In Part 38 with historian John Turner we dive into his latest book Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet. In this episode, we focus on Chapter 29, “Cool as a Cucumber,” unpacking the turbulent years of 1843-1844 –arguably the beginning of the end for Joseph Smith. We explore mounting legal pressure, political entanglements, and growing internal dissent with Nauvoo. Along the way, we examine controversial and often difficult topics, including Joseph Smith’s relationship with William Law and his wife, accusations of coercion tied to plural marriage, and an alleged physical altercation involving Watler Bagby. This episode traces how tensions –both inside and outside the church –escalaated rapidly, setting the stage for the final chapter of Joseph Smith’s life. If you’d like to help this project going, please consider donating to supporting this series. Your support makes long-form, in-depth historical discussion like this possible: https://donorbox.org/josephsmith Purchase John Turner’s book here: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300255164/joseph-smith/ We’d also love your feedback: should we move next into a full Brigham Young series (10 episodes) covering Turner’s book “Brigham Young: Pioneer Propeht”? Show notes can be found on the Mormon Stories blog here: https://www.mormonstories.org/traitor-in-the-first-presidency/ Timecodes: 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:03:03 - Poison Ivy incident 00:07:20 - Turning points 00:12:24 - Lawmen going after Joseph 00:20:49 - Joseph is untouchable 00:29:20 - Candidates running 00:38:49 - Religion and politics 00:44:10 - Joseph assaulted Walter Bagby 00:53:24 - Betrayal from the church 00:57:49 - “Anti-Mormon Party” 00:59:40 - “Cool as a Cucumber” 01:22:57 - William and Jane Law 01:32:26 - “Swinging” in 1843 01:36:31 - Labeling William as a traitor 01:41:06 - Wife Swapping 01:55:32 - Interpretation of these events 02:01:22 - Caution against Jackson’s pamphlet 02:07:56 - Final thoughts ___________________ At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals. Our overall mission is to: 1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology 2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis 3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions 🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories Paypal: https://paypal.me/mormonstories Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx6OgmoqJbOVRq-Lv1P7SzA/join Our Platforms: 🌐Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes 🎙️Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories ✳️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404&nd=1 🍎Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mormon-stories-lds/id312094772 🖼️Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormstories 📱TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonstoriespodcast 🎮Discord: https://discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF Contact us: 📧 MormonStories@gmail.com 📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117