THE NON-RESISTANT, Boston, Aug. 25, 1841  

* Nauvoo, Illinois 4th of July celebration
* Joseph Smith & the Mormons - Mormonism
* Rare Anti Slavery publication - slaves
* New England Non-Resistance Society
* About 20 years prior to the Civil War

This is a quite uncommon anti-slavery newspaper with an interesting history.
The New England Non-Resistance Society was an American peace group founded by William Lloyd Garrison (publisher of the famous 'Liberator' newspaper) in 1838. At the organizing convention, members of the American Anti-Slavery Society & the American Peace Society expressed discomfort with Garrison's philosophy 'of non-resistance & inclusion of women in public political activities. After conservative attendees opposing Garrison walked out of the convention in protest, those remaining formed the 'New England Non-Resistance Society'.
The Society condemned the use of force in resisting evil, in war, for the death penalty, or in self-defense, renounced allegiance to human government, and because of the anti-slavery cause, favored non-union with the American South. It pledged themselves to deny the validity of social distinctions based on race, nationality or gender", refusing obedience to human governments, and opposing even individual acts of self-defense.
And the back page has a very interesting, half-column article headed: "The Mormons". This Mormon 4th of July celebration in Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1841 was one of the city's first major public events after the organization of the Nauvoo Legion and the incorporation of Nauvoo. Thousands of residents and visitors attended a grand parade, military review, speeches, music, and artillery salutes. Joseph Smith, serving as lieutenant general of the Legion, inspected the troops and delivered a patriotic address expressing loyalty to the United States and devotion to the Constitution.
The celebration was both patriotic and political. Mormon leaders hoped to demonstrate that the Saints were loyal American citizens despite having been driven from Missouri by persecution only a few years earlier. While supporters viewed the event as a powerful statement of patriotism and civic pride, critics saw the impressive military display as evidence of Nauvoo's growing influence. As a result, the 1841 Fourth of July celebration became a symbol of both Mormon loyalty to American ideals and the increasing tensions between the people of Nauvoo and their opponents in Illinois.
Four pages, 17 by 11 3/4 inches, very nice condition.

Background: The 1841 Independence Day celebration in Nauvoo was a critical turning point for the Latter-day Saints, serving as a high-stakes public demonstration of both their intense patriotism and their rapidly expanding regional power. Having been violently expelled from Missouri under an executive extermination order just a few years prior, Mormon leadership strategically used the grand parade and military reviews to project an image of unyielding loyalty to the U.S. Constitution and to reframe themselves as model American citizens. However, this massive display of civic pride backfired among their non-Mormon neighbors; rather than being reassured by the patriotism, critics viewed the disciplined, thousands-strong Nauvoo Legion and the city’s growing political cohesion as an existential threat. Consequently, the event perfectly encapsulated the tragic paradox of the Nauvoo period, where the Saints' aggressive efforts to secure their own religious freedom and physical protection through legal incorporation and militia power ultimately fueled the deep-seated fears and political anxieties that escalated into open conflict and the eventual martyrdom of Joseph Smith.