One led our country through the Civil War and out of slavery. The other founded a religious movement that is today the nation's fastest-growing Christian denomination. So what could Abraham Lincoln and Joseph Smith possibly have in common? According to Lincoln Leadership Society president Ron Andersen, more than you would think. Besides both being hardworking and hardly educated, Lincoln and Smith also held surprisingly comparable and unpopular views on slavery and the nature of God. But the most striking similarities between the two men are uncovered in historical records in Illinois, where each was living and gaining critical momentum in the 1840s. You'll see new sides to these important historical figures as you discover Smith's stance on the abolition movement or Lincoln's vouch for the Mormon vote. Find out how two young "backwoods" boys crossed paths and led parallel lives before each was martyred for his cause in this exhaustively researched dual biography.

Winner, ISHS Superior Achievement Award, 2016 Although they inhabited different political, social, and cultural arenas, Abraham Lincoln and the pioneer generation of Latter-day Saints, or Mormons, shared the same nineteenth-century world. Bryon C. Andreasen’s Looking for Lincoln in Illinois: Lincoln and Mormon Country relates more than thirty fascinating and surprising stories that show how the lives of Lincoln and the Mormons intersected. This richly illustrated and carefully researched book expands on some of the storyboards found on the Looking for Lincoln Story Trail, from the Mormon capital of Nauvoo to the state capital of Springfield. Created by the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition, this trail consists of wayside exhibits posted in sites of significance to Lincoln’s life and career across fifty-two communities in Illinois. The book’s keyed maps, historic photos, and descriptions of battles, Mormon expeditions, and events at inns, federal buildings, and even Lincoln’s first Illinois log cabin connect the stories to their physical locations. Exploring the intriguing question of whether Lincoln and Mormon founder Joseph Smith ever met, the book reveals that they traveled the same routes and likely stayed at the same inns. The book also includes colorful and engaging looks at key figures such as Brigham Young, various Mormon apostles, and more. Anyone inspired by Lincoln, as well as Mormon and Illinois history enthusiasts, will appreciate this look back at a long-past, but not forgotten, landscape.

Provides historical coverage of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present. Includes information abstracted from over 2,000 journals published worldwide.

"In 1844, Joseph Smith, the controversial founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had amassed a national following of some 25,000 believers-and a militia of some 2,500 men. In this year, his priority was protecting the lives and civil rights of his people. Having failed to win the support of any of the presidential contenders for these efforts, Smith launched his own renegade campaign for the White House, one that would end with his assassination at the hands of an angry mob. Smith ran on a platform that called for the total abolition of slavery, the closure of the country's penitentiaries, the reestablishment of a national bank to stabilize the economy, and most importantly an expansion of protections for religious minorities. Spencer W. McBride tells the story of Smith's quixotic but consequential run for the White House and shows how his calls for religious freedom helped to shape the American political system we know today"--

Best Book Award • Mormon History Association A brilliant young historian excavates the brief life of a lost Mormon city, uncovering a “grand, underappreciated saga in American history” (Wall Street Journal). In Kingdom of Nauvoo, Benjamin E. Park draws on newly available sources to re-create the founding and destruction of the Mormon city of Nauvoo. On the banks of the Mississippi in Illinois, the early Mormons built a religious utopia, establishing their own army and writing their own constitution. For those offenses and others—including the introduction of polygamy, which was bitterly opposed by Emma Smith, the iron-willed first wife of Joseph Smith—the surrounding population violently ejected the Mormons, sending them on their flight to Utah. Throughout his absorbing chronicle, Park shows how the Mormons of Nauvoo were representative of their era, and in doing so elevates Mormon history into the American mainstream.

"Von Drehle has chosen a critical year ('the most eventful year in American history' and the year Lincoln rose to greatness), done his homework, and written a spirited account."N"Publishers Weekly."

In unprecedented detail, this book explores the two toxic flaws that were baked into the original Constitution of 1789-flaws which compelled Joseph Smith, Jr. to run for President in 1844. Standing before the highest leaders of the land, Joseph prophetically warned of the "vexing" tribulations that would visit this nation if they did not make the provisions required to correct these damnable flaws. Inasmuch as Joseph the Prophet was assassinated in the attempt, another "humble instrument in the hands of God" was raised up to complete the work that Joseph would have corrected had he been elected and allowed to tarry. That man was Abraham Lincoln. Foreword written by bestselling author Timothy Ballard. Praise for the book A profound illumination on Joseph Smith's inspirational and dramatic run for President of the United States, filled with the weighty purpose of safeguarding religious liberty. -Timothy Ballard, Founder of Operation Underground Railroad and bestselling author Andersen resurrects the wisdom of two giants of the commendable work for those who desire to sustain and defend religious liberty. -Ryan C. Jenkins, author of The Assassination of Joseph Smith: Innocent Blood on the Banner of Liberty About the author Ron L. Andersen is the founder of the Lincoln Leadership Society, which he founded in 2009. Defenders of Religious Freedom is Andersen's fourth book on the monumental and lasting influence of Joseph Smith and Abraham Lincoln upon the entire world. His previous books are: Abraham Lincoln: God's Humble Instrument (2009) Abraham Lincoln and Joseph Smith: How Two Contemporaries Changed the Face of American History (2014) Ingenious Abe (2016)