An excerpt from an interview with our own Benjamin Park, Assistant Professor of History at Sam Houston State University, whose book on politics and polygamy in Joseph Smith’s Nauvoo is soon to be published with Liveright/Norton. Park received his PhD in History from Cambridge University in 2014. He is also co-editor of the Mormon Studies Review. For the full interview, head over to Kurt Manwaring’s site, From the Desk.

What surprised you during your research for Kingdom of Nauvoo?

The LDS Church is now known for its consistency and institutional stability, so it was shocking to see how much of the early church was evolving and reactionary. So much of the institution and its leaders could change when circumstances shifted, making the period both volatile and hard to predict.

Joseph Smith and many of those close to him often felt like they were on the brink of collapse, and that worry forced them to make decisions that might appear rash but make more sense when their primary motivation was survival.

I was also amazed at how much Nauvoo’s story intersected with broader themes in America at the time, as the city was a flashpoint for most of the “hot topics” then animating political and cultural discussions.

What role did polygamy play in the fall of Nauvoo?

There had been vehement external opposition to Nauvoo since its early years, as Illinois residents in nearby towns felt that Nauvoo was corrupting the democratic process through their practice of bloc voting.

Yet that external opposition never gained enough steam until there was also internal dissent within Nauvoo itself.

Throughout Joseph Smith’s final year, word concerning polygamy began to spread, and some of his previously most loyal followers, including a handful in leadership positions, jumped ship and formed a formal opposition.

That spring, 1844, they threatened to expose the polygamy project, which would only add fuel to the external fire.