The Saints and the State: The Mormon Troubles in Illinois (New Approaches to Midwestern History)

A compelling history of the 1846 Mormon expulsion from Illinois that exemplifies the limits of American democracy and religious tolerance. When members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (known as Mormons) settled in Illinois in 1839, they had been persecuted for their beliefs from Ohio to Missouri. Illinoisans viewed themselves as religiously tolerant egalitarians and initially welcomed the Mormons to their state. However, non-Mormon locals who valued competitive individualism perceived the saints' western Illinois settlement, Nauvoo, as a theocracy with too much political power. Amid escalating tensions in 1844, anti-Mormon vigilantes assassinated church founder Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum. Two years later, the state expelled the saints. Illinois rejected the Mormons not for their religion, but rather for their effort to create a self-governing state in Nauvoo. Mormons put the essential aspirations of American liberal democracy to the test in Illinois. The saints' inward group focus and their decision to live together in Nauvoo highlight the challenges strong group consciousness and attachment pose to democratic governance. The Saints and the State narrates this tragic story as an epic failure of governance and shows how the conflicting demands of fairness to the Mormons and accountability to Illinois's majority became incompatible. "When members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints settled in Illinois in 1839, they had been persecuted for their beliefs from Ohio to Missouri. Illinoisans viewed themselves as religiously tolerant egalitarians and initially welcomed the Mormons to their state. However, non-Mormon locals who valued competitive individualism perceived the Saints' western Illinois settlement, Nauvoo, as a theocracy with too much political power. Amid escalating tensions in 1844, anti-Mormon vigilantes assassinated church founder Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum. Two years later, the state expelled the Saints. Illinois rejected the Mormons not for their religion, but rather for their effort to create a self-governing state in Nauvoo. Mormon people put the essential aspirations of American liberal democracy to the test in Illinois. The Saints' inward, group focus and their decision to live together in Nauvoo highlight the challenges strong group consciousness and attachment pose to democratic governance. The Saints and the State narrates this tragic story as an epic failure of governance and shows how the conflicting demands of fairness to the Mormons and accountability to Illinois's majority became incompatible"-- Provided by publisher Introduction: Settler Illinois as a Developing Democracy -- Illinois in 1839: Land of Worth and Accommodation -- Joseph Smith and the New Politics of Belief -- Saints and Suckers in the Settler State -- Nauvoo Prophecies in the Hancock Status Order -- Performing Citizenship in the House of Power -- Religious Toleration and Political Ideology in the Illinois -- Conclusion: The Lessons of Democratic Story Telling James Simeone's case study uncovers in the 1846 expulsion of Mormons from Illinois an important object lesson for American democracy today, revealing the impossibility of state neutrality in the face of entrenched group beliefs and segregated settlement.