The Latter Day Saint movement is a group of Restorationist religious denominations and adherents who follow at least some of the teachings and revelations of Joseph Smith, Jr., publisher of the Book of Mormon in 1830. The Latter Day Saint movement is one of a number of separate movements, known collectively as Restorationism, intending to transcend Protestant denominationalism, and to restore a form of Christianity thought to be more consistent with the New Testament. The original church, founded by Joseph Smith, Jr., was known initially as the Church of Christ, then the Church of the Latter Day Saints to distinguish it from other Christian churches, and by 1838 as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

After Smith's death in 1844, the organization divided into several groups, the largest of which, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) migrated to Utah Territory and became known in the 19th century for its practice of plural marriage. The LDS Church discontinued this practice in 1890. Other denominations, who refer to themselves as Mormon fundamentalists, continued the practice.

Other groups originating within the Latter Day Saint movement followed different paths in Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. For the most part these groups rejected plural marriage and some of Smith's latest teachings. The largest of these, the Community of Christ (originally known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), was formed in Missouri in 1860 by several groups uniting around Smith's son, Joseph Smith III.

Most denominations existing today who follow the teachings of Joseph Smith, Jr. have some historical relationship with the movement. The driving force behind and founder of the early Latter Day Saint movement was Joseph Smith, Jr., and to a lesser extent, during the movement's first two years, Oliver Cowdery.

Throughout his life Joseph Smith shared and later wrote on a number of occasions of an experience he had as a boy having seen God the Father and Jesus Christ, as two separate beings, who told him that the true church had been lost and would be restored through him, and he would be given the authority to organize and lead the true Church of Christ. Smith and Cowdery also explained that the angels John the Baptist, Peter, James and John visited them in 1829 and gave them authority to reestablish the Church of Christ.

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