Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith (1805-1844) was the founder and first prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often referred to as the Mormon church. After experiencing a divine vision of God the Father and Jesus Christ and encountering an angel named Moroni, Smith went on to publish the Book of Mormon in 1830. He claimed to have translated the book from ancient golden plates containing an account of the ancient peoples of America.1

On April 6th, 1830, the Latter-day Saint Church was founded, with Smith claiming that the church restored the priestly authority in the orders of the Aaronic Priesthood2 and the order of Melchizedek.3 Smith went on to publish two more authoritative texts: Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. However, controversy followed the developing church wherever it went, driving Smith and his followers from Ohio to Missouri, and lastly to Illinois, where Smith founded the city of Nauvoo. Smith was ultimately killed by a mob in Carthage, Illinois, in 1884 while he was in jail for charges of treason.4

  1. Richard Bushman, “Joseph Smith | Biography & Facts,” in Encyclopædia Britannica, 2019, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Joseph-Smith-American-religious-leader-1805-1844. ↩︎
  2. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood,” www.churchofjesuschrist.org, n.d., https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/restoration-of-the-aaronic-priesthood?lang=eng. ↩︎
  3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood,” www.churchofjesuschrist.org, n.d., https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/restoration-of-the-melchizedek-priesthood?lang=eng. ↩︎
  4. History.com Editors, “Religious Founder Joseph Smith Killed by Mob,” History.com, February 9, 2010, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/June-27/mormon-leader-killed-by-mob. ↩︎