Mormons in Utah

· In 1820 Joseph Smith received a vision from God to Start a new Church
· 1823- Got a new vision. An angel named Moroni told him where to find stones which had ancient writing which he would have to translate.
· He translated them into the Book of Mormon, which was published in 1830.
· Same year he organized the Church of Latter Day Saints.
· Currently was in New York.
· Sent missionaries to west frontier and got many converts
· In 1831 converted Minister Sidney Rigdon. Told Joe to move to Kirtland, Ohio where Rigdon had a following.
· In 1836 made temple there, but left area because made a bank there that failed and there was hostility from non Mormons (due to them believing mormons were wrong for their polygamous ways.)
· Moved to Far West, Misoirri. Violence from nonmormons erupted in 1838. That same year Missourri’s governor Lilburn Boggs asked the mormons to leave or face termination.
· 1839 Built Nauvoo, a city in Hancock County, Illinois. I.L. state legislature wanted their votes so granted them a city charter in 1840, allowing them to have own court system and militia (the Nauvoo Legion, which consisted of 5,000 Mormons.) Economy based off the contributions of the newcomers and the rich Mormon leaders.
o Here Smith was mayor, head of city council, and chief justice. His city aldermen served as associate justices. (this complete power in hands of mormons angered nonmormons in are.)
o In 1841 anounced their doctrine of plural marriage and encouraged mormons to practice it.
o In 1844 smith ran for president with Rigdon as vice. A local newspaprer, Nauvoo Expositor, demeaned Mormon church. Smith shut it down and was put in jail for that in Carthage Illinois. There he was killed by a mob.
o Charter taking away six months later
o Bingham Young elected leader of the mormons (part of council of twelve since 1835, ruling body of the church.).
o In 1845 biggest city in I.L. They encouraged converts from u.s., England, and Canada to move to the city.
o Same year mob violence from anti mormons was increasing
o Brigham and twelve decided it was time to leave with the thousands of current members

· Travelled to utah on foot. Arrived 7/24/1847. 70,000 travled there over course of next 22 years. Plans were made to make Great Salt Lake City.
· City Council set up by end of 1847 and ordinances made by 1/1/1848
o Churches, homes, and schools built there
o Many newcomers came because of the California gold rush, so not all were morm
§ Many of these temporary settlers went back est telling the federal gov’t of the Mormon’s non-traditional beliefs and practices.
o Perpetual Emigrating Company – raise fund to bring American and English morms to utah.
o 1850 utah made into territory with young as governor
o In 1852 Young publicly announced to nonmormons the Mormon polygamous ways. (CONTROVERSIAL)
o Morms believed in following the principle (law of the land.) There were no laws against it. Only 10% of morm practiced it.
o Not many liked polygamy ( some tourist to Salt Lake City were curious.)
o Republican party formed in 1854 and wanted to fight slavery and polygamy, the “twin relics of barbarism.”
o Young removed as governor in 1857 and congress made polygamy illegal in 1862.
o Had to marry secretly but it was then made illegal to live with someone you weren’t married to.

Utah war
The northwest ordinances provided for three judges who would be the supreme court of the territory. The Mormon community was a theocracy and the judges were seen as intrusive meddlers. Young ignored the judges and made his own rulings in the Supreme Court. In 1857 president Buchanan accused the mormons of rebellion. Young was removed as governor and in his place was Alfred cumming A military expedition was sent, the mormons became less trustful and felt like fighting but young decided for a more peaceful approach and decided to make the Mormon leader go into hiding. Volunteers raided supply wagons and burned nearby ft. bridger. Troops got to salt lake city and it was pretty deserted so they established camp 40 miles away. Never got along with eachother but did trade. They left when civil war started (took heat off of mormons.)

Railroad
Transcontinental railroad maid above utah.
Brought thousand of more mormons but also brought non mormons and non Mormon influences (gambling, prostitution, alcohol)
Helped spread missionaries and Mormon faith fast.
By 1890 polygamy was still a big issue.
Mormons wanted respect as Americans and thanks for their contribution to spreading the west. That year Mormon president Wilford Woodruff asked the mormons to stop engaging in plural marriages and on 1/4/1896 U.S. President Benjamin Harris Granted amnest to current polygamists and made utah a state.


The following is an article about what the mormons did for utah in terms of westward expansion.
Colonizing the desert
Upon arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, the Mormons literally had to make a place to live. They created irrigation systems, laid out farms, built houses, churches and schools. Access to water was crucially important. Almost immediately, Brigham Young set out to identify and claim additional community sites. While it was difficult to find large areas in the Great Basin where water sources were dependable and growing seasons long enough to raise vitally important subsistence crops, satellite communities began to be formed.
Shortly after the first company arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, the community of Bountiful was settled to the north. In 1848, settlers moved into lands purchased from trapper Miles Goodyear in present day Ogden. In 1849, Tooele and Provo were founded. Also that year, at the invitation of Ute chief Wakara, settlers moved into the Sanpete Valley in central Utah to establish the community of Manti. Fillmore, Utah, intended to be the capital of the new territory, was established in 1851. In 1855, missionary efforts aimed at western native cultures led to outposts in Fort Lemhi, Idaho, Las Vegas, Nevada and Elk Mountain in east central Utah.
The experiences of returning members of the Mormon Battalion were also important in establishing new communities. On their journey west, the Mormon soldiers had identified dependable rivers and fertile river valleys in Colorado, Arizona and southern California. In addition, as the men traveled to rejoin their families in the Salt Lake Valley, they moved through southern Nevada and southern Utah. Jefferson Hunt, senior Mormon officer of the Battalion, actively searched for settlement sites, minerals and other resources. His report encouraged 1851 settlement efforts in Iron County, near present day Cedar City. These southern explorations eventually led to Mormon settlements in St. George, Utah, Las Vegas and San Bernadino, California, as well as communities in southern Arizona.












Oregon Question

Here’s the lowdown. The Oregon country was this vast land of northwestern America which had some Canada in it. Russia, Spain, us and Britian all wanted a piece of it but by 1825 because of treaties Russia and Spain signed, brit and America were the two players left in the game. Brit had people north of the Columbia River colonized by the Hudson’s bay company trading with indiands in the Pacific Northwest for furs. America thought the area should be theirs because Robert Gray found the Columbia River in 1852 and because Lewis and Clark passed through the area to the pacific. The u.s. also had missionaries south of the Columbia by the Willamette river valley. Joint occupation became the temporary solution between America and England. This meant who ever settled there got to keep the land. Of course since we lived in the area and brit lived so far away, we populated the area fast. We offered the area above the 49th parallel to them but they didn’t want to accept that because they felt the Columbia river was the saint Lawrence of the south.
So what happened? President Polk after wining his election decided to offer the 49th line once again. England realised this was the best choice since they knew america could populate all of the oregon country and since they realized the columbia really wasn’t the st. lawrence of the west.


Oregon
Chapter 19 p.g 375-377; 380

Mormons
http://www.fofweb.com/NuHistory/default.asp?ItemID=WE52&NewItemID=True
search: Mormon impact on u.s. society
utah war
key events in Mormon history
joseph smith
bringham young

http://www.americanwest.com/trails/pages/mormtrl.htm