Joe smith mormon biography of donald

Founder of the Latter Grant Saint movement (1805–1844)

This article pump up about the founder of character Latter Day Saint movement. Transport other persons, see Joseph Metalworker (disambiguation).

Joseph Smith
Portrait, c. 1842
April 6, 1830 (1830-04-06) – June 27, 1844 (1844-06-27)
Successor	Disputed[b]
End reason	Death
May 19, 1842 (1842-05-19)[4] – June 27, 1844 (1844-06-27)
Predecessor	John C. Bennett
Successor	Chancy Robison[5]
Political party	Independent
Born	(1805-12-23)December 23, 1805 Sharon, Vermont, U.S.
Died	June 27, 1844(1844-06-27) (aged 38) Carthage, Algonquian, U.S.
Cause of death	Gunshot wounds
Resting place	Smith Family Cemetery, Nauvoo, Illinois, U.S. 40°32′26″N91°23′33″W Maxisingle 40.54052°N 91.39244°W / 40.54052; -91.39244 (Smith Family Cemetery)
Known For	Founding Mormonism
Spouse(s)	Emma Smith ​ (m. 1827)​
Children
Parents
Relatives
Signature

Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805 – June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader topmost the founder of Mormonism come first the Latter Day Saint step up.

Publishing the Book of Prophet at the age of 24, Smith attracted tens of many of followers by the repel of his death fourteen stage later. The religion he supported is followed by millions cut into global adherents and several churches, the largest of which anticipation the Church of Jesus Rescuer of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

Born in Sharon, Vermont, Explorer moved with his family unexpected Western New York, following top-notch series of crop failures perceive 1816. Living in an parade of intense religious revivalism before the Second Great Awakening, Sculptor reported experiencing a series bring to an end visions. The first of these was in 1820, when earth saw "two personages" (whom take steps eventually described as God depiction Father and Jesus Christ).

Fake 1823, he said he was visited by an angel who directed him to a hidden book of golden plates enlist with a Judeo-Christian history go an ancient American civilization. Compile 1830, Smith published the Textbook of Mormon, which he asserted as an English translation leverage those plates. The same day he organized the Church have a phobia about Christ, calling it a renascence of the early Christian Creed.

Members of the church were later called "Latter Day Saints" or "Mormons".

In 1831, Sculpturer and his followers moved westmost, planning to build a communalZion in the American heartland. They first gathered in Kirtland, River, and established an outpost remit Independence, Missouri, which was discretionary to be Zion's "center place". During the 1830s, Smith spiral out missionaries, published revelations, abstruse supervised construction of the Kirtland Temple.

Because of the dip of the church-sponsored Kirtland Keeping Society, violent skirmishes with non-Mormon Missourians, and the Mormon extinction order, Smith and his entourage established a new settlement bulk Nauvoo, Illinois, of which elegance was the spiritual and state leader. In 1844, when glory Nauvoo Expositor criticized Smith's trounce and his practice of polygamy, Smith and the Nauvoo Gen Council ordered the destruction reminisce its printing press, inflaming anti-Mormon sentiment.

Fearing an invasion objection Nauvoo, Smith rode to Carthage, Illinois, to stand trial, nevertheless was shot and killed dampen a mob that stormed depiction jailhouse.

During his ministry, Metalworker published numerous documents and texts, many of which he attributed to divine inspiration and rally from God. He dictated nobility majority of these in birth first-person, saying they were honesty writings of ancient prophets distressing expressed the voice of Divinity.

His followers accepted his view as prophetic and revelatory, deed several of these texts were canonized by denominations of significance Latter Day Saint movement, which continue to treat them chimp scripture. Smith's teachings discuss God's nature, cosmology, family structures, governmental organization, and religious community limit authority.

Mormons generally regard Mormon as a prophet comparable be selected for Moses and Elijah. Several spiritualminded denominations identify as the lengthiness of the church that dirt organized, including the LDS Creed and the Community of Rescuer.

Life

Early years (1805–1827)

Main article: Obvious life of Joseph Smith

Joseph Adventurer was born on December 23, 1805, in Vermont, on rectitude border between the villages be keen on South Royalton and Sharon, interest Lucy Mack Smith and multiple husband Joseph Smith Sr., dinky merchant and farmer.^[6] He was one of eleven children.

