Behind the Extraditions: Joseph Smith

"The Constitution is a glorious standard

Founded in the wisdom of God!"

Said Joseph Smith, though he himself slandered

As he could not get the redress he sought

"Not until the end of the Civil War would the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution begin to be extended to the states, Elder Oaks noted. "Therefore, during Joseph's life, fundamental First Amendment rights like the free exercise of religion and freedom of speech and press only restrained the federal government. During Joseph Smith's lifetime, individual states had to define and regulate such rights at the local level.""It was not surprising that when Joseph Smith ran for the U.S. presidency in 1844, one of the planks in his platform was to strengthen the federal government's ability to ensure justice and redress for all citizens and to ensure that the Constitution was applied equally to the states," he said. Controversial though his position was at the time, it ultimately became the law of the land "and a critical component in America's democracy," he added.  Dallin H. Oaks speaking in Illinois.  

Behind the Extraditions: Joseph Smith, the Man and the Prophet

Where did his genius come from? Divine revelation, Elder Oaks says

By R. Scott Lloyd

slandered   (Rhymnzone.com)

• noun:   words falsely spoken that damage the reputation of another
• noun:   an abusive attack on a person's character or good name
• verb:   charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone