Writing, then and now

Dumbing down of language: compare Oliver Cowdery's Letter VII to modern writing.

Culture Explorer

@CultureExploreX

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For most of history, language was trained through books, sermons, letters, and long conversation. People grew up hearing scripture, poetry, speeches, and literature. Their vocabulary expanded because their mental diet demanded it. Now language is trained by algorithms that reward speed and reaction. Short posts have replaced letters. Memes have replaced arguments. People will point to your origin rather than debate your point. Nor can they tolerate a dissenting view. All of it is done on purpose because our leaders want followers and loyalists not those who would ask or challenge. So the language shrinks. And when language shrinks, something deeper shrinks with it. Because a civilization can only think as clearly as the words it still remembers how to use.

One thing you notice when you read pretty much anything written more than 100 years ago is just how impoverished and bland and limited our language has become. People spoke and wrote in a kind of effortlessly rich and descriptive way that almost no one does today. On this site a lot of people write almost exclusively in cliches and internet lingo. A lot of people speak like that too. The language contracts, our conversational vocabulary shrinks more and more over time. And the more limited we become in our language, the more limited we are in our thinking.

It’s not just the classic authors. I mean read any random letter from any random Civil War soldier writing to his mother or wife back home. Even if the spelling was bad, the writing is just kind of evocative and interesting in a way that nobody communicates today. I read one in a book that was like “As I write this I’m sitting on a narrow dusty road in the cool shade of a magnolia tree which blossoms in vibrant hues of pink and white,” or something along those lines. Paraphrasing but the point is that you read it and immediately know it must have been written 150 years ago because nobody would casually write in such a descriptive way today. We don’t paint pictures with words anymore. And I find that really sad.

https://x.com/MattWalshBlog/status/2028938020414484504?s=20

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Excerpt from Letter VII:

You have, no doubt, as well as myself, frequently heard those who do not pretend to an “experimental” belief in the Lord Jesus, say, with those who do, that, (to use a familiar phrase,) “any tune can be played upon the bible:”—What is here meant to be conveyed, I suppose, is, that proof can be adduced from that volume, to support as many different systems as men please to choose: one saying this is the way, and the other, this is the way, while the third says, that it is all false, and that he can “play this tune upon it.” If this is so, alas for our condition: admit this to be the case, and either wicked and designing men have taken from it those plain and easy items, or it never came from Deity, if that Being is perfect and consistent in his ways.

But although I am ready to admit that men, in previous generations, have, with polluted hands and corrupt hearts, taken from the sacred oracles many precious items which were plain of comprehension, for the main purpose of building themselves up in the trifling things of this world, yet, when it is carefully examined, a straight forward consistency will be found, sufficient to check the vicious heart of man and teach him to revere a word so precious, handed down to us from our fathers, teaching us that by faith we can approach the same benevolent Being, and receive for ourselves a sure word of prophecy, which will serve as a light in a dark place, to lead to those   things within the vail, where peace, righteousness and harmony, in one uninterrupted round, feast the inhabitants of those blissful regions in endless day.

Scarce can the reflecting mind be brought to contemplate these scenes, without asking, for whom are they held in reserve, and by whom are they to be enjoyed? Have we an interest there? Do our fathers, who have waded through affliction and adversity, who have been cast out from the society of this world, whose tears have, times without number, watered their furrowed face, while mourning over the corruption of their fellowmen, an inheritance in those mansions? If so, can they without us be made perfect? Will their joy be full till we rest with them? And is their efficacy and virtue sufficient, in the blood of a Savior, who groaned upon Calvary’s summit, to expiate our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness? I trust, that as individuals acquainted with the gospel, through repentance, baptism and keeping the commandments of that same Lord, we shall eventually, be brought to partake in the fulness of that which we now only participate—the full enjoyment of the presence of our Lord. Happy indeed, will be that hour to all the saints, and above all to be desired, (for it never ends) when men will again mingle praise with those who do always behold the face of our Father who is in heaven.

(Messenger and Advocate I.10:155 ¶6–156 ¶2)

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/84

Narratives in red and blue circles

Demonstration of how narratives are created and perpetuated.

For many Latter-day Saints, it is perplexing how our scholars have managed to replace what Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery taught about the origin and setting of the Book of Mormon with their own theories (SITH and M2C).