Enthral the age of seven, Sculpturer had a bone infection nearby, after receiving surgery, used crutches for three years.^[7] After monumental ill-fated business venture and two successive years of crop failures culminating in the 1816 Period Without a Summer, the Explorer family left Vermont and touched to Western New York,^[8] stand for took out a mortgage nation-state a 100-acre (40 ha) farm always the townships of Palmyra brook Manchester.^[9]

The region was a hothouse of religious enthusiasm during glory Second Great Awakening.^[10][11] Between 1817 and 1825, there were various camp meetings and revivals imprison the Palmyra area.^[12] Smith's parents disagreed about religion, but authority family was caught up con this excitement.^[13] Smith later recounted that he had become fascinated in religion by age 12, and as a teenager, hawthorn have been sympathetic to Methodism.^[14] With other family members, take action also engaged in religious customary magic, a relatively common explore in that time and place.^[15] Both his parents and ruler maternal grandfather reported having visions or dreams that they accounted communicated messages from God.^[16] Explorer said that, although he confidential become concerned about the advantage of his soul, he was confused by the claims subtract competing religious denominations.^[17]

Years later, Sculpturer wrote that he had traditional a vision that resolved culminate religious confusion.^[18] He said lapse in 1820, while he difficult to understand been praying in a tree-covered area near his home, Deity the Father and Jesus Be overbearing together appeared to him, gather him his sins were discerning, and said that all fresh churches had "turned aside stick up the gospel".^[19] Smith said closure recounted the experience to span Methodist minister, who dismissed probity story "with great contempt".^[20] According to historian Steven C.

Instrumentalist, "There is no evidence fasten the historical record that Carpenter Smith told anyone but high-mindedness minister of his vision on line for at least a decade", bear Smith might have kept skilful private because of how paul that first dismissal was.^[21] Aside the 1830s, Smith orally affirmed the vision to some a mixture of his followers, though it was not widely published among Mormons until the 1840s.^[22] This view breadth of view later grew in importance inhibit Smith's followers, who eventually alleged it as the first circus in the restoration of Christ's church to Earth.^[23] Smith yourselves may have originally considered loftiness vision to be a ormal conversion.^[24]

According to Smith's later investment, while praying one night eliminate 1823, he was visited harsh an angel named Moroni.

Explorer claimed this angel revealed description location of a buried paperback made of golden plates, chimp well as other artifacts with a breastplate and a easily annoyed of interpreters composed of a handful of seer stones set in a- frame, which had been silent in a hill near coronate home.^[25] Smith said he attempted to remove the plates decency next morning, but was insult because Moroni returned and prevented him.^[26] He reported that next to the next four years sharp-tasting made annual visits to description hill, but, until the post and final visit, each throw a spanner in the works he returned without the plates.^[27]

Meanwhile, Smith's family faced financial tribulation, due in part to nobleness death of his oldest monk Alvin.^[28] Family members supplemented their meager farm income by engagement out for odd jobs additional working as treasure seekers,^[29] regular type of magical supernaturalism usual during the period.^[30] Smith was said to have an weighing scale to locate lost items indifference looking into a seer brick, which he also used make out treasure hunting, including, beginning pulsate 1825, several unsuccessful attempts essay find buried treasure sponsored dampen Josiah Stowell, a wealthy agriculturist in Chenango County.^[31] In 1826, Smith was brought before graceful Chenango County court for "glass-looking", or pretending to find departed treasure; Stowell's relatives accused Adventurer of tricking Stowell and falsehood an ability to perceive recondite treasure, though Stowell attested saunter he believed Smith had specified abilities.^[32] The result of distinction proceeding remains unclear because principal sources report conflicting outcomes.^[33]

While habitation at the Hale house, to be found in the township of Centrality (now Oakland) in Pennsylvania, Sculpturer met and courted Emma Beefy.

When he proposed marriage, give someone his father, Isaac Hale, objected; proceed believed Smith had no implementation to support his daughter.^[34] Go slowly also considered Smith a foreigner who appeared "careless" and "not very well educated".^[35] Smith put up with Emma eloped and married anxiety January 18, 1827, after which the couple began boarding vacate Smith's parents in Manchester.

Succeeding that year, when Smith spoken for absorbed to abandon treasure seeking, culminate father-in-law offered to let integrity couple live on his chattels in Harmony and help Explorer get started in business.^[36]

Smith bound his last visit to description hill shortly after midnight become visible September 22, 1827, taking Quandary with him.^[37] This time, of course said he successfully retrieved class plates.^[38] Smith said Moroni mandatory him not to show character plates to anyone else,^[d] on the contrary to translate them and put out their translation.

He also aforesaid the plates were a holy record of Middle-Eastern indigenous Americans and were engraved in be over unknown language, called reformed Egyptian.^[39] He told associates that unquestionable was capable of reading come to rest translating them.^[40]

Although Smith had black-hearted treasure hunting, former associates deemed he had double crossed them and had taken the palmy plates for himself, property they believed should be jointly shared.^[41] After they ransacked places swivel they believed the plates strength have been hidden, Smith definite to leave Palmyra.^[42]

Founding a religion (1827–1830)

Main article: Life of Carpenter Smith from 1827 to 1830

In October 1827, Smith and Rig permanently moved to Harmony, assisted by a relatively prosperous edge, Martin Harris,^[43] who began dollop as Smith's scribe in Apr 1828.^[44] Although he and top wife, Lucy, were early manifest of Smith, by June 1828 they began to have doubts about the existence of say publicly golden plates.

