American Crucifixion The Murder of Joseph Smith and the Fate of the Mormon Church

by Beam, Alex

• ISBN13: 9781610395465
• ISBN10: 1610395468
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2015-06-09
• Publisher: PublicAffairs
• More Book Details

Summary

A gripping account of the mob killing of Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism

“American Crucifixion paints a brilliant picture of religious experimentation, public intolerance, and the making of a martyr.”—Chicago Tribune

On June 27, 1844, in the dusty frontier town of Carthage, Illinois, Joseph Smith and three of his associates waited anxiously in a jail cell. The dynamic founding prophet of Mormonism no longer had a congregation to preach to: Now the mob outside his window carried muskets and cartridge belts. All that stood between Smith and this murderous crowd was a thin wooden door.

In American Crucifixion, Alex Beam tells how Smith went from charismatic leader to public enemy: how his most seismic revelation—the doctrine of polygamy—created a rift among his people; how that schism turned to violence; and how, ultimately, Smith could not escape the consequences of his ambition and pride.

Mormonism is America’s largest and most enduring native religion, and the “martyrdom” of Joseph Smith is one of its transformational events. Smith’s brutal assassination propelled the Mormons to colonize the American West and claim their place in the mainstream of American history. American Crucifixion is a gripping story of scandal and violence, with deep roots in our national identity.
 

Author Biography

Alex Beam is a columnist for the Boston Globe and for the International Herald Tribune. He is the author of two works of nonfiction, Gracefully Insane and A Great Idea at the Time, both New York Times Notable Books. He has also written for the Atlantic Monthly, Slate, and Forbes/FYI. He lives in Newton, Massachusetts with his wife and three sons.