This demonstration shows how it is done.

https://x.com/DefiantLs/status/2020905540587544990?s=20

Transcript:

Despite what you might be thinking, these two circles are not equal. I repeat: these two circles are NOT EQUAL! One of them is in fact larger than the other one. What I need you to do is to determine which one that is. So, please raise your hand if you believe the blue circle is larger than the red?

Alright. Please raise your hands if you believe the red circle is larger than the blue?

Alright, very good. Now, before I said anything about these two circles, what was your first instinct? Equal, right? Because they look equal.

The reason why they look equal is 'cause in fact they are equal. These two circles are identical. Yet I got just about everyone of you to raise your hand and say that they're not.

So what do we learn? That you can be manipulated like that... that goes against your natural instincts. Just imagine, just imagine as a child you're taught that the blue circle is larger than the red. If you say it enough times, you convince yourself that's the truth. And if enough people were taught that lie, that the blue circle is larger than the red, well now it becomes part of the culture.

And if that culture then passes that misinformation along to the next generation...

(Note: The video cuts off slightly at the end, but based on the context and post caption, it aligns with the idea that repeated lies become cultural "truths.")

"If you're told the lie enough times, it becomes a part of your reality. And if enough people are taught that lie...now it becomes part of the culture."

 

How to correct biased narratives

On this blog we propose adjustments and improvements to historical narratives to make them (i) more accurate, (ii) more transparent, and (iii) less biased. 

This is all in the pursuit of clarity, charity and understanding.

The most obvious examples involve content regarding the origin and setting of the Book of Mormon, including the Gospel Topics Essays, the notes in the Joseph Smith Papers, and the Saints book, volume 1.

All these and other content should be easy to correct, particularly where the errors and bias are obvious, such as the omission of references to Cumorah and the Urim and Thummim. 

Instead of seeking to accommodate (if not promote) SITH* and M2C**, the authors of these materials could simply include the actual historical sources and enable readers to make informed decisions. 

Instead of omitting what Joseph and Oliver taught by emphasizing what their critics said, the materials should focus on and emphasize what Joseph and Oliver taught. 

While it is not feasible to recall printed material, changes to electronic versions is easy and should be done promptly. Most Latter-day Saints, especially non-English speakers, rely on the electronic versions already.

This type of adjustment is common in the secular world.

The Church History Department should follow this example, described in an article in the Wall St. Journal that points out how a scientific manual for judges recently removed inaccurate and biased material regarding climate change.

In December [2025] the Federal Judicial Center, the research and education agency for the federal courts, published its latest edition of the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence. A joint product with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the manual is billed as a resource for judges deciding complex scientific cases.

...

The guide advises judges on how to handle a case of disagreement between scientific experts. Judges should consider, “Is this a case of truly unsettled science?” the guide poses, “Or is it a case of relatively settled science, in which one party has recruited experts who interpret the evidence differently than most of the community?”

In case judges didn’t get the hint, the paragraph concludes this “sometimes occurs as a result of strategic manipulation from stakeholders who stand to be harmed if the public were to understand the true state of scientific consensus” such as in the cases of “tobacco, ozone depletion, and climate change.”

That trio gives the game away: Anyone who disagrees on climate is akin to those who deny that cigarettes cause cancer, A footnote to the section refers readers to “Michael E. Mann, The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back our Planet” and “Naomi Oreskes, The Scientific Consensus on Climate Change.” These are polemical texts.

The manual’s Reference Guide on Climate Science was written by Jessica Wentz and Radley Horton of Columbia University. Ms. Wentz is at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, whose “core mission” is to “develop and promulgate legal techniques to combat the climate crisis and advance climate justice.” She also works with the Environmental Law Institute’s Climate Judiciary Project, which says it helps judges “understand the scientific and technical evidence before them.”

The good news is that this one-sided advocacy caught the attention of House Judiciary Committee members Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) and Darrell Issa (R., Calif.), who wrote to the Judicial Conference of the United States. The “scientific” contributions to the manual “appear to have the underlying goal of predisposing federal judges in favor of plaintiffs alleging injuries from the manufacturing, marketing, use or sale of fossil fuel products,” they wrote. Why are taxpayers funding an exercise in judicial indoctrination?

Twenty-seven state Attorneys General—including from West Virginia, Florida, Idaho, Montana, New Hampshire, Texas and Wyoming—also objected to the manual’s bias and asked that the chapter be withdrawn. Article III of the Constitution “guarantees every litigant . . . the right to an independent and impartial tribunal,” the AGs write.