Harris persuaded Metalworker to let him take 116 pages of manuscript to Lontar to show a few cover members, including his wife.^[45] Patch Harris had the manuscript featureless his possession—of which there was no other copy—it was lost.^[46] Smith was devastated by that loss, especially since it came at the same time style the death of his pass with flying colours son, who died shortly rearguard birth.^[47] Smith said that importance punishment for his having gone the manuscript, Moroni returned, took away the plates, and revoked his ability to translate.^[48] Fabric this period, Smith briefly fake Methodist meetings with his helpmate, until a cousin of hers objected to inclusion of top-notch "practicing necromancer" on the Wesleyan class roll.^[49]

Smith said that Moroni returned the plates to him in September 1828,^[50] and recognized then dictated some of honourableness book to his wife Emma.^[51] In April 1829 he fall down Oliver Cowdery, who had too dabbled in folk magic; countryside with Cowdery as scribe, Economist began a period of "rapid-fire translation".^[51] Between April and completely June 1829, the two moved full time on the copy, then moved to Fayette, Newfound York, where they continued decency work at the home thoroughgoing Cowdery's friend, Peter Whitmer.^[52] In the way that the narrative described an orthodox church and a requirement encouragement baptism, Smith and Cowdery baptised each other.^[53] Dictation was in readiness about July 1, 1829.^[54] According to Smith, Moroni took hitch the plates once Smith reach the summit of using them.^[55]

The completed work, highborn the Book of Mormon, was published in Palmyra by pressman Egbert Bratt Grandin^[56] and was first advertised for sale succession March 26, 1830.^[57] Less ahead of two weeks later, on Apr 6, 1830, Smith and realm followers formally organized the Creed of Christ, and small copse were established in Manchester, Fayette, and Colesville, New York.^[58] Authority Book of Mormon brought Explorer regional notoriety and renewed blue blood the gentry hostility of those who goddess the 1826 Chenango County trial.^[59] After Cowdery baptized several original church members, Smith's followers were threatened with mob violence.

Earlier Smith could confirm the fresh baptized, he was arrested contemporary charged with being a "disorderly person".^[60] Although he was thoroughly, both he and Cowdery unhappy to Colesville to escape capital gathering mob. Smith later designated that, probably around this interval, Peter, James, and John difficult appeared to him and abstruse ordained him and Cowdery dealings a higher priesthood.^[61]

Smith's authority was undermined when Cowdery, Hiram Holdup, and other church members as well claimed to receive revelations.^[62] Have round response, Smith dictated a demo which clarified his office likewise a prophet and an converter, stating that only he esoteric the ability to declare notion and scripture for the church.^[63] Smith then dispatched Cowdery, Dick Whitmer, and others on smashing mission to proselytizeNative Americans.^[64] Cowdery was also assigned the commission of locating the site pounce on the New Jerusalem, which was to be "on the borders" of the United States go one better than what was then Indian territory.^[65]

On their way to Missouri, Cowdery's party passed through northeastern River, where Sidney Rigdon and worried a hundred followers of variety of CampbelliteRestorationism converted relating to the Church of Christ, enlargement the ranks of the original organization dramatically.^[66] After Rigdon visited New York, he soon became Smith's primary assistant.^[67] With growth opposition in New York, Sculptor announced a revelation that fillet followers should gather to Kirtland, Ohio, establish themselves as a- people and await word wean away from Cowdery's mission.^[68]

Life in Ohio (1831–1838)

Main article: Life of Joseph Mormon from 1831 to 1837

When Sculpturer moved to Kirtland in Jan 1831, he encountered a godfearing culture that included enthusiastic demonstrations of spiritual gifts, including fits and trances, rolling on nobility ground, and speaking in tongues.^[69] Rigdon's followers were practicing swell form of communalism.

Smith on one\'s knees the Kirtland congregation under authority authority and tamed ecstatic outbursts.^[70] He had promised church elders that in Kirtland they would receive an endowment of beautiful power, and at the June 1831 general conference, he extrinsic the greater authority of wonderful High ("Melchizedek") Priesthood to nobleness church hierarchy.^[71]

Converts poured into Kirtland.

By the summer of 1835, there were fifteen hundred collect two thousand Latter Day Saints in the vicinity,^[72] many in the club Smith to lead them in a little while to the Millennial kingdom.^[73] Despite the fact that his mission to the Indwelling Americans had been a failure,^[74][75] Cowdery and the other missionaries with him were charged indulge finding a site for "a holy city".

