Joseph Smith Did Not Die as a Martyr

I am going like a lamb to the slaughter; but I am calm as a summer's morning; I have a conscience void of offense towards God, and towards all men. I SHALL DIE INNOCENT, AND IT SHALL YET BE SAID OF ME—HE WAS MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD.Joseph Smith, Doctrine and Covenants 135:4

Mormons consider Joseph Smith (and his brother Hyrum) to be Christian martyrs. In reality, they were neither Christians nor martyrs. Smith was not killed for his testimony or his faith, but because he unlawfully ordered the destruction of the Smith-critical Nauvoo Expositor and committed the capital offense of treason by declaring martial law.

The Nauvoo Expositor destroyed

Joseph Smith was mayor of Nauvoo, Illinois, running for President of the United States. The Nauvoo Expositor was a newspaper created by some of Smith's ex-followers who had a few problems with Smith. They claimed:

1. Smith had been a true prophet, but fell as a prophet when he introduced doctrines such as polygamy and man's ascension to godhood
2. Smith had too much power as church president and mayor, and running for president, wanted to head a theocracy
3. Smith was leading, coercing, and forcing women into polygamy

The first and only issue of the Nauvoo Expositor was published on June 7, 1844 (and can be read online here). Joseph Smith led the Nauvoo city council on the 10th to vote to destroy the paper's printing press, and it was done that same evening, heightening the tension between the Mormons and the rest of the community. The destruction of the press led many to voice their disagreement, with even those outisde the city issuing calls to arms and bringing warrants for Smith's arrest. The situation was such that on June 18th, Smith declared martial law, enlisting the Nauvoo Legion--a miltia 5000 large.

Legality of the Expositor's Destruction

At the time, the First Amendment only applied to the federal government, and so states were under no obligation to respect freedom of the press. The 1818 Constitution of Illinois, however, made specific provision for freedom of the press in Illinois, which Smith and the city council violated. It is also possible that the declaring of the paper to be a nuisance violated Illinois' prohibition against ex post facto law. Dallin H. Oaks (a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the LDS organization), professor at the University of Chicago Law School, wrote "The Suppression of the Nauvoo Expositor", which was published in the Utah Law Review in 1965. In it, he admitted that the destruction of the printing press was legally questionable, suggesting that the papers themselves could have been destroyed if found to be libelous. Clearly Smith and the city council acted unlawfully.

Smith jailed

The governor of Illinois suggested suggested that Smith be tried by a non-Mormon jury in Carthage, the county seat. Smith planned to leave rather than face trial, but when criticized by his friends, he decided to stay and submitted to his arrest, quoted as saying he was innocent before God and men. On June 25th, Smith and others involved were arrested on the charge of riot, and were soon after charged with treason for declaring martial law. Some members of the city council were released on bond, but Smith, his brother Hyrum, and others were to be kept until they could be tried for their capital offense.

Smith killed

On June 27th, 200 armed men stormed the jail. The jailer saw the mob and told Smith. Smith, assuming they were the Nauvoo Legion, told the jailer they were coming to rescue him. The men shot through the door at Joseph and those with him. Smith fired back with a gun that had been smuggled in to him early that day. Trying to escape through the window, Smith was shot twice in the back and once in the chest and fell out of the building.

Exactly how Smith died is disputed. Some accounts say he died when he hit the ground, some claim he survived and was killed by a makeshift firing squad. Some claim a man tried to behead Smith but was stopped by divine intervention, some claim thunder and lightning scared the mob away.

...for to this day has the God of my fathers delivered me out of them all, and will deliver me from henceforth; for behold, and lo, I shall triumph over all my enemies, for the Lord God hath spoken it.Doctrine and Covenants 127:2

Contrary to his prophecy, Smith's enemies stormed the Illinois jail where he was being held and shot and killed him. Smith died on June 27, 1844, less than two years after he gave this prophecy. The phrase "for the Lord God hath spoekn it" officially qualifies Smiths's statement as a prophecy according to the LDS organization. He did not die for his beliefs, but for his oppression and unlawful acts he committed.