And, what do you know, on Friday Judge Robin Rosenberg, director of the Federal Judicial Center, wrote to West Virginia Attorney General John McCoskey saying “the climate science chapter” has been omitted from the revised Reference Manual. The letter offered no explanation, but you can guess.

This might be a case of all’s well that ends well, except that someone on the Judicial Center was either asleep or tried to slip ideology into what should be “a dispassionate guide,” to borrow Justice Kagan’s words. A public accounting of how that happened would be useful.

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* SITH = stone-in-the-hat narrative that contradicts what Joseph and Oliver taught about translating the plates by means of the Urim and Thummim that came with the plates

**M2C = the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory that contradicts what Joseph and Oliver taught about the hill Cumorah/Ramah in western New York.

2 sets of plates in BYU Studies

Latter-day Saints around the world are being introduced to the concept of two separate sets of plates, thanks to this article in the latest edition of BYU Studies.

https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/were-nephis-small-plates-contained-in-mormons-gold-plates

The author, Don Bradley, deserves praise for writing a thoughtful piece that may shape thinking about Church history forever.

This scenario adds credibility to Joseph's account of the plates, to the internal consistency in the text, and to the various statements by witnesses, some of whom disagreed about details such as weight, size, and contents.

It resolves the discrepancy between what Joseph Smith and Brigham Young said about the final disposition of the plates and much more.

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This is a useful case study in how historical narratives are created and shared.

There will likely be discussion about the article and its ramifications for a period of time, and then it will be considered obvious. 

It has been obvious to me for about ten years.

The academic process reminds us of the aphorism "All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident."

And the corollary "If it's not getting ridiculed yet, maybe it's not disruptive enough!"

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Readers of my other blogs have long been familiar with the concept that Joseph Smith translated two separate sets of plates. 

I posted the graphic below on August 9, 2017. 

(click to enlarge)

https://www.lettervii.com/p/the-two-sets-of-plates-schematic.html

Actually, I started that blog just over 10 years ago with this post:

https://www.lettervii.com/2015/12/head-of-sidon-in-church-history.html

In 2017 we published Whatever Happened to the Golden Plates? 

Now, in 2026 readers of BYU Studies can catch up.

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Here's an overview of the two sets of plates. While there are undoubtedly multiple working hypotheses about the historical events and their implications, here is the overview from my perspective.

Moroni's stone box contained the set of abridged plates, as indicated on the title page. Joseph took that set of plates to Harmony where he translated them (including the Title Page, which was the last leaf of the plates). 

When they finished the translation, Joseph and Oliver considered starting over at the beginning with the Book of Lehi, which was the part that Martin Harris had lost (the 116 pages), as Joseph explained in the Preface to the 1830 edition.

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/preface-to-book-of-mormon-circa-august-1829/1

Instead, the Lord instructed Joseph not to re-translate that record, but instead 

"you shall translate the engravings which are on the plates of Nephi, down even till you come to the reign of king Benjamin, or until you come to that which you have translated, which you have retained; And behold, you shall publish it as the record of Nephi."

(Doctrine and Covenants 10:41–42)

The key point is that Joseph did not have the plates of Nephi in Harmony. That's why they are not mentioned in the Title Page (even though it was the "last leaf" of the plates), and that's why the Lord had told Oliver, in the previous recorded revelation, that although Oliver was not able to translate,

"I would that ye should continue until you have finished this record, which I have entrusted unto him. And then, behold, other records have I, that I will give unto you power that you may assist to translate"

(Doctrine and Covenants 9:1–2)

These "other records" were the plates of Nephi, although Joseph and Oliver did not learn that until Joseph received D&C 10.

We'll discuss this more in coming posts.

Here is what I posted on the setting blog, which has a somewhat different readership than this blog.

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In coming posts, we'll discuss the article and its implications for M2C and SITH.

Excerpt:

Latter-day Saints have generally visualized the relationship of Mormon’s plates and Nephi’s small plates as two segments of a single record, bound together into one book by a shared set of rings. 

I will argue in this article that this visualization may also be faulty—that Mormon’s plates and Nephi’s small plates were not bound together into a single book but were utilized separately and sequentially by the Prophet Joseph Smith in translating the Book of Mormon. 

Evidence pointing to the model that the small plates and Mormon’s plates were separate records may be found in the Book of Mormon text and in sources from the early history of the Church.