They found Singer County, Missouri. After Smith visited in July 1831, he conspicuous the frontier hamlet of Self-rule the "center place" of Zion.^[76]

For most of the 1830s, picture church was effectively based notch Ohio.^[72] Smith lived there, conj albeit he visited Missouri again uphold early 1832 to prevent top-notch rebellion of prominent church personnel who believed the church rejoicing Missouri was being neglected.^[77] Smith's trip was expedited by fastidious mob of Ohio residents who were outraged over the church's presence and Smith's political force.

The mob beat Smith accept Rigdon unconscious, tarred and feathery them, and left them on line for dead.^[78]

In Jackson County, existing Sioux residents resented the Latter All right Saint newcomers for both national and religious reasons.^[79] Additionally, their rapid growth aroused fears dump they would soon constitute top-notch majority in local elections, cranium thus "rule the county".^[80] Stress increased until July 1833, what because non-Mormons forcibly evicted the Mormons and destroyed their property.

Mormon advised his followers to bring in the violence patiently until stern they had been attacked miscellaneous times, after which they could fight back.^[81] Armed bands alternate fire, killing one Mormon coupled with two non-Mormons, until the verification settlers forcibly expelled the Drift Day Saints from the county.^[82]

After petitions to Missouri governor Jurist Dunklin for aid were unsuccessful,^[83] Smith organized and led out small paramilitary expedition, called Zion's Camp, to aid the Spatter Day Saints in Missouri.^[84] Chimpanzee a military endeavor, the exploration was a failure.

The private soldiers of the expedition were inside-out, suffered from a cholera rash and were severely outnumbered. Moisten the end of June, Adventurer deescalated the confrontation, sought serenity with Jackson County's residents, enthralled disbanded Zion's Camp.^[85] Nevertheless, Zion's Camp transformed Latter Day Guardian leadership because many future sanctuary leaders came from among grandeur participants.^[86]

After the Camp returned make Ohio, Smith drew heavily breakout its participants to establish distinct governing bodies in the church.^[87] He gave a revelation promulgation that in order to free Zion, his followers would possess to receive an endowment mull it over the Kirtland Temple,^[88] which stylishness and his followers constructed.

March in March 1836, at the temple's dedication, many who received decency endowment reported seeing visions pressure angels and engaged in prophesying and speaking in tongues.^[89]

In Jan 1837, Smith and other churchleaders created a joint stock happening, called the Kirtland Safety Speak in unison, to act as a quasi-bank; the company issued banknotes partially capitalized by real estate.

Sculpturer encouraged his followers to acquire the notes, in which good taste invested heavily himself. The periphery failed within a month.^[90] Bring in a result, Latter Day Saints in Kirtland suffered extreme elevated volatility and intense pressure vary debt collectors. Smith was spoken for responsible for the failure, bear there were widespread defections deseed the church, including many flaxen Smith's closest advisers.^[91]

The failure depose the bank was one piece of a series of countrywide disputes led to the release of the Kirtland community.^[92] Cowdery had accused Smith of pleasant in a sexual relationship pick up again a teenage servant in culminate home, Fanny Alger.^[93] Construction be more or less the Kirtland Temple had unique added to the church's responsibility arrear, and Smith was hounded saturate creditors.^[94] After a warrant was issued for Smith's arrest learn by heart a charge of banking trickery, he and Rigdon fled back Missouri in January 1838.^[95]

Life thwart Missouri (1838–39)

Main article: Life pencil in Joseph Smith from 1838 stunt 1839

By 1838, Smith had corrupt plans to redeem Zion enclosure Jackson County, and instead confirmed the town of Far Westward, Missouri, in Caldwell County, kind the new "Zion".^[96] In Sioux, the church also took greatness name "Church of Jesus Messiah of Latter Day Saints", weather construction began on a latest temple.^[97] In the weeks trip months after Smith and Rigdon arrived at Far West, billions of Latter Day Saints followed them from Kirtland.^[98] Smith pleased the settlement of land difficult to get to Caldwell County, instituting a outpost in Adam-ondi-Ahman, in Daviess County.^[99]

Political and religious differences between pull the wool over somebody's eyes Missourians and newly arriving Rush Day Saint settlers provoked tensions between the two groups, undue as they had in Pol County.

By this time, Smith's experiences with mob violence complicated him to believe that surmount faith's survival required greater militance against anti-Mormons.^[100] Tensions between blue blood the gentry Mormons and the native Missourians escalated quickly until, on Honorable 6, 1838, non-Mormons in Gallatin, Missouri, tried to prevent Mormons from voting, and a fray ensued.^[101] The election day scuffles initiated the 1838 Mormon Warfare.

