Loading...
39th out of 152 books
—
139 voters
My rating:
add to my books
Carthage Conspiracy: The Trial of the Accused Assassins of Joseph Smith
Paperback, 272 pages
Published
May 1st 1979
by University of Illinois Press
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
254)
This book was interesting. It describes the day-to-day mechanics of the trial of the men who were for the murder of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, gives the history of the major players in trial, and places it all in its historical political context. The daily maneuverings and motions of the trial are interesting to a lawyer, perhaps less so to the casual reader, but the narrative doesn't bog down in legal minutia to the point of being unreadable.
The major themes of the book are rule of law...more
The major themes of the book are rule of law...more
Michael Adamson
rated it
Recommends it for:
LDS History/Conspiracy buffs
Recommended to Michael by:
Self
This is a very detailed book and in small print at that. Elder Oaks does a great job in explaining this so called trial. It clearly shows that Joseph Smith was brought up on so many false charges and accusations even prior to this event.
He also shows how many individual rights the prophet was denied in his trial. Very detailed and is a lot of reading, but worth the time and effort.
He also shows how many individual rights the prophet was denied in his trial. Very detailed and is a lot of reading, but worth the time and effort.
view 1 comment
This was a fascinating book. I remember my dad reading it in preparation for a talk several years ago. I didn't remember much of what he said about it, but I certainly did remember the awful color of the book cover!
As far as the content goes, I have to disagree with many of the reviews I read. I found the portrayal of the legal maneuvering during the trial to be really interesting. The changes in our legal system since that time would render much of the posturing and strategy see...more
As far as the content goes, I have to disagree with many of the reviews I read. I found the portrayal of the legal maneuvering during the trial to be really interesting. The changes in our legal system since that time would render much of the posturing and strategy see...more
It was interesting to see how heated the environment was after Joseph Smith's death. His enemies felt perfectly justified in essentially executing him.
I thought Oaks did a great job of providing the historical background. Most of Mormon history in Nauvoo pretty much ends with Joseph Smith, and the Mormon Exodus. It was nice to find out what else was going on in addition to these 2 events. It certainly was a trying time, and the war fervor between Mormon and anti-Mormons was quite...more
I thought Oaks did a great job of providing the historical background. Most of Mormon history in Nauvoo pretty much ends with Joseph Smith, and the Mormon Exodus. It was nice to find out what else was going on in addition to these 2 events. It certainly was a trying time, and the war fervor between Mormon and anti-Mormons was quite...more
This book is written as a look at our jury system of law, using the trial of the accused murders of Joseph Smith. It is a great book with an insight into the legal system I had not previously understood. It also tells a story seldom told. About what happened in Nauvoo and the surrounding areas directly after the Martyrdom of Joseph Smith. It is riveting.
Despite the clear title, Carthage Conspiracy: The Trial of the Accused Assassins of Joseph Smith, I was expecting something different. I guess I was expecting a biography of the people involved, and maybe some reflection about the ultimate fate of the church, the Smith family, etc. But what I got was just what the title suggests - the trial. First the effort to identify the people responsible. Then all about the legal system of Hancock county Illinois at the time, and the political and social ma...more
Oaks and Hill did a spectacular job in publishing this book. It is arguably one of the best books on Mormon History available, particularly from a historical or law perspective. Very interesting reading in relation to the events leading up to and after the death of Joseph Smith. Essential for any budding Mormon historians.
Oaks, a former judge, re-constructs the legal case for the murders of Joseph and Hyrum. Justice on the frontier was not what it is today, and no one was convicted for these murders.
He and his co-authors examined the transcripts and records to re-create the trials. Very informative.
He and his co-authors examined the transcripts and records to re-create the trials. Very informative.
This is probably the most authoritative book out there on the trial of Joseph Smith's assassins. It was a bit dry, but it definitely opened my eyes to what was going on in Illinois during that time period.
Very interesting! It was fun to read about the trial of the murderers of Joseph Smith. It reminds me of Illinois politics and politicians. Oh wait it was in Illinois. Some things never change.
If you're interested in the events following the assassinations of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, and if you're especially interested in the legal-side of things, you'll enjoy this quick-read.
My father in law gave my husband this book a few years ago. It has given such wonderful insight into the oppressors of the early saints. Very interesting read about Church History.
Very interesting look into the trial of those that killed the Prophet Joseph. It is a window into how the justice system worked (or really didn't work) back in the 1840's with considerable detail about juries, witness collection, and lawyer posturing. It was very different from "Law & Order" of our day. The outcome is predictable, yet still tragic. Whether or not you accept Joseph Smith as God's prophet, everyone can agree a mob murder like this is a tragic event and it is a mockery...more
Karl Tenney
added it
A little dry, but a well documented account of this trial. Good for dispelling some faith promoting rumors.
Great insight into the trail of Joseph Smith and how difficult it was to convict those who were certainly guilty.
This was an interesting historical account of the trial for the murderers of Joseph Smith. Elder Oaks put down the facts with no prejudice at all in favor of the mormons; he really just wrote how both sides of the conflict acted. This book was somewhat difficult to read, but I enjoyed learning about this piece of history that I have not studied before.
Excellent rehearsal of the events of both the martyrdom and the resulting trial.
Ernie Dawson
added it
This is a tedious read but has invaluable information not found in any other source.
I really enjoyed this book about the aftermath of the deaths of Joseph and Hyrum Smith.
Written like a lawyers brief. Good subject, not the easiest to read.
I thought this book was fabulous.
A great detailed history of the trial of the martyrdom of Joseph Smith. I was impressed with all the research and info about Nauvoo and the history of the LDS church during the early days of its growth. It was not an easy read with the often tedious intricasies of the trial with early 19th century quotes and culture of the day. However, it was heartbreaking to read how two cultures clashed with how problems were solved in the day with such violence and intolerance. It will be a re-read in th...more
I read most of this library book before I could not renew it again. I was very interested in what I did manage to read. Elder Oaks (before he was put in the Quorum of Twelve Apostles) gives the details of the aftermath and legal trial of the ringleaders of those who murdered Joseph and Hyrum.
This was a very detailed description of the trials for the members of the mob who killed Joseph Smith. It was historically fascinating and really well documented, but straight fact so if you don't like reading history textbooks, this probably is not for you. It was heart-breaking at times to read how the Saints at the time were treated in court.
An LDS law professor cracks open bundles of musty documents written in the 1840's. Pretty dang interesting reading for what is essentially an account of a bunch of trials in the backwoods of the American West.
A bit slow, but absolutely fascinating.
A bit slow, but absolutely fascinating.
Nate Cooley
marked it as to-read
Before Dallin Oaks was an apostle for the Church, he was an instructor and scholar at the University of Chicago Law School. This book details the story of the trial and ulitmate assasination of Joseph Smith.
A well written, fascinating account of the trial of Joseph Smith, and the fate of those involved.....and being written by lawyers, was quite enjoyable reading as well.
Well-researched book on the trial of the assassins of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. It includes a good glimpse of the politics of the time in the area surrounding Nauvoo.
Legal and historical insight into the events surrounding the murder of Joseph Smith, Jr. Current Apostle Dallin H. Oakes (then a law professor) is a co-author.
Excellent book, but seems real audience is those with legal background, which I don't have. Debunks myths of the deaths of those we assassinated Joseph/Hyrum.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers Also Enjoyed
Dallin Harris Oaks is an American attorney, jurist and religious leader. Since 1984, he has been a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He is a former professor of law at the University of Chicago Law School, a former president of Brigham Young University, and a former justice of the Utah Supreme Court. In the 1970s and 1980s,...more
More about Dallin H. Oaks...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