Concluding note by Don:

Thank you so much to my dear sons Donnie and Nicholas Bradley for supporting and inspiring this work and for the love they have given across their lives. I also wish to acknowledge Jack Welch, John Thompson, Alex Criddle, and Jonathan Neville for their suggestions on this paper.

How be it that ye have not written this thing?

People soon forget what is not written down. As Alma taught, "it has hitherto been wisdom in God that these things should be preserved; for behold, they have enlarged the memory of this people." (Alma 37:8)

In some cases, things are forgotten even when they were written down because the old writings are ignored or lost. That seemed to be the case with the Nephites. They had kept a record of Samuel the Lamanite's prophecies but the official record omitted his prophecy about saints arising from the dead.

The Lord made this point to the Nephites, when he asked them, "How be it that ye have not written this thing?" (3 Nephi 23:11)

Samuel had prophesied about 40 years earlier. Mormon inserted the official record of Samuel's prophecies and the associated events at the end of the Book of Helaman (our modern Chapters 13-16 in Helaman, Chapter V in the 1830 edition).

But when Nephi "brought forth the records," Christ noticed that some of Samuel's prophecies were missing from the official record, specifically that many would arise from the dead.

The disciples remembered that Samuel had prophesied about this, and that people did arise from the dead, but that was not found in the official records they gave to Christ.

In other words, Samuel's prophecy had once been known.

Presumably his prophecy about saints rising from the dead had been recorded somewhere, but it was not included in the official records. The knowledge would have been lost to the Saints of that day once those who lived during that time had died with their memories. 

That's why Christ told the disciples to put it in the official records.

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We have a similar situation in our day regarding the origin and setting of the Book of Mormon. Important teachings that were once well known have not been written in the Church materials upon which all modern and non-English speaking Latter-day Saints rely.

In the case of Nephi remembering that this thing had not been written, the omission appears to have been an oversight.

The situation is worse in our day because the omission appears to be deliberate.

Origin (translation). Perhaps the most notorious example is the Gospel Topics Essay on Book of Mormon Translation, which doesn't even quote what Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery taught. Nothing from the Wentworth letter, nothing from the Elders' Journal, and even the excerpt from Joseph Smith-History in the Pearl of Great Price omits the references to the Urim and Thummim.

This omission continues to puzzle Latter-day Saints everywhere.

We all understand that the authors of that essay sought to promote SITH (stone-in-the-hat narrative from Mormonism Unvailed), but that's not a reason to deprive Latter-day Saints of what Joseph and Oliver specifically, formally, and in print taught about the translation.

Promoting SITH is fine, if that's what people want to do, but it is a blatant violation of basic professional standards (not to mention honesty) to omit the most direct, specific accounts because they contradict the modern version of SITH. If they want to say Joseph and Oliver were wrong, or intentionally misled people (as Royal Skousen insists), fine. But say it explicitly instead of misinforming Latter-day Saints by omitting what they taught.

For references, see https://www.mobom.org/translation-references and other materials at that link.

Setting (Cumorah). Latter-day Saints who know Church history are well aware that, in his capacity as Assistant President of the Church, Oliver Cowdery formally declared it is a fact that the Hill Cumorah in New York is the same Hill Cumorah/Ramah described in Mormon 6:6 and Ether 15:11. 

Joseph Smith formally explained that Moroni revealed the name of the hill even before Joseph obtained the plates (D&C 128:20), which is what his mother, Oliver Cowdery, and others also explained.

Many LDS intellectuals nevertheless reject what the prophets have taught because the New York Cumorah does not work with their own theories about the setting of the Book of Mormon, such as M2C (the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory).

It is amazing that this continues, but it is not surprising because so few Latter-day Saints know what the prophets have taught about Cumorah.

This is a modern manifestation of the serious problem discussed in the Book of Mormon.

In our day, few Latter-day Saints know what the prophets have taught about the New York Cumorah/Ramah. 

Shortly before his death, Brigham Young expressed his concern that the truth about Cumorah would be forgotten.

I tell you this as coming not only from Oliver Cowdery, but others who were familiar with it, and who understood it just as well as we understand coming to this meeting, enjoying the day, and by and by we separate and go away, forgetting most of what is said, but remembering some things. So is it with other circumstances in life. I relate this to you, and I want you to understand it. I take this liberty of referring to those things so that they will not be forgotten and lost.

