The Danites were a fraternal organization founded by Latter Day Saint members in June 1838, at Far West in Caldwell County, Missouri. During their period of organization in Missouri, the Danites operated as a vigilante group and took a central role in the events of the 1838 Mormon War. They may or may not have continued to operate in the years after the 1847 arrival of the LDS in Utah. However, they remained an important part of Mormon and non-Mo...
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The Danites were a fraternal organization founded by Latter Day Saint members in June 1838, at Far West in Caldwell County, Missouri. During their period of organization in Missouri, the Danites operated as a vigilante group and took a central role in the events of the 1838 Mormon War. They may or may not have continued to operate in the years after the 1847 arrival of the LDS in Utah. However, they remained an important part of Mormon and non-Mormon folklore, polemics, and propaganda for the remainder of the 19th century, waning in ideological prominence after Utah gained statehood. The exact nature and scope of the organization, and the degree to which it was officially connected to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are a matter of some dispute among historians.
In 1834, during the march of Zion's Camp, Joseph Smith created a militia known as the "Armies of Israel" to protect his community; this group was also called the Danites. After the Mormon War of 1838, the term...
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