Proclamation of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter-day Saints. To all the kings of the world; to the president of the United States of America; to the governors of the several states; and to the rulers and people of all nations: greeting: [Caption title] [Dated at end:] New York, April 6, 1845. [New York? 1845?] 16 pp. 22 cm.
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Proclamation of the Twelve Apostles derived from the revelation to Joseph Smith of January 19, 1841 (D&C 124), which in its opening verses, enjoined him to make a solemn proclamation . . . to all the kings of the world, to the four corners thereof, to the honorable president-elect, and the high-minded governors of the nation. The revelation directed Robert B. Thompson to assist in its writing, and he helped produce a manuscript draft, now in the LDS Church archives, which apparently was not finished because of his death in August 1841. At the end of that year Joseph Smith spoke to one of his scribes about the proclamation. And again on November 21, 1843, he instructed Willard Richards, Orson Hyde, John Taylor, and W. W. Phelps to write a proclamation to the Kings &c. of the Earth, but his presidential campaign and then his assassination apparently interrupted this effort. That
Proclamation of the Twelve Apostles was published in fulfillment of the revelation is made clear by Wilford Woodruff in the Millennial Star of October 15, 1845, and that it was actually composed by Parley Pratt is acknowledged by Brigham Young in his letter to Parley of May 26, 1845.
Dated at the end, April 6, 1845, the proclamation declares that the kingdom of God is established on the earth, that its authority rests with the Latter-day Saints, and that all must repent of their sins and be baptized into the kingdom. To the kings and rulers of the earth it says, You are not only required to repent and obey the gospel . . . but you are hereby commanded, in the name of Jesus Christ, to put your silver and your gold, your ships and steam-vessels, your railroad trains and your horses, chariots, camels, mules, and litters, into active use, for the fulfillment of these purposes. The American Indians, it asserts, are a remnant of the tribes of Israel and must be educated and civilized, for they are to assist in building the New Jerusalem in America while the Jews rebuild the old Jerusalem. It concludes with a series of one-sentence statements summarizing the fundamentals of Mormonism, each followed by the phrase “And we know it.”
The revelation of January 19,1841, enjoined Joseph Smith to write the proclamation in the spirit of meekness. But those outside of Mormonism must have viewed
Proclamation of the Twelve Apostles as an arrogant tract—a fact implicitly acknowledged in the Millennial Star of October 15, 1845, which urged elders to use wisdom in distributing it “so as not to unnecessarily to expose themselves to difficulties and persecution.”
Excerpted and edited from Peter Crawley,
A Descriptive Bibliography of the Mormon Church. Volume One, 1830–1847. (Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University, Religious Studies Center, [1997]). Item 256, p. 294–96.
Used by permission of the author and the Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University.
BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY