The book traces the evolution of Mormonism from the early nineteenth century in western New York through successive migrations to Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, and finally the Utah territory. The author investigates the claims surrounding the discovery of golden plates, the composition of the Book of Mormon, and the early financial and religious enterprises of Joseph Smith.
Particular attention is given to the internal dissensions, political ambitions, and economic experiments that characterized the early settlements. The narrative details the friction with non-Mormon neighbors in Missouri and Illinois, culminating in the arrest and murder of Joseph Smith at Carthage, and the subsequent succession struggle that led to Brigham Young assuming leadership.
The work documents the massive overland migration across the plains to the Salt Lake Valley and the establishment of a centralized theocracy under Young's autocratic control. It explores the social and political structure of the Utah territory, including the controversies surrounding federal officers, the Mountain Meadows Massacre, and the early conflicts with the United States government.
The volume addresses the institution and practice of polygamy, detailing its introduction in Nauvoo, its social aspects in Utah, and the prolonged legislative struggle by the federal government to suppress the practice. The narrative concludes with an examination of the statehood of Utah and the status of the church at the turn of the twentieth century, providing a comprehensive historical examination of the movement without theological apologetics.