(1877, BY Trying to ¶7 • JD 19:38)

Brigham Young had good reason to be concerned. 

While these accounts were written, and some have been preserved in the Joseph Smith Papers, they are mostly forgotten because they have been omitted from modern media and curriculum. Modern LDS scholars ignore what was taught (except when the M2Cers are repudiating it).

For example, Letters IV and VII were published in 1835 and then republished in all the Church newspapers during Joseph Smith's lifetime, so the New York Cumorah was common knowledge among Latter-day Saints as long as Joseph lived. 

The Messenger and Advocate

The Times and Seasons

The Gospel Reflector

The Millennial Star

The Prophet

Joseph even had them copied into his own journal, where we can all read them here:

Letter IV: "[Moroni] said this history was written and deposited not far from that place [Joseph's home near Palmyra, NY]"

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/69

Letter VII: "the fact, that here, between these hills, the entire power and national strength of both the Jaredites and Nephites were destroyed."

http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/90

In Utah, they were republished in the Improvement Era.

But they have never been republished in the Ensign or Liahona.

Consequently, few Latter-day Saints today know about it. What was common knowledge in Joseph's day is lost knowledge for Latter-day Saints today.

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A modern version of 3 Nephi 7-13. 

In our day, the Lord could say:

7 And it came to pass that he said unto Church Historian: Bring forth the record which ye have kept.

8 And when the Church Historian had brought forth the records, and laid them before him, he cast his eyes upon them and said:

9 Verily I say unto you, I commanded my servant Oliver Cowdery, the Assistant President of the Church, that he should testify unto this people, that my servant Moroni told Joseph Smith that the record of the Nephites was “written and deposited not far from Joseph’s home,” and that it is a fact that the final battles of the Nephites and Lamanites took place in the mile-wide valley west of the hill Cumorah in New York. And he said unto them: Was it not so?

10 And the Church historians answered him and said: Yea, Lord, Oliver did testify according to thy words, and they were all written.

11 And Jesus said unto them: How be it that ye have forgotten this thing, that made these things clear to my Saints?

12 And it came to pass that the Church Historian remembered that this thing had been written but had been long forgotten and ignored.

13 And it came to pass that Jesus commanded that it should be written again; therefore it was written according as he commanded.

14 Then Jesus said again, Verily I say unto you, I commanded my servant Brigham Young, President of the Church, that he should testify unto this people, that my servants Joseph and Oliver visited the repository of Nephite records in the hill Cumorah in New York, lest that, too, be forgotten among this people. And he said unto them: Was it not so?

15 And the Church historians answered him and said: Yea, Lord, President Young did testify according to thy words, and they were all written.

16 And Jesus said unto them: How be it that ye have forgotten this thing also, that made these things clear to my Saints?

17 And it came to pass that the Church Historian remembered that this thing had been written but had been long forgotten.

18 And it came to pass that Jesus commanded that it should be written again; therefore it was written according as he commanded.

19 Then Jesus said again, Verily I say unto you, I commanded my servants Orson Pratt, Heber C. Kimball, Marion G. Romney, Mark E. Peterson, and others, yeah, even every one of my servants who has testified about this topic, to reiterate and corroborate the testimony of my servants Joseph and Oliver. And he said unto them: Was it not so?

20 And the Church historians answered him and said: Yea, Lord, all of these servants did testify according to thy words, and they were all written.

21 And Jesus said unto them: How be it that ye have forgotten these things also, that made these things clear to my Saints?

22 And it came to pass that the Church Historian remembered that these things had been written but had been long forgotten.

23 And it came to pass that Jesus commanded that they should be written again; therefore it was written according as he commanded. 

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7 And it came to pass that he said unto Nephi: Bring forth the record which ye have kept.

8 And when Nephi had brought forth the records, and laid them before him, he cast his eyes upon them and said:

9 Verily I say unto you, I commanded my servant Samuel, the Lamanite, that he should testify unto this people, that at the day that the Father should glorify his name in me that there were many saints who should arise from the dead, and should appear unto many, and should minister unto them. And he said unto them: Was it not so?

10 And his disciples answered him and said: Yea, Lord, Samuel did prophesy according to thy words, and they were all fulfilled.

11 And Jesus said unto them: How be it that ye have not written this thing, that many saints did arise and appear unto many and did minister unto them?

