Asked by Makayla

Why were Joseph Smith and his followers unable to settle in Ohio, Illinois, or Missouri?

They were driven out by the residents of those states.
They did not have enough followers to build a settlement.
They did not have the skills to create a thriving settlement.
The Book of Mormon forbade permanent settlements.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
They were driven out by hostile residents and government actions.

Briefly: the early Saints did establish thriving settlements (Kirtland, Missouri communities, and especially Nauvoo), but faced intense local opposition — mobs, legal persecution, and in Missouri the 1838 “Extermination Order” by Gov. Lilburn Boggs — which forced them to leave. Their numbers and skills were sufficient to build communities, and nothing in the Book of Mormon forbids permanent settlements.