Session One presents the story of the birth of Mormonism in America as presented on the PBS Frontline / American Experience joint series "The Mormons." This program was produced by the federally subsidized Corporation for Public Broadcasting and attempts to take a nuanced look at Mormonism in America and worldwide. It does so in part because at the time of this program's airing (2007) many members of this faith had achieved prominence in politics, government and industry and for the first time one prominent Mormon had become a viable contender for the office of President of the United States. Given this prominence PBS decided to support the development of a Frontline film series to introduce America to the Mormons.

In an effort to be "balanced" in their portrayl of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints the Frontline producers also included footage of people who were critical of the LDS Church as well as of members who had left the church. This of course did not sit well with church leaders in Salt Lake City, Utah. Consequently, the portrayl of Mormons in the Frontline series was not acceptable to church leaders and prompted them to promote their own history of the Mormons in a pair of separate documentaries that will be viewed later in this course.

The Mormons is split into two episodes. This session will explore episode one which portrays the turbulent early history of the Mormon faith, from Joseph Smith's astonishing visions and the creation of The Book of Mormon through the Mormons' contentious and sometimes violent confrontations with their neighbors and the founding and ultimate abandonment of three major religious communities in Ohio, Missouri and Illinois. "The persecution of the Mormons was officially sanctioned by at least two different state governments," says Dallin Oaks, elder of the Mormon Church. Adds Truman Madsen, author and historian. The cycle of violence climaxed in 1844 in Nauvoo, Ill., when Smith was killed by an angry mob. Following Smith's death, Brigham Young led the faithful across the continent to the Great Salt Lake in what would become modern-day Utah, now the seat of the Mormon Church.

Reading: James Talmage (2004) The Story of Mormonism and the Philosophy of Mormonism, p. 4-43; PBS Guide: Joseph Smith; PBS Guide: An American Born Religion; PBS Guide: Polygamy and the Church; PBS Guide: The Great Mormon Migration; PBS Guide: The Path to Statehood; PBS Guide: The Mountain Meadows Massacre; PBS Guide: Anti-Mormonism.

Video:PBS Frontline: The Mormons Part One

Study Questions:

Who was Joseph Smith and how did he present the story of the Book of Mormon? How was Mormonism originially received? What route and through what communities did early Mormons travel and reside on their way to Utah's Great Basin? How does Mormonism differ from other branches of Christianity? What practices within Mormonism were seen as peculair of different? What events transpired at Nauvoo, IL? What events took place at Mountain Meadows, UT? Who succeeded Joseph Smith upon his death as leader of the Mormons? Explain.