12 And it came to pass that Nephi remembered that this thing had not been written.

13 And it came to pass that Jesus commanded that it should be written; therefore it was written according as he commanded.

(3 Nephi 23:7–13)

Palmyra newspapers 1825-6

To better understand Joseph's translation of the Book of Mormon, it is useful to become familiar with his environment in Palmyra, where he acquired vocabulary, his intimate acquaintance with those of different denominations, and his understanding of the world. 

In my view, evidence of the nonbiblical language in Joseph Smith's translations and revelations is evidence that the Lord spoke to him "after the manner of [his] language" (D&C 1:24). This is evidence that, as he always said, Joseph actually translated the plates, contrary to the recent resurrection of the old Mormonism Unvailed SITH theory (stone-in-the-hat).  

One way to enter Joseph's environment is to read the various newspapers published in Palmyra.

200 years ago, on January 3, 1826, the Wayne Sentinel published an announcement that Tucker & Gilbert were offering tracts published by the New York Tract Society.

These tracts give a good flavor for what was being taught to youth in Sunday School in Palmyra. Whether Joseph actually read these is unknowable, of course, but there are some non-biblical phrases and terminology here that do appear in Joseph's translations, revelations, and writings.

This one uses the non-biblical phrase "cold and silent grave" that appears in 2 Nephi 1:14.

(click to enlarge)

This one encourages readers to "trifle not" with its advice, using the non-biblical phrase that appears three times in the Doctrine and Covenants.

The next one asks a series of questions similar to Alma 5 (which was a common rhetorical technique of the day) and even refers to the "arms of his mercy," a non-biblical phrase picked up 6 times in the Book of Mormon (e.g., Alma 5:33) and once in the D&C as "arms of mercy." 

It uses the non-biblical Book of Mormon/D&C term "enable" here: "Ask him to enable you to lay hold on him by faith."

The tract also asks "Has he 'clothed you with the robe of his righteousness?'" The phrase "robe of righteousness" appears 3 times in scripture:

 

Isaiah 61:10 "he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness."

2 Nephi 4:33 "encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness"

2 Nephi 9:14  "being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness"

We can see that this tract and 2 Nephi 9:14 share the concept of being clothed with the robe of righteousness.

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Another example, the January 5, 1825, issue of the Wayne Sentinel has an article about South Carolina.

Transcript:

A difficult question is likely toa rise between the United States and the state of South Carolina. It will be recollected that the latter some time since, passed a law to prohibit the arrival of free blacks within the state, and that its provisions extended so far as to direct the imprisonment of such persons, if even employed as mariners on board of any vessels coming within the jurisdiction of the state....

The operation of this law had produced some unhappy collisions among persons of different states, in some of which the free people of color are citizens, and, as such, citizens of the United States--but a case has lately occurred that will probably bring the principle of the matter to a full test...

The British government, it seems, has made a formal complaint of the proceeding, and it appears that the attorney general of the United States (on the matter being referred to him) has pronounced the state law to be unconstitutional...

Compare that with D&C 87, recorded nearly 8 years later on 25 December 1832.

Verily, thus saith the Lord concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many souls;

2 And the time will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place.

3 For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and they shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against other nations; and then war shall be poured out upon all nations.

4 And it shall come to pass, after many days, slaves shall rise up against their masters, who shall be marshaled and disciplined for war.

(Doctrine and Covenants 87:1–4)

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An earlier example is the Western Farmer from June 1821. This article uses some of the nonbiblical Book of Mormon terminology. By considering such resources we can gain insight into how Joseph used the same language when he translated the plates.

The writer describes a visit with her father to the Boston area where he was wounded in the war. She quoted him as saying "You see that narrow neck of land yonder, that unites the peninsula of Charlestown to the adjacent country--Over that isthmus it became my duty to lead the little band under my command, to join the main army, in the entrenchment, where we now stand....

My little band had each the spirit of a Leonidas, and not a murmur was heard when I ordered them to attempt gaining the hill, by running singly across that dangerous pass...

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Another example is the January 3, 1826, issue of the Wayne Sentinel which discussed the road from Palmyra to Canandaigua that passed near Cumorah.

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The tracts are available here:

   

https://archive.org/details/publicationsofam00amer/page/215/mode/2up

https://forgottenbooks.com/en/readbook/FirstAnnualReportoftheAmericanTractSociety1826_10829829#28

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Tract_Society