''The Peace Maker'' is a thirty-six page
pamphlet
A pamphlet is an unbound book (that is, without a Hardcover, hard cover or Bookbinding, binding). Pamphlets may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths, called a ''leaflet'' ...
written by
Udney Hay Jacob and published in Nauvoo on October 29, 1842 which rejected the growing rights of women on Biblical grounds.
[Van Wagoner, Richard S. "Mormon Polygamy: A History" (p. 66). Signature Books. 1989] Jacob claimed female power was growing, it was dangerous, and the way to curtail it was through
polygamy
Polygamy (from Late Greek , "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, it is called polygyny. When a woman is married to more tha ...
and granting men the sole power of divorce.
The pamphlet was adapted from a longer Biblical treatise that Jacob had presented to President
Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren ( ; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was the eighth president of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as Attorney General o ...
in 1840.
The original two-chapter pamphlet ''The Peace Maker'' was published in
Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo ( ; from the ) is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River near Fort Madison, Iowa. The population of Nauvoo was 950 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Nauvoo attracts visitors for its h ...
, with
Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious and political leader and the founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. Publishing the Book of Mormon at the age of 24, Smith attracted tens of thou ...
, the founder of the
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by ...
, listed as the printer. The pamphlet caused an uproar within Nauvoo, and was published the same month as an expose published by recently excommunicated
John C. Bennett.
[Smith, George D. "Nauvoo Polygamy '... but we called it celestial marriage'" Signature Books. 2008 e-book location 3533 of 12255] On December 1st, Smith printed a denial of any connection to the work, and stated that it had been published without his knowledge.
Historians continue to debate Smith's involvement and the possibility that some aspects of the pamphlet may have represented Smith's thought.
Summary
''The Peace Maker'' deals in substantial part with
Biblical
The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...
marriage
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
laws, primarily divorce.
Jacob argues that just as property can not put away its owner, women should not be able to instigate divorce.
Furthermore, the only legitimate reason for divorce should be the refusal of a wife to submit to and revere her husband's authority.
The pamphlet advocates for polygamy as a way to undermine any sexual power a wife may use over her husband.
The pamphlet ends with "the question is not now to be debated whether these things are so; neither is it a question of much importance who wrote this book? But the question, the momentous question is: will you now restore the law of God on this important subject, and keep it?"
Authorship
Jacob was not a member of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian restorationist Christian denomination and the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. Founded dur ...
when ''The Peace Maker'' was published. However, Jacob and his family had lived among the Latter Day Saints in
Chautauqua County, New York
Chautauqua County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 127,657. Its county seat is Mayville, and its largest city is Jamestown. Its name is believed to be the lone surviving rem ...
, in the early 1830s and in the Latter Day Saint region of
Hancock County, Illinois
Hancock County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it has a population of 17,620. Its county seat is Carthage, Illinois, Carthage, and its largest city is H ...
throughout the period of
settlement
Settlement may refer to:
*Human settlement, a community where people live
*Settlement (structural), downward movement of a structure's foundation
*Settlement (finance), where securities are delivered against payment of money
*Settlement (litigatio ...
there. Additionally, Jacob was baptized into the church in 1843, the year after his pamphlet appeared.
Reaction
Smith denounced the pamphlet in the December 1, 1842, issue of ''
Times and Seasons
''Times and Seasons'' was a 19th-century Latter Day Saint newspaper published at Nauvoo, Illinois. It was printed monthly or twice-monthly from November 1839 to February 1846. The motto of the paper was "Truth will prevail," which was printed ...
'', the official church newspaper, writing:
There was a book printed at my office, a short time since, written by Udney H. Jacob, on marriage, without my knowledge; and had I been apprised of it, I should not have printed it; not that I am opposed to any man enjoying his privileges; but I do not wish to have my name associated with the authors, in such an unmeaning rigmarole of nonsence , folly, and trash. JOSEPH SMITH.
However, other sources raise the possibility that this statement may have been misleading. In particular,
John D. Lee's 1877 "Confessions" states, speaking about the 1842–43 period:
During the winter Joseph, the Prophet, set a man by the name of Udney Hay Jacob to select from the Old Bible scriptures as pertained to polygamy, or celestial marriage, to write it in pamphlet form, and to advocate that doctrine. This he did as a feeler among the people, to pave the way for celestial marriage.[John D. Lee, 1877, ''Mormonism Unveiled: The Life and Confession of John D. Lee, Including the Life of Brigham Young''.]
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich notes that while both Jacob and Smith used Biblical arguments to justify polygamy (which Smith secretly practiced at the time), the beliefs about divorce espoused in ''The Peace Maker'' do not match Joseph Smith's teachings or practices on divorce.
John Taylor, who helped manage the press that published ''The Peace Maker'', also dismissed the pamphlet and felt
William Smith William, Willie, Will, Bill, or Billy Smith may refer to:
Academics
* William Smith (Master of Clare College, Cambridge) (1556–1615), English academic
* William Smith (antiquary) (c. 1653–1735), English antiquary and historian of University C ...
was responsible for continuing its dissemination.
The text offers several defenses of polygamy that were later used extensively by
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
(LDS Church), the
Latter Day Saint sect which later
migrated to Utah and defended the practice, arguing that polygamy produces greater marital unity than monogamy. The pamphlet also argues vigorously that male authority over females should be absolute and is of divine origin. The text has been influential in the development of 20th- and 21st-century Latter Day Saint polygamous movements.
Notes
References
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*.
External links
Online Copy of "The Peace Maker"PDF Copy of "The Peace Maker""The Peace Maker" digital scan of an original copy held by the
Harold B. Lee Library,
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peace Maker
1842 non-fiction books
1842 in Christianity
19th-century Christian texts
Latter Day Saint movement in Illinois
Latter Day Saint texts
Pamphlets
Works about polygamy in Mormonism
Joseph Smith