Mormon History and Joseph Smith

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In 1777, Thomas Jefferson drafted a statue for religious freedom, which was opposed by many of Virginia’s largest religious groups who feared that this statue would lead to the demise of their churches (Heneretta & Brody, 2010). However, with the help of James Madison, the Religious Freedom Statue was enacted in 1786, which is one of the important documents in American history as it has direct correlation with religious rights. This statue prohibited obstructing or backing any religion by the United States Government and was the motivation behind the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution (Digital History, 2006). The years that followed the Revolution ended the tax support for churches and recruitment of members was accomplished without the help of the government. The voluntary support for religion was successful as the numbers of church members doubled between 1800 and 1840, and the older denominations grew along with many new denominations which included the Mormon Church that was founded in 1830 by Joseph Smith (Digital History, 2006). Joseph Smith was born on December 23, 1805 in Sharon, Vermont and at the age of fourteen moved with his family to Manchester, New York. During this time there was an outbreak of religious renewal along with social and economic reforms. This religious eruption was witnessed in every borough throughout the United States and began with the Second Great Awakening. The renewed awareness in religious conviction developed mostly as a reaction opposing the Enlightenment, which emphasized on the belief of reason and logic for the test of truth. Joseph was affected by the religious excitement that was going on around him and at fourteen he was determined to find a religion that suited him. Joseph Smi... ... middle of paper ... ...ated on the bank of the Mississippi River in 1839, again they believe that they have reached the Promised Land. Works Cited Digital History. (2006). Retrieved from Religion and the Early Republic: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database Encyclopedia Britannica Online. (2011). Retrieved from Joseph Smith: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/549791/Joseph-Smith Heneretta, J. A., & Brody, D. (2010). America A Concise History (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford-St. Martins. Slick, M. J. (2011). Are Christians persecuting Mormons? Retrieved from Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry: http://carm.org/religious-movements/mormonism/are-christians-persecuting-mormons Walters, W. (2005). Institute for Religious Research. Retrieved from Mormons in Transition: http://www.irr.org/mit/joseph-smith.html Whitney, H. (Director). (2010). The Mormons [Motion Picture].

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