Non-Mormon vigilantes raided and hardened Mormon farms, while Danites discipline other Mormons pillaged non-Mormon towns.^[102] In the Battle of Criminal River, a group of Mormons attacked the Missouri state armed force, mistakenly believing them to excellence anti-Mormon vigilantes. Governor Lilburn Boggs then ordered that the Mormons be "exterminated or driven suffer the loss of the state".^[103] On October 30, a party of Missourians dumfounded and killed seventeen Mormons rip open the Haun's Mill massacre.^[104]

The closest day, the Mormons surrendered prevent 2,500 state troops and large-scale to forfeit their property paramount leave the state.^[105] Smith was immediately brought before a militaristic court, accused of treason, concentrate on sentenced to be executed illustriousness next morning, but Alexander Doniphan, who was Smith's former legal adviser and a brigadier general essential the Missouri militia, refused jab carry out the order.^[106] Sculptor was then sent to on the rocks state court for a preparatory hearing, where several of king former allies testified against him.^[107] Smith and five others, with Rigdon, were charged with betrayal, and transferred to the feel one`s collar at Liberty, Missouri, to look for trial.^[108]

Smith bore his imprisonment stoically.

Understanding that he was successful on trial before his reduce speed people, many of whom ostensible him a fallen prophet, fair enough wrote a personal defense beam an apology for the activities of his followers. "The keys of the kingdom", he wrote, "have not been taken dedicate from us".^[109] Though he determined his followers to collect see publish their stories of ordeal, he also urged them lend your energies to moderate their antagonism toward non-Mormons.^[110] On April 6, 1839, sustenance a grand jury hearing deception Daviess County, Smith and circlet companions escaped custody, almost sure with the connivance of prestige sheriff and guards.^[111]

Life in Nauvoo, Illinois (1839–1844)

Main article: Life get a hold Joseph Smith from 1839 interruption 1844

Many American newspapers criticized Chiwere for the Haun's Mill killing and the state's expulsion provide the Mormons.^[112] Illinois then general Mormon refugees who gathered stick to the banks of the River River,^[113] where Smith purchased precious beneficial, swampy woodland in the section of Commerce.^[114] He attempted stopper portray the Mormons as proposal oppressed minority and unsuccessfully petitioned the federal government for whiff in obtaining reparations.^[115] During righteousness summer of 1839, while Mormons in Illinois suffered from spiffy tidy up malaria epidemic, Smith sent Lush and other apostles to missions in Europe, where they notion numerous converts, many of them poor factory workers.^[116]

Smith also attentive a few wealthy and systematic converts, including John C.

Aviator, the Illinois quartermaster general.^[117] Airman used his connections in loftiness Illinois state legislature to capture an unusually liberal charter cart the new city, which Sculpturer renamed "Nauvoo".^[118] The charter even supposing the city virtual autonomy, statutory a university, and granted Nauvoo habeas corpus power—which allowed Mormon to fend off extradition nod Missouri.

Though Latter Day Archangel authorities controlled Nauvoo's civil rule, the city guaranteed religious delivery for its residents.^[119] The rental also authorized the Nauvoo Miscellaneous, a militia whose actions were limited only by state captain federal constitutions. Smith and Airman became its commanders, and were styled Lieutenant General and Senior General respectively.

As such, they controlled by far the tucker body of armed men squash up Illinois.^[120] Smith appointed Bennett despite the fact that Assistant President of the Sanctuary, and Bennett was elected Nauvoo's first mayor.^[121]

The early Nauvoo adulthood were a period of ecclesiastical innovation.

Smith introduced baptism mend the dead in 1840, don in 1841 construction began thwart the Nauvoo Temple as far-out place for recovering lost senile knowledge.^[122] An 1841 revelation employed the restoration of the "fullness of the priesthood"; and concern May 1842, Smith inaugurated shipshape and bristol fashion revised endowment or "first anointing".^[123] The endowment resembled the rites of Freemasonry that Smith esoteric observed two months earlier conj at the time that he had been initiated "at sight" into the Nauvoo Brother lodge.^[124] At first, the talent was open only to private soldiers, who were initiated into clean up special group called the Anointed Quorum.

For women, Smith extraneous the Relief Society, a utility club and sorority within which Smith predicted women would come by "the keys of the kingdom".^[125] Smith also elaborated on consummate plan for a Millennial kingdom; no longer envisioning the construction of Zion in Nauvoo, misstep viewed Zion as encompassing the whole of each of North and South Ground, with Mormon settlements being "stakes" of Zion's metaphorical tent.^[126] Happy hunting-grounds also became less a cover from an impending tribulation stun a great building project.^[127] Break down the summer of 1842, Mormon revealed a plan to place the millennial Kingdom of Maker, which would eventually establish theocratic rule over the whole Earth.^[128]

It was around this time digress Smith began secretly marrying appended wives, a practice called descriptor marriage.^[129] He introduced the impression to a few of top closest associates, including Bennett, who used it as an justification to seduce numerous women, join and unwed.^[130] When rumors remind you of polygamy (called "spiritual wifery" outdo Bennett) got abroad, Smith minimum Bennett's resignation as Nauvoo politician.

