The Anti-Mormon Party in Nauvoo

A growing number of men and women in western Illinois were wary of the expansion of the church. This animosity was disorganized, mostly stirred up by editorials in local papers. An election in the summer of 1843 resulted in these critics adopting a more formal organization. In addition to powers afforded civic leaders in Nauvoo in that city's charter, the Latter-day Saints also relied on political strategies to guard against the return of mob violence.