, the antithesis of "church and state separation"...a theocratic kingdom he expected the entire world to embrace. The quiet life? Blending in? Not for Joseph Smith.

Shooting for the moon as he petitioned the State of Illinois, Joseph Smith was able to obtain an incredibly Mormon friendly charter for his new city, Nauvoo, located on a bend in the Mississippi River, in central Illinois. Among other unique empowerments, the charter, issued by the Illinois legislature, permitted Smith to raise his own militia. After all, here was a people that was laid bare to the Missouri ruffians without sufficient protection from the state of Missouri or the federal government. The Mormons needed, so agreed the sympathetic Illinoisians, to be able to protect themselves.

Speaking of the Nauvoo militia, there are some interesting descriptions in the book about the Mormon militia ceremonial pomp and circumstance...new information, at least for me. Joseph Smith, a Lt. General, riding a white charger, wearing gold braided, blue jacket with epaulets, must have cut quite a figure as he led his troops, accompanied by a marching band, from the town to the temple construction on the hill.

Joseph Smith didn't always do a good job performing due diligence on those he brought into his inner circle. For example, the rise and fall of Mormon convert, John C. Bennett, well known outside of Nauvoo as a con man, is chronicled in Park's book. Bennett, a Springfield, Illinois physician, rose to become a major general in the Mormon militia and Mayor of Nauvoo. Bennett was banished from the Church when it was revealed that he had had multiple sexual liaisons with Nauvoo women by persuading (conning?) them that he was following the Prophet's commandments on plural marriage. No Bennett "marriages" were ever "authorized" or documented. Bennett's sexual forays were purely opportunistic... not necessarily to put Joseph Smith's "authorized" liaisons in a good light. Bennett became a prominent anti-Mormon writer and agitator after his ouster.

Over the course of four short years in Nauvoo, Smith's accomplishments were astounding in scope, and in number of initiatives. To wit:

Smith sent missionaries, many of whom were his closest associates, Brigham Young, for one, to Europe. These early Mormon missionaries brought back thousands of European (mainly English) converts to Nauvoo. The missionaries sent by Joseph Smith from Nauvoo to Europe represent the cornerstone of Mormondom's renowned missionary effort today.

In Nauvoo, Smith developed governance ideas that blurred the roles of Church and State... a theocracy. And, Joseph Smith expected Federal protection for his social experimentation.

Smith became a Mason. He adapted rituals and rites from Free Masonry and applied them to the Mormon ordinances that were to be performed in the magnificent temple under construction on a prominent Nauvoo hill overlooking the Mississippi River.

Smith formed the Relief Society, a women's organization headed by his wife Emma. Some believe empowering Emma in this way was a sop to get her to back off on her opposition to polygamy. In point of fact, Emma never wavered in her opposition to polygamy. Notwithstanding, Emma turned the Relief Society into a highly influential force in governance of the Church. Emma's legacy of creating a strong, active, and influential Mormon women's organization carried forward to the Utah church despite her decision to break ties with Brigham Young.

Smith purchased an Egyptian mummy with attendant scrolls. He translated the scrolls to reveal a canonical work called the Book of Abraham. The Book of Abraham introduced such "radical, far fetched" notions as the existence of multiple, inhabited worlds, and man's potential to become gods in charge of those worlds. Joseph Smith's translation of the Book of Abraham taught that God was once a man.

Sensing the onset of a "Missouri deja vu" dissonance with his Illinois neighbors, and failing to get Washington's attention in his requests for greater Federal support for Missouri redress and his theocratic government social experimentation schemes, Joseph Smith sought out an alliance with Sam Houston in, then "independent" Texas. He talked to the Feds about buying a three hundred square mile plot of land in Iowa territory, where newly emerging theocracy, kingdom of God, would not be bothered again by the likes of the detested Missouri ruffians. Neither of these initiatives bore fruit.

What did Joseph Smith do on failing to get support from the Feds and failing to hatch a Texas solution? Of course! He announced his candidacy for President of the United States in the 1844 election! Park mines newly opened Church archives to provide an interesting account of Joseph's presidential run. Mainstream American interests didn't take the campaign seriously, but, I was surprised to read about how much was written about Joseph Smith and the Mormons in the Eastern press. Establishment media focused a lot on the Mormons and the Nauvoo experiment. Considering the country's level of awareness of Nauvoo, Joseph Smith's run for the presidency seems no less credible than the candidacies of a multiplicity of candidates who have entered the primary races of either major party in the last twenty years. Joseph Smith's run at the presidency would, of course, be cut short by his martyrdom in June of 1844.

Joseph Smith's new, radical doctrines and his theocratic reforms made his Illinois neighbors extremely nervous. But, the emergence of rumors about Mormons practicing polygamy was the straw that broke the camel's back. The once tolerant Illinoisians had had enough. A mob, with state officials standing blithely by, murdered, a then imprisoned, Joseph Smith, in Carthage, Illinois on 27 June 1844. The four year old Nauvoo social experiment had effectively come to an end. A year and a half later, under the direction of Joseph Smith's successor, Brigham Young, the Mormons began their storied trek west, to arrive in the valley of the Great Salt Lake, 24 July 1847.

Lest the devout think this book is another anti Mormon hit piece, Park, a non Mormon historian, was given unprecedented access to Church archives. Vaunted LDS historian Richard Bushman (My LDS Bishop in Cambridge, Massachusetts when I was at Harvard Business School in 1970) has a blurb on the book's fly leaf. Bushman's recognition of "Kingdom of Nauvoo" boosts the book's credibility as a welcome insight into an important, but oft, and surprisingly, until now, neglected, part of American history.

Nauvoo was a big deal. Once, it was the largest city in Illinois. What was it about Joseph Smith that caused so many adherents to flock to his teachings and to revel in his audacity as he revealed new, revolutionary, expansive, theological doctrines to layer on top of traditional Christian dogma? He must have known his Christian exceptionalism and revolutionary, theocratic aspirations would offend his neighbors. And, yet he persisted... on top of which, polygamy! A death wish, for sure! And, for the devout... maybe for good reason. Joseph Smith's death was not the first time martyrdom had galvanized a movement.

Look at Mormonism today. It appears to be firing on twelve cylinders, like a late model Rolls Royce saloon... in a world where religion is increasingly marginalized by a dour, skeptical, self doubting secular world. A unique audacity, an extraordinary vision, and a personal appeal that attracted thousands to follow Joseph Smith has led to a highly successful, worldwide, religious movement. At the very least, there is something to be learned from this book about the melding of idealism, iconoclasm and audacity... or maybe divine revelation?...to galvanize a robust, lasting crusade.

Reading this book, I developed a deeper and broadened perspective of Joseph Smith. I gained new insights that strongly buttress the idea of Smith's exceptionalism. He was a unique individual... an audacious, visionary, iconoclast... a once in a million individual (a Prophet?), who, when one comes along, single handedly changes the course of history.
Most people know about Brigham Young, Smith's able, pragmatic, successor, and the well organized Mormon crossing of the American plains he orchestrated. But, that trek would have been impossible without a people hardened in the crucible of Joseph Smith's remarkable city of Nauvoo. Park's book is a needed, well told story about American exceptionalism and an exceptional American. Read it.