This is Amy Wagenaar from the Historical Society of Michigan with a Michigan History moment. The United States was founded as a republic after casting off the British crown during the American Revolution. That, however, did not stop one man, James Jesse Strang, from forming his own kingdom on Michigan's Beaver Island. James Strang was a follower of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormons, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Strang was ordained as a church elder in 1844 and struck out to lead a community of Latter Day Saints in Voree, Wisconsin. After Smith's murder in Illinois, Strang competed for leadership with others in the Latter Day Saints movement, including Brigham Young. Strang bolstered his claims by arguing that Smith had appointed him his successor just days before his death. He declared, too, that angels had appeared to him at the moment of Smith's murder to announce his new leadership role. Although Strang never gained control of the Latter Day Saints movement, he did have a growing following in Wisconsin. In 1848, high land prices and internal dissent induced Strang to lead his followers from Voree to Beaver Island in northern Lake Michigan. Once there, Strang developed his own theology, setting his movement apart from more mainstream ideas. In the Latter Day Saints movement. In 1850, he declared himself king of the spiritual realm of his followers, being careful not to label himself king of Beaver Island itself. His proclamation, however, did not sit well with the Federal Government. In 1851, the steamer USS Michigan arrived with a district attorney on board who arrested Strang, transported him to Detroit, and tried him for treason. Strang, who had been a lawyer, defended himself successfully, and his affable demeanor allayed fears about his Mormon kingdom. In 1853, he even won a seat in the Michigan House of Representatives. He maintained his authority on Beaver Island, where he called for public whippings and attempted to enforce autocratic rule. In 1856, Thomas Bedford and Alexander Wentworth, two men who had been on the receiving end of those treatments, murdered Strang. Immediately after Strang's death, other Beaver Island residents routed the 2,600 Mormons from the island, many of them integrated with other Mormon groups in the United States. Today, at least 300 Mormons still adhere to Strang's teachings, believing that he was the true successor to Joseph Smith. This Michigan history moment was brought to you by michiganhistorymagazine.org.