In this work, Kinney examines how the violent expulsion of the Mormons from Missouri changed the history of America and the West. Illustrations. Maps.

What is Mormonism? A Student’s Introduction is an easy-to-read and informative overview of the religion founded by Joseph Smith in 1830. This short and lively book covers Mormonism’s history, core beliefs, rituals, and devotional practices, as well as the impact on the daily lives of its followers. The book focuses on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Salt Lake City-based church that is the largest and best-known expression of Mormonism, whilst also exploring lesser known churches that claim descent from Smith’s original revelations. Designed for undergraduate religious studies and history students, What is Mormonism? provides a reliable and easily digestible introduction to a steadily growing religion that continues to befuddle even learned observers of American religion and culture.

The Missouri Mormon War in the 1830s created hard feelings and distrust between Mormons and their Missouri neighbors for decades following the armed conflict. Mormons firmly believed they were targets of religious oppression, while Missourians claimed members of the religious group were foreigners who professed a fake religion. The connection of republican values and religious identity has often painted Missourians as non-religious, but religious leaders worked alongside political leaders to oust the Saints from the state. As a result, Mormon theology underwent a radicalization process that resulted in a significant divergence between the Mormon Church and other mainstream Protestant groups by the early 1840s. By the time the Saints built a new city in Nauvoo, Illinois, the Mormon Church was religiously unique and set apart from other denominations in antebellum America.