1838 Mormon War - Compromise Breaks Down, 1838

Compromise Breaks Down, 1838

In 1837, problems at the church's headquarters in Kirtland, Ohio, centering around the Kirtland Safety Society bank, led to schism. The church relocated from Kirtland to Far West, which became the new headquarters of the church. Mormon settlement increased as hundreds of members from Kirtland and elsewhere poured into Missouri. Latter Day Saints established new colonies outside of Caldwell County, including Adam-ondi-Ahman in Daviess County and De Witt in Carroll County.

In the eyes of many non-Mormon citizens (including Alexander Doniphan), these settlements outside of Caldwell County were a violation of the compromise. Mormons felt that the compromise only excluded major settlements in Clay County and Ray County, not Daviess County and Carroll County.

The earlier settlers saw expansion of Mormon communities outside of Caldwell County as a political and economic threat. In Daviess County, where Whigs and Democrats had been roughly evenly balanced, Mormon population reached a level where they could determine election results.