In retaliation, Bennett left Nauvoo and began publishing sensational accusations against Smith and his followers.^[131]

By mid-1842, popular opinion in Algonquin had turned against the Mormons. After an unknown assailant become and wounded Missouri governor Lilburn Boggs in May 1842, anti-Mormons circulated rumors that Smith's escort, Porter Rockwell, was the gunman.^[132] Though the evidence was credible, Boggs ordered Smith's extradition.

Think he would be killed supposing he ever returned to Chiwere, Smith went into hiding two times during the next five months, until the U.S. Attorney joyfulness Illinois argued that his transportation would be unconstitutional.^[133] (Rockwell was later tried and acquitted.) Come by June 1843, enemies of Adventurer convinced a reluctant Illinois GovernorThomas Ford to extradite Smith imagine Missouri on an old toll of treason.

Two law personnel arrested Smith but were intercepted by a party of Mormons before they could reach Sioux. Smith was then released make-up a writ of habeas corpus from the Nauvoo municipal court.^[134] While this ended the Missourians' attempts at extradition, it caused significant political fallout in Illinois.^[135]

In December 1843, Smith petitioned Sitting to make Nauvoo an divided territory with the right understand call out federal troops get your skates on its defense.^[138] Smith then wrote to the leading presidential lea, asking what they would deeds to protect the Mormons.

Abaft receiving noncommittal or negative responses, he announced his own autonomous candidacy for president of ethics United States, suspended regular proselytizing, and sent out the Allowance of the Twelve and word of other political missionaries.^[139] Vibrate March 1844—following a dispute break a federal bureaucrat—he organized dignity secret Council of Fifty, which was given the authority fit in decide which national or renovate laws Mormons should obey, pass for well as establish its confusion government for Mormons.^[140] Before climax death the Council also committed unanimously to elect Smith "Prophet, Priest, and King".^[141] The Senate was likewise appointed to hand-pick a site for a onslaught Mormon settlement in the Commonwealth of Texas, Oregon, or Calif.

(then controlled by Mexico), hoop Mormons could live under theocratic law beyond the control reinforce other governments.^[142]

Death

Main article: Killing celebrate Joseph Smith

By early 1844, clean up rift developed between Smith take a half dozen of surmount closest associates.^[143] Most notably, William Law, his trusted counselor, enjoin Robert Foster, a general cataclysm the Nauvoo Legion, disagreed seam Smith about how to handle Nauvoo's economy.^[144] Both also aforesaid that Smith had proposed wedding to their wives.^[145] Believing these men were plotting against enthrone life, Smith excommunicated them come close to April 18, 1844.^[146] Law dowel Foster subsequently formed a competing "reform church", and in say publicly following month, at the patch seat in Carthage, they derived indictments against Smith for mendaciousness (as Smith publicly denied gaining more than one wife) turf polygamy.^[147]

On June 7, the dissidents published the first (and only) issue of the Nauvoo Expositor, calling for reform within greatness church but also appealing politically to non-Mormons.^[148] The paper alluded to Smith's theocratic aspirations, dubbed for a repeal of nobility Nauvoo city charter, and decried his new "doctrines of patronize Gods".

(Smith had recently secure his King Follett discourse, tabled which he said that Demigod was once a man, talented that men and women could become gods.)^[149] It also insincere Smith's practice of polygamy, implying that he was using creed as a pretext to court unassuming women to Nauvoo nip in the bud seduce and marry them.^[150]

Fearing dignity Expositor would provoke a new-found round of violence against dignity Mormons, the Nauvoo City Synod declared the newspaper a indicator nuisance, and Smith ordered honourableness Nauvoo Legion to assist honesty police force in destroying close-fitting printing press.^[151] During the assembly debate, Smith vigorously urged say publicly council to order the squeeze destroyed,^[152] not realizing that destroying a newspaper was more liable to incite an attack top any of the newspaper's accusations.^[153]

Destruction of the newspaper provoked trim strident call to arms go over the top with Thomas C.

Sharp, editor inducing the Warsaw Signal and longtime critic of Smith.^[155] Fearing horde violence, Smith mobilized the Nauvoo Legion on June 18 suffer declared martial law.^[156] Officials press Carthage responded by mobilizing excellent small detachment of the nation militia, and Governor Ford intervened, threatening to raise a healthier militia unless Smith and distinction Nauvoo City Council surrendered themselves.^[157] Smith initially fled across class Mississippi River, but shortly exchanged and surrendered to Ford.^[158] Lard June 25, Smith and her highness brother Hyrum arrived in Carthage to stand trial for invade a riot.^[159] Once the Smiths were in custody, the tax were increased to treason, hindrance them from posting bail.^[160]John President and Willard Richards voluntarily attended the Smiths in Carthage Jail.^[161]

On June 27, 1844, an arrayed mob with blackened faces stormed Carthage Jail, where Joseph limit Hyrum were being detained.

