Historedia
AmericasEvent

Mob destroys Latter-day Saints printing office in Jackson County

When
1833
Where
Printing office of The Evening and the Morning Star
Episodes
1

In July 1833, a mob destroyed the Latter-day Saints' printing office in Independence, Missouri. The attack followed the publication of a controversial newspaper article regarding slavery and race. This event occurred amidst escalating tensions between Mormon residents and non-Mormon vigilantes in Jackson County, contributing to the eventual expulsion of the community from the area.

Episodes

  1. July 20, 1833 · Printing office of The Evening and the Morning StarMob Destroys Printing Office

    A mob destroyed the Latter-day Saints' printing office in Independence, Missouri, on July 20, 1833, in response to a controversial newspaper article.

Background and detail

Background. Latter-day Saints established a community in Jackson County, Missouri, in 1831, viewing it as a gathering place for the city of Zion. By 1833, approximately 1,200 Mormons had settled in the county, comprising a significant portion of the population. Tensions mounted between Mormon residents and non-Mormon vigilantes, particularly after the publication of a controversial issue of the local Mormon newspaper in July 1833.

The Destruction. The printing office of The Evening and the Morning Star was destroyed by a mob on July 20, 1833. The mob responded to an article published in the newspaper concerning U.S. and Missouri laws regarding slavery, African-Americans, and mixed-raced Americans. This act of violence was part of the broader conflict that led to the forced displacement of Mormons from Jackson County.

Aftermath. Following the destruction, Mormon leaders filed lawsuits against the perpetrators. However, non-Mormons in Jackson County refused to allow the Mormons to return to their lands or reimburse confiscated and damaged property. The vigilantes extracted an agreement for half of the Mormons to leave by January 1, 1834, and the rest by April 1, marking the beginning of their expulsion.

Sources

  1. Expulsion of Mormons from Jackson County, Missouri Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-24
  2. The Evening and the Morning Star Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-04
  3. Independence, Missouri Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-22

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.