Smith, Joseph (1805-1844), was the founder and first president of the Mormon Church, officially called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Several other churches recognize him as their founder. The largest of these is the Community of Christ (formerly called the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). Those who follow Smith’s teachings regard Smith as a prophet of God.
Early life.
Smith was born in Sharon, Vermont, on Dec. 23, 1805, the fourth of 10 children. The Smiths met with hard times in Vermont. When Joseph was 11, his parents, Joseph and Lucy Mack Smith, moved the family to Manchester, New York, near Palmyra.
Young Joseph Smith was troubled by the counterclaims made by religious groups of his day. He could not decide which to join. In 1820, he went alone into the woods to seek God’s guidance. According to his account, God the Father and His Son (Jesus Christ) appeared to him. They told him not to join any existing church and to prepare for important tasks.
Smith said the angel Moroni visited him in 1823, and told him he would receive gold plates on which he would find a book engraved in a strange language. Smith said he received the plates in 1827. His translation of the writings, called the Book of Mormon, was published in 1830. The book is a history of early peoples of the Western Hemisphere. Mormons and other followers of Joseph Smith believe the book was divinely inspired. They regard it as holy scripture.
Organizing the church.
On April 6, 1830, Smith and five associates founded the Church of Christ, soon known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at Fayette, New York, with Joseph Smith as its leader. Smith moved to Kirtland, Ohio, in 1831, and made many converts there. The Mormons also established communities in Mentor, Ohio, and Independence, Missouri.
Smith instituted many of the church’s present doctrines and its basic organization at Kirtland. He organized the quorums (groups) of the priesthood, which gave most male church members priestly authority. Later, in Missouri in 1838, he introduced tithing (giving one-tenth of one’s income to the church).
In Kirtland, the church faced many problems. A bank established by the Mormons failed in 1837, a year of national economic depression. The bank failure, opposition from persons who had left the church, and conflict with non-Mormons led to the breakup of the Kirtland community. Smith joined the Mormons in Missouri in 1838. There, hostilities arose between Mormons and non-Mormons. Non-Mormons feared the increasing size of the Mormon community and opposed their antislavery beliefs. The hostilities led to an armed conflict. Smith led the Mormons in their effort to defend themselves. The outnumbered Mormons surrendered, and Smith was imprisoned on what the Mormons regard as false charges. He escaped a few months later and joined his people who had fled from Missouri to Illinois.
Life at Nauvoo.
Joseph Smith and the Mormons founded the city of Nauvoo (the beautiful place) in Illinois. Nauvoo’s population reached 12,000 in the middle 1840’s, making it the largest city in the state. By that time, Smith headed a church with thousands of members. He was mayor of Nauvoo and a successful businessman. He headed the Nauvoo Legion, a small army authorized by the state to protect the community. The rapid growth of the Mormon church had political significance. In 1844, the year he was killed, he declared himself a candidate for president of the United States to rally public opinion for Mormon defense.
Smith instituted the doctrine of polygamy at Nauvoo in 1843. Polygamy is the practice of a man having more than one wife at the same time. Most non-Mormons and many Mormons disagreed with this practice. The church finally outlawed polygamy in 1890. Some members who did not agree with the doctrine of polygamy broke away in 1844. They set up a newspaper that criticized Smith. The Nauvoo City Council ordered the paper’s printing press destroyed. Many people blamed Smith for the destruction of the press, which caused a wave of hostility against him in Illinois. He and his brother Hyrum were jailed at Carthage, Illinois, on charges of rioting and treason which the Mormons felt were false. A mob attacked the jail and killed the brothers on June 27, 1844. But the church continued to grow after Joseph Smith’s death. Brigham Young led the main body of Mormons to present-day Utah, where they prospered.
Smith wrote the Pearl of Great Price (1830, 1835) and Doctrine and Covenants (1835) based on his revelations. He wrote an autobiography in 1842.
See also Community of Christ ; Illinois (Places to visit [Nauvoo]) ; Mormons ; Nauvoo ; Utah (History) .
