Episode 29: Joseph Smith’s 1843 Trial

An assassination attempt on former Missouri governor Lilburn W. Boggs leads to Joseph Smith’s arrest. John C. Bennett, the first mayor of Nauvoo and a member of the First Presidency, is excommunicated for immoral conduct. Joseph is taken to Springfield, Illinois, for trial. His appearance fascinates its citizens, including Mary Todd Lincoln. Historian Alex Smith with the Joseph Smith Papers brings background to these events.

Additional Resources

Chapters Discussed in This Episode:

• Chapter 38: A Traitor or a True Man

• Chapter 39: The Seventh Trouble

Associated Church History Topics:

• American Legal and Political Institutions

• Baptism for the Dead

• Church Discipline

• Daily Life of First-Generation Latter-day Saints

• Emma Hale Smith

• Female Relief Society of Nauvoo

• Missouri Extradition Attempts

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