1842 (
Part 2):
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June 30th: A day of mourning in Nauvoo is declared by Joseph Smith. The citizens are at a loss as to how the city's Legion didn't intervene sooner.
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July 1st: The Wasp publishes a report stating that Mayor John C. Bennett was hungover at the time of the raid, thus delaying the response to the attackers. The Saints are outraged by Bennett's ineptitude.
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July 2nd: The Nauvoo City Council votes unanimously to remove Bennett from the office of Mayor. That evening, Bennett hangs himself. In his suicide note he claims responsibility for the deaths of his citizens.
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July 3rd: Joseph Smith is elected Acting Mayor of Nauvoo.
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July 7th: Word of the June attack on Nauvoo has begun to reach the rest of the country. The massacre provokes an outcry in the North, with papers in Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and New York denouncing the attacks as cowardly and un-Christian. Missouri and several of the Southern states remain ambivalent. Sympathy for the Saints increases across the nation.
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July 14th: A delegation from Nauvoo arrives in Springfield to petition Governor Carlin for the extradition or punishment of the June marauders. Carlin says that his hands are tied, as he has no way of knowing who committed the attacks and doesn't want to risk a potential border war with Missouri.
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July 18th: The delegation returns to Nauvoo and informs Joseph Smith of Carlin's decision. Smith enters the partially-built Nauvoo Temple and prays for eight hours.
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July 19th: In what would come to known as the "Country of Zion" speech, Joseph Smith makes 2 announcements. First, he has received revelation that the consumption of hard liquors is now totally proscribed, as it causes nothing but tragedy and destruction upon its abusers. Many interpret this doctrine in light of John C. Bennett's alcoholism. Second, he has decided in order to protect the livelihoods and rights of the Saints, he must run for federal office:
"After much prayer and reflection upon the subject, I find it is my duty to my Heavenly Father and to you, his Saints, to ensure we have a voice in the government of this land. If we are to build God's Kingdom on earth, we must do it with what tools we're given. The ballot box will be our way to ensure our survival and to make our land the true "Country of Zion." I today announce that I shall run for the House of Representatives, and shall vacate the office of Mayor as is expedient and timely.
- Joseph Smith
- July 22nd: Joseph Smith files for candidacy in the US House of Representatives race in his Illinois district. There is some criticism from local Democrats and Whigs, fearing Smith's demographic advantage over their respective candidates.
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August 7th: In spite of minimal campaigning outside Nauvoo and its environs, Joseph Smith wins a seat in the US House with a plurality of the votes. Nearly all of these are Mormons from Nauvoo, although they are joined by several sympathetic voters.
The Wasp declares Smith's victory an excellent opportunity for redressing Nauvoo's grievances and ensuring the city's safety. Meanwhile in the other House districts, Democrats make significant gains.
The Illinois congressional delegation now stands at
Democrats - 5, Whigs - 1, and Independent - 1.
- August 10th: Smith receives word of his victory. There are triumphant celebrations in Nauvoo, with much oratory by Smith. A new Mayor of Nauvoo, Chancy Robison, is elected by popular acclaim.
- August 14th: Smith's victory makes headlines across the US. Papers in Missouri decry him as a snake-oil peddler and wannabe theocrat, while Northern papers are cautiously supportive, interested in what his tenure will be like.
- September 16th: The Nauvoo Temple is now half-complete.
- October 30th: The first sabbath meeting in the Nauvoo Temple is held.