Whereas in the years following the establishment of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (referred to in this preamble as the LDS Church ) in 1830, the early members of the LDS Church (referred to in this preamble as Latter-day Saint pioneers ) experienced religious persecution manifested through physical assault, destruction of their houses and businesses, theft of their property, exile from their homes, threats of violence and war, imprisonment, rape, and murder; Whereas the petitions of the LDS Church to the United States Government for assistance and redress were frequently unanswered and produced no relief; Whereas the leader and prophet of the LDS Church, Joseph Smith, and his brother, Hyrum, were shot and killed by an armed mob; Whereas in a letter addressed to the President of the United States, James K. Polk, the new leader of the LDS Church, Brigham Young, wrote, … [W]hile we appreciate the Constitution of the United States as the most precious among the nations, we feel that we had rather retreat to the deserts, islands or mountain caves than consent to be ruled by governors and judges… who delight in injustice and oppression ; Whereas in pursuit of liberty and religious freedom, the Latter-day Saint pioneers journeyed westward in the winter of 1846, and ultimately travelled more than 1,300 miles of wilderness across vast prairies, barren deserts, jagged mountains, and turbulent rivers; Whereas the Latter-day Saint pioneers endured extreme weather conditions, illness, hunger, and exhaustion, resulting in the pioneers losing young children, spouses, parents, and friends to exposure, disease, and starvation; Whereas upon entering the Great Salt Lake Valley in Utah on July 24, 1847, Brigham Young announced, “This is the right place,” foretelling how the valley would become home to many Latter-day Saints and their posterity