Missouri Executive Order Forty-4 Essay

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The members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or “Mormons”, as they are more commonly called, have been around since 1830. The church was founded by a man named Joseph Smith in New York. Shortly thereafter the entire church body moved across the midwest, eventually to Missouri. It was there in Missouri where Governor Lilburn Boggs issued executive order fourty four or, as it is more commonly called, the “Extermination Order”. The Missouri executive order forty four was an order issued in 1838 by Governor Boggs, a former governor of the state of Missouri. The order told General John B. Clark that “The Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the state” (Boggs). The word exterminated, as used in the order, means “to get rid of by destroying; destroy totally” (Dictionary.com), so what Boggs was saying in this order is that all of the Mormons in the state of Missouri were to be destroyed completely, or to be driven from the state. Was governor Boggs within his rights to issue such a proclamation? Was it even legal? The Missouri Executive order Forty-four, an order issued by governor Boggs of Missouri, was an illegal proclamation that allowed for the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints be …show more content…

There several of the former settlers of Missouri that did stand up for their rights. One such example is a Missouri militia general that refused a direct order to kill the leader of the church members, Joseph Smith. Other of the former settlers of Missouri actually joined with them and joined the church. Those that chose to defend the church members rights were not well liked in the days that they lived in, however, now they are