#OnThisDay in 1844, Joseph and Hyrum Smith were murdered at Carthage Jail. 172 years later, the words of John Taylor still ring true, "They lived for glory; they died for glory; and glory is their eternal reward. From age to age shall their names go down to posterity as gems for the sanctified" (D&C 135:6). | Joseph Smith, The Prophet

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 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 poli