Item Detail
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28103
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0
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4
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English
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Messaging the Public : Joseph Smith, Willard Richards, W. W. Phelps and the Boston Bee
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John Whitmer Historical Association
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Spring/Summer 2017
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37
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1
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Independence, MO
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John Whitmer Historical Association
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147-156
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Jeffery O. Johnson examines the "Viator" letters written by leaders of the church in Nauvoo to the Boston Bee newspaper. These letters, thought to be written by Willard Richards and W.W. Phelps, were an opportunity for the leaders to shape public opinion about the church. They helped to portray Joseph Smith as warm, friendly, and childlike. The church was portrayed as welcoming to outsiders, committed to continued revelation along with Christian principles and education.