Editing Danite (section)

==Background==
The Danites organized in the milieu of mutual hostility and conflict between the Mormon settlers and the more established Missourians, with numerous acts of violence perpetrated on both sides. They were active as a formal organization in Missouri in 1838. They began as a group of zealots determined to drive out internal dissention among the Mormons{{mdash}}[[dissenters]]  which included former high ranking Mormons including the [[Three Witnesses]]{{mdash}}but progressed to becoming involved in militia and paramilitary conflicts with U.S. forces and both civilians and law enforcement of Missouri.

The [[Latter Day Saint]] movement had experienced periods of conflict and violence with neighboring communities. Prior to this period, Joseph Smith had promoted a non-violent policy,<ref>{{harvnb|Quinn|1994|p=82}}</ref> but this era of pacifism was coming to an end. In August 1833, Smith recorded a revelation that stated:

{{cquote|And now verily I say unto you, concerning the laws of the land, it is my will that my people should observe all things whatsoever I command them. And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me. Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land; And to the law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil.<ref>{{Mormonverse|D&C|98:4-7}}</ref>}}

This revelation encouraged church members "to bear it patiently and revile not" when "men will smite you, or your families"<ref>{{Mormonverse|D&C|98:23}}</ref> yet also justified self-defense: If, after being endangered three times, "he has sought thy life and thy life is endangered by him, thine enemy is in thy hands and thou art justified."<ref>{{Mormonverse|D&C|98:31}}</ref>

Prior to 1838, the [[Latter Day Saint movement]] had two centers—one in [[Kirtland, Ohio]] and the other in northwestern [[Missouri]]. The headquarters and [[First Presidency]] of the church were in Kirtland, while the Missouri church was led by a [[Stake (Mormonism)|Stake Presidency]] made up of [[David Whitmer]], [[W. W. Phelps (Mormon)|W. W. Phelps]], and [[John Whitmer]]. In 1836, John Whitmer and Phelps founded the town of [[Far West, Missouri]], which became the headquarters of the church in Missouri. Throughout 1837, the church in Kirtland was experiencing internal conflicts over the failure of [[Kirtland Safety Society|the church's bank]]. Ultimately, Joseph Smith and [[Sidney Rigdon]] of the First Presidency lost control of the headquarters, including the [[Kirtland Temple]], to dissenters led by [[Warren Parish]]. Smith and his followers relocated to [[Far West, Missouri]] during the early part of 1838, beginning a period where Smith and other church leaders began to take the view that the church was fighting for its life.<ref>{{harvnb|Quinn|1994|p=92}}</ref>

In spring 1838, events came to a boiling point as the number of Mormons swelled in Missouri and Ohio and rifts within the church itself developed.<ref>{{harvnb|Quinn|1994|p=90}}</ref> Sudden heavy Mormon immigration, combined with their tendency to vote in a bloc, and their anti-slavery political and northern cultural views aroused hostility from the native Missourians. These tensions were escalated by the fact that Joseph Smith had been issuing prophecies that Missouri was meant to be the chosen place for Zion and the gathering of the Saints.<ref>{{Mormonverse|D&C|57}}</ref> Joseph Smith encouraged the Saints to be unafraid and referred to a passage in the 18th chapter of Judges about the tribe of Dan, "If the enemy comes, the Danites will be after them, meaning the brethren in self-defense."<ref>{{citation |editor-last= Roberts |editor-first= B. H. |editor-link= B. H. Roberts |year= 1912 |chapter= Chapter VII |chapter-url= https://archive.org/stream/historyofchurcho06robe#page/155/mode/1up |title= [[History of the Church (Joseph Smith)|History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] |volume= 6 |pages= 155–180 }}</ref>{{rp|165}} One of those who heard Joseph speak of the Danites was Sampson Avard. Sampson Avard secretly organized some of the brethren into companies for mutual defense and protection. He said he had the sanction of the First Presidency. He also taught those who would follow him that they should lead their companies against the gentiles, to rob and plunder them, and waste them away. With the loot, the kingdom of God would be built. The majority of Avard's followers left him in disgust, and soon Avard was excommunicated.

On the fourth of July in 1838, Mormon leader Sidney Rigdon delivered an oration in Far West, the county seat of Caldwell County. While not wishing or intending to start any trouble with his non-Mormon neighbors, Rigdon wanted to make clear that the Mormons would meet any further attacks on them—-such as had occurred in Jackson County during the summer and fall of 1833—with force. This however encouraged the Danites to offer resistance to the mobs that had driven them out of their homes in Jackson County. Latter Day Saints claims to rights to Missouri were countered back and forth with hostile rhetoric from non-Mormon news sources and politicians. Eventually the situation became dire, with one government agent writing:

<blockquote>The citizens of Daviess, Carroll, and some other normal counties have raised mob after mob for the last two months for the purpose of driving the Mormons from those counties and from the State. These things have at length goaded the Mormons into a state of desperation that has now made some members to become the aggressors instead of acting on the defensive.<ref>{{harvnb|LeSueur|1990|p=145}}</ref></blockquote>