Benjamin E. Park received his doctorate in history from Cambridge University and teaches American religious history at Sam Houston State University. His scholarly work has been published by over a dozen academic journals, and his public writing has appeared in Washington Post, Newsweek, Salt Lake Tribune, and other venues. He is the co-editor of Mormon Studies Review, and is completing A Companion to American Religious History with Blackwell-Wiley. His new book, Kingdom of Nauvoo: The Rise and Fall of a Religious Empire on the American Frontier, was published by W.W. Norton/Liveright, and has been reviewed in, among other places, Wall Street Journal and The New Yorker. 00:00 - Intro- Ben shares 11 interesting facts from his book, Kingdom of Nauvoo: The Rise and Fall of a Religious Empire on the American Frontier 02:17 - #1 – Illinois’s political climate in 1840 made them (members of the Church) especially susceptible to political opportunism—as well as political manipulation. 07:57 - #2- Joseph Smith’s first plural sealing likely took place on the eve of the Nauvoo Temple cornerstone dedication. 13:49 - #3- The final few chapters of the Book of Abraham were produced in Nauvoo, and they sparked a big change in Smith’s societal vision. 18:08 - #4- When it came to reasons for opposing Nauvoo and the Mormons, the legal mechanism of “habeas corpus” was the most common complaint. 22:34 - #5- Hyrum Smith was one of polygamy’s greatest foes—until he instantaneously converted to the practice in May 1843. 27:09 - #6- Joseph and Hyrum’s orchestration of the 1843 election proved the turning point in Mormon-Illinois relations. 34:42 - #7- Emma Smith threatened her husband with divorce and publicly challenged in his authority on a number of occasions over polygamy. 43:31 - #8- Joseph Smith was the first American to be killed while running for president. 38:13 - #9- Joseph Smith told William Clayton to burn the Council of Fifty’s minutes, because he knew that their contents could be scandalous. 46:44 - #10- Both Mormons and non-Mormons proposed that the federal government create a Mormon-only “reservation” on the frontier. 49:33 - #11- Brigham Young was forced to speed up the exodus out of Nauvoo when they learned the federal government might stand in their way 54:57 - Ending questions Ben’s Website