Two chapters ago Mormon concluded with a peaceful and a righteous people. In the last chapter a city rebelled, but that rebellion was quieted. Things are now going to get worse. The first problem is even more serious than the defection of a city, because it is an internal contention that could tear the entire polity apart. It begins with a political disagreement.
It is apparently not the obvious attack on the government that Amalickiah had attempted where his first move was to establish himself as a king, but it is a move against the laws of the land. We are not told what those laws might have been, but from the nature of those who are supporting the changes, we might assume that they encompass some changes in the social structure of society, as this has been the contention point throughout Nephite history, and particularly whenever the word “king” begins to be bandied about.