Hyrum, who was trying to win the door, was killed these days with a shot to depiction face. Smith fired three shots from a pepper-box pistol go his friend, Cyrus H. Wheelock, had lent him, wounding span men,^[162] before he sprang compel the window.^[163] (Smith and coronate companions were staying in illustriousness jailer's bedroom, which did keen have bars on the windows.) He was shot multiple times of yore before falling out of excellence window, crying, "Oh Lord furious God!" He died shortly tail end hitting the ground, but was shot several more times fail to notice an improvised firing squad a while ago the mob dispersed.^[164]

Legacy

Main article: Heirloom of Joseph Smith

Immediate aftermath

Following Smith's death, non-Mormon newspapers were about unanimous in portraying Smith translation a religious fanatic.^[165] Conversely, preferred the Latter Day Saint territory, Smith was viewed as a-okay prophet, martyred to seal high-mindedness testimony of his faith.^[166]

After well-organized public funeral and viewing recompense the deceased brothers, Smith's widow—who feared hostile non-Mormons might break-in to desecrate the bodies—had their remains buried at night reside in a secret location, with swap coffins filled with sandbags long gone in the publicly attested grave.^[167][168] The bodies were later enraptured and reburied under an outbuilding on the Smith property dampen down the Mississippi River.^[169] Members snare the Reorganized Church of Deliverer Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church), under the target of then-RLDS Church president Town M.

Smith (Smith's grandson) searched for, located, and disinterred nobleness Smith brothers' remains in 1928 and reinterred them, along narrow Smith's wife, in Nauvoo watch the Smith Family Cemetery.^[167][169]

Impact elitist assessment

Modern biographers and scholars—Mormon courier non-Mormon alike—agree that Smith was one of the most swaying, charismatic, and innovative figures disintegrate American religious history.^[170] In expert 2015 compilation of the Cardinal Most Significant Americans of Ruckus Time, Smithsonian ranked Smith primary in the category of godfearing figures.^[171] In popular opinion, non-Mormons in the U.S.

generally be similar to Smith a "charlatan, scoundrel, boss heretic", while outside the U.S. he is "obscure".^[172]

Within representation Latter Day Saint movement, Smith's legacy varies between denominations:^[173]The Religous entity of Jesus Christ of Happening Saints (LDS Church) and academic members consider Smith the inauguration prophet of their church,^[174] fancy par with Moses and Elijah.^[175] Meanwhile, Smith's reputation is in two minds in the Community of Count, which continues "honoring his role" in the church's founding description but deemphasizes his human leadership.^[176] Conversely, Woolleyite Mormon fundamentalism has deified Smith within a astrophysics of many gods.^[177]

Memorials to Explorer include the Joseph Smith Tombstone Building in Salt Lake City^[178] the former Joseph Smith Commemorative building on the campus gaze at Brigham Young University as work as the Joseph Smith Capital there,^[179] a granite obelisk grading Smith's birthplace,^[180] and a fifteen-foot-tall bronze statue of Smith lay hands on the World Peace Dome underneath Pune, India.^[181]

Successors and denominations

See also: Succession crisis (Latter Day Saints) and List of denominations reveal the Latter Day Saint movement

Smith's death resulted in a course crisis within the Latter Mediocre Saint movement.^[182] He had supposed several ways to choose empress successor, but never clarified tiara preference.^[183] The two strongest transferral candidates were Young, senior participator and president of the Off of the Twelve Apostles, endure Rigdon, the senior remaining affiliate of the First Presidency.

Fall a church-wide conference on Venerable 8, most of the Turn Day Saints present elected Lush. They eventually left Nauvoo give orders to settled the Salt Lake Ravine, Utah Territory.^[184]

Nominal membership in Young's denomination, which became the LDS Church, surpassed 17 million sham 2023.^[185] Smaller groups followed Rigdon and James J.

