Below is a transcript of our conversation with CMU Emeritus Professor James Hill
David Nicholas:
I'm David Nicholas, and this is Central Focus, a weekly look at research activity and innovative work from Central Michigan University students and faculty. It is the story of the early Mormon church. Following the assassination of founder Joseph Smith, the history tied to Brigham Young, and the formation in Utah of what we know as the modern Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and there was the faction that broke off to pledge allegiance to James Jesse Strang. He claimed to be the divinely chosen successor, and he marched his congregation to Beaver Island. The new book by CMU Emeritus Professor James Hill is called The King Must Die. In the first part of our conversation, Hill, now living in Illinois, joined me on the phone to tell me more…
What were those parameters or protocols, and how was it then that it became the very well-known Brigham Young, and then someone like Strang, who, as you said, was only in with religion for five months?
James Hill:
Generally, the Mormon Church looks to some kind of divine intervention to name the leadership, and Joseph Smith argued that he had that. And when he died, the Brigham Young, who was the long-term and, shall I say, favorite son of the Mormon Church, did not have those divine roots that people were looking for, and Strang argued he did. And not only did he have what was called a letter from Joseph Smith just before he died naming Strang his leader, but Strang also pointed out that angels came to him and he had the revelation that he was to be the leader and claimed he had the divine approval to be leader. And that really divided the Mormon church because even though Brigham Young was the favorite in the establishment choice, it was Strang who argued that I am the only true leader because I have that divine approval. Not all the Mormons went with Brigham Young. I mean, those who did march to Utah. But some who believed that Strang was the prophet, the divinely appointed one, joined him and marched from Illinois to Wisconsin all the way to Beaver Island. And then they slowly grew in numbers until basically the Mormons outnumbered the original inhabitants of Beaver Island. And that's when King Strang crowned himself.
DN:
Did Brigham Young ever crown himself or declare himself to be a king?
JH:
Never. No. No, he did not claim any kind of divine power. Now, he did rule Utah and the Utah Territory with almost absolute power, but he never declared that. Now, later on, after Strang died in 1858, there was what was called the Mormon War, where the federal troops were sent in because they felt that Brigham Young was creating kind of an empire within the United States. But there was never the kingly title that he saw. And I should be clear, too, that the argument is that King Strang never claimed he was king of Beaver Island. He claimed he was king of the Mormon church on Beaver Island, but everybody on Beaver Island were essentially Mormons. And then he assumed and took on all this additional secular power so that for all intent and purpose, he was the king. And he did have himself. He crowned himself. He got a robe and he got a little tin crown, and he had a ceremony and named himself king. But there are those who argue, well, he really wasn't the king because had he declared himself king, he would have been in violation of the U.S. Constitution. So, he was very careful to say, no, I'm just king of the Mormon Church on Beaver Island, but I control you absolutely.
DN:
How much secular authority or how much extension of that power, that rule, did he act upon?
JH:
Oh, it was amazing. I mean, once he assumed power, he began first by taking the land and property away from non-Mormons, they call them Gentiles, the non-Mormon population. He started taxing them. He started, well, he actually required women to wear bloomers because he thought that was important to do. He banned fire water and stopped the whiskey selling because he found that that was something that he wanted to impose upon others. He excommunicated or threw out anyone who opposed him, even the mildest dissent, was some things that he did not believe should be challenged.
DN:
Next time on Central Focus, the rise and fall of the Mormon King on Beaver Island, James Strang.
