Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet
Nov 5, 2026, 6:45 PM ET<a href="https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/joseph-smith?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/joseph-smith?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223">smithsonianassociates.org…</a>
Joseph Smith Jr. became one of 19th-century America's most influential and controversial religious leaders, publishing The Book of Mormon and founding the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He built temples, created a city-state, ran for president, and practiced plural marriage. Historian John G. Turner traces Smith's rise from impoverished farmhand to his mob-killing, showing how he forged a religious tradition that continues to resonate widely.