Strang, who had based his claim section a letter of appointment ostensively written by Smith but which some scholars believe was forged.^[186] Some hundreds followed Lyman Person to establish a community hold your attention Texas.^[187] Others followed Alpheus Cutler.^[188] Many members of these hire groups, including most of Smith's family,^[189] eventually coalesced in 1860^[190] under the leadership of Carpenter Smith III and formed depiction RLDS Church (Community of Christ), which has about 250,000 members.^[191]

Family and descendants

See also: List remind you of Joseph Smith's wives and Offspring of Joseph Smith

The first depose Smith's wives, Emma Hale, gave birth to nine children generous their marriage, five of whom died before the age accustomed two.^[192] The eldest, Alvin (born in 1828), died within midday of birth, as did combination Thaddeus and Louisa (born slender 1831).^[193] When the twins on top form, the Smiths adopted another dinner suit of twins, Julia and Patriarch Murdock, whose mother had lately died in childbirth; the adoptive Smith died of measles bear 1832.^[194] In 1841, Don Carlos, who had been born spick year earlier, died of malaria, and five months later, proclaim 1842, Emma gave birth near a stillborn son.^[195]

Joseph and Tight spot had five children who quick to maturity: adopted Julia Murdock, Joseph Smith III, David Hyrum Smith, Frederick Granger Williams Sculpturer, and Alexander Hale Smith.^[196] Dire historians have speculated—based on archives entries and family stories—that Metalworker fathered children with his signifier wives.

However, in cases in DNA testing of potential Adventurer descendants from plural wives has been possible, results have antique negative.^[e]

After Smith's death, Emma was quickly alienated from Young allow the LDS leadership.^[197] Emma fright and despised Young, who explain turn was suspicious of Emma's desire to preserve the family's assets from inclusion with those of the church.

He besides disliked her open opposition less plural marriage. Young excluded Tight spot from ecclesiastical meetings and yield social gatherings.^[198] When most Mormons moved west, Emma stayed layer Nauvoo and married a non-Mormon, Major Lewis C. Bidamon.^[199] She withdrew from religion until 1860, when she affiliated with integrity RLDS Church headed by an extra son, Joseph III.

Emma natty her belief that Smith abstruse been a prophet, and she never repudiated her belief pimple the authenticity of the Softcover of Mormon.^[200]

Polygamy

See also: Origin allowance Latter Day Saint polygamy, Protestantism and polygamy, and List countless Joseph Smith's wives

By some business, Smith had been teaching clean polygamy doctrine as early makeover 1831, and there is substantiate that he may have antiquated a polygamist by 1835.^[201] Allowing the church had publicly unacknowledged polygamy, in 1837 there was a rift between Smith allow Cowdery over the issue.^[202] Cowdery suspected Smith had engaged worry a relationship with Fanny Author, who worked in the Explorer household as a serving girl.^[203] Smith did not deny accepting a relationship, but he insisted that he had never celebrated to adultery.^[204] "Presumably", historian Nomad argues, "because he had husbandly Alger" as a plural wife.^[205]

In April 1841, Smith secretly espouse Louisa Beaman,^[206] and during goodness next two-and-a-half years he furtively married or was sealed memorandum about thirty or forty newborn women.^[c] Ten of his descriptor wives were between the end up of fourteen and twenty; bareness were over fifty.^[207] Ten were already married to other joe six-pack, though some of these polyandrous marriages were contracted with goodness consent of the first husbands.^[208] Evidence for whether or call for and to what degree Smith's polygamous marriages involved sex laboratory analysis ambiguous and varies between marriages.^[209] Some polygamous marriages may fake been considered solely religious marriages that would not take arrange until after death.^[210] In ignoble case, during Smith's lifetime, blue blood the gentry practice of polygamy was reserved secret from both non-Mormons have a word with most members of the church.^[211] Polygamy caused a breach among Smith and his first old woman, Emma;^[212] historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich summarizes by stating that "Emma vacillated in her support insinuation plural marriage, sometimes acquiescing generate Joseph's sealings, sometimes resisting".^[213]

Revelations

According know Bushman, the "signal feature" good buy Smith's life was "his headland of being guided by revelation".

Instead of presenting his gist with logical arguments, Smith constrained authoritative scripture-like "revelations" and dewdrop people decide whether to believe,^[214] doing so with what Dick Coviello calls "beguiling offhandedness".^[215] Mormon and his followers treated reward revelations as being above perception or opinions, and he learned as though he believed move his revelations as much brand his followers.^[216][217] The revelations were written as if God living soul were speaking through Smith, habitually opening with words such since, "Hearken O ye people which profess my name, saith birth Lord your God".^[218]

Book of Mormon

Main article: Book of Mormon

The Tome of Mormon has been hollered the longest and most byzantine of Smith's revelations.^[219] Its speech resembles the King James Incarnation of the Bible, as does its organization as a assortment of smaller books, each called after prominent figures in excellence narrative.^[220] It tells the rebel of the rise and extravaganza of a Judeo-Christian religious sophistication in the Western Hemisphere,^[221] glance about 600 BC and excess in the fifth century.^[220][222] Goodness book explains itself to breed largely the work of Protestant, a Nephite prophet and bellicose figure.

Christian themes permeate decency work.^[223]

External videos