Book of Alma Chapter Twenty-Three. Book of Mormon 1830 First Edition.

Pahoran had been made the chief judge after his father had died but contention occurred amongst the Nephites because some wanted the law to be changed. There began to be a divide between those who had so nobilty of birth who wanted to have king men and those who wanted liberty which were called freemen. Moroni put a stop to it after a vote was made and the freemen won, but the lamanites had prepared for battle and were on their way to the lands of the Nephites and those who wanted kings who were called kingmen, refused to defend the land or to take up arms so Moroni obtained permission to compel them to defend their land or to die. Four thousand kingmen were killed as they refused but the rest complied but Amalickiah who had became king of the lamanites through cunning, still attacked and took over many fortified places of the Nephites, but was eventually killed by Teancum.