Joseph Smith wasn’t just killed for his religion. It was also a political assassination, as he was running for president of the United States, and one local political leader in particular was intent on seeing the end of Joseph Smith.

By 1844, Nauvoo was booming, one of the biggest cities in Illinois, and Joseph Smith’s political influence terrified local leaders because the Latter-day Saints voted as a block.

And then on top of that, Joseph Smith announced he would be running for the most important political position in the United States as President.

Joseph didn’t want to run for President. But he had already begged the U.S. President and other candidates to help stop the violence against his people and none of them would.

So Joseph Smith ran for president himself, with some pretty bold ideas:

• Abolish slavery by selling public land
• Cut Congress salaries
• Defend religious liberty
• Reform prisons
• And a whole lot more
For the time, he had a very bold platform.

Joseph knew the lethal risk of him running for President because he even said: “If I lose my life in a good cause, I am willing to be sacrificed... for the general good of mankind.”

But Joseph’s campaign incensed local newspaper editor Thomas Sharp, because he had already lost a local election to Joseph’s own brother. And he blamed the Mormons for his loss.

Weeks before the assassination, Thomas Sharp wrote that he wouldn’t be surprised to hear of Joseph Smith’s “death by violent means in a short time.”

Days before, he called for “war and extermination” against the Mormons.

And yes, Sharp was in the mob that ended Joseph Smith on June 27, 1844 in Carthage Jail.

This wasn’t just religious persecution. It was also a political hit job And it changed the course of American religious history.

You can learn more in this podcast by the Joseph Smith Papers.

And on Informed Saints, we recently talked about Joseph Smith's presidential campaign as well.

#lds #mormon #josephsmith #usa #politics



===Informed Saints===
Check out the roundtable podcast I help host with Stephen Smoot and Neal Rappleye for the Ancient America Foundation
https://www.youtube.com/@UCCVNFLUX8St8pSF1-kStOGQ


===Credits===
Produced by: Jasmin Rappleye
Editor: Zander Sturgill
Sponsored by The Ancient America Foundation


===Discover===
If any of my thoughts resonated with you, consider learning more about the single most influential book in my life.
https://www.discoverbookofmormon.org/


===Content Disclaimer===
The views expressed represent mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the official position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This channel is not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.