Emma Smith is depicted as the source of the Nauvoo Expositor newspaper article about polygamy which set off the chain of events leading to Joseph's death. In reality, Emma always claimed publicly that Joseph had never preached in favor of polygamy. She did sign a public statement against polygamy, but this was also signed by hundreds of other Mormons and was part of a broader church policy denying polygamy. Joseph himself and other Church officials also publicly criticized polygamy and denied practicing it. The LDS church did not openly embrace polygamy until the 1850s, well after Joseph Smith's death.