Red Sons of Israel Summary and Analysis

The area surrounding Palmyra, in Western New York, had many burial mounds. People in the area had multiple theories of why there were so many in the area. Governor DeWitt Clinton counted the rings on the trees growing on some of the mounds, and theorized that the Mound Builders were a lost race of people who had fought to their deaths.

The people of western New York held a respect for these ancient peoples, as there were multiple artifacts of great beauty and clearly created by a people who had progressed significantly in civilized life. Ms. Brodie indicates that real scholars were considering a very different theory than the popular theories of the area.

It was during this time that Joseph Smith translated the gold plates he was directed to by an angel. As there...