Exploring Why the Mormons Settled in Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City is located in the west of North America. It was a
desolate wilderness, dry, and a place where many people assumed was
uninhabitable. So why did the Mormons ‘relocate’ to such an
unattractive and diverse place?
Brigham Young, in 1845 organised the mass movement of 15000 men, women
and children travelling on a journey of over 2250km from the USA to
Salt Lake City. But why do this?
Both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young believed that it was God’s will to
send the Mormons west, and because other Mormons believed that Young
was inspired by God they felt that they should fulfil God’s will.
Another reason why the Mormons emigrated west was to escape religious
persecution from other white Americans. Polygamy in America was seen
widely to be wrong in the eyes of most people. The Mormons practiced
this freely within their own homes, this angered a large proportion of
America, and as a result it wasn’t uncommon for Mormons homes to be
attacked and set on fire on a regular basis.
Furthermore, it was Young’s dream to establish ‘the holy city’
otherwise known as Zion. Which he also believed was God’s will. He
hoped that Mormons could eventually become self-sufficient, and live
in peace within Zion.
Finally, it was the Mormons’ intention to live independently of
Central America, and to establish their own state (now known as Utah).
By doing this it would allow them to create their own laws, and
practice what they believed in peace and harmony.
In my opinion the main reason for the Mormon’s migration was to escape
religious persecution from the rest of America, as they were unable to
lead normal lives in Central America.
What was the non-Mormons attitude towards Polygamy?
Polygamy (in a large proportion of American’s opinions) was seen to be
wrong in the eyes of God. This was because the bible says that a man
should only have one wife, so the attitude of most Americans was
Bitton, Davis & Beecher, Maureen U. New Views of Mormon History. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1987.
I am regularly (such as last night) in conversation with well-educated Mormons who struggle when trying to deal with rational concepts related to things like science, investment strategies, politics and other purely secular matters. And I see in their struggles infections likely attributable to the magical thinking at the heart of what is required these days to be a literally believing Mormon. The conversation in which I participated last night that caused this essay had to do with an investment opportunity that a bright, successful young Mormon had been offered. Some Mormons still respect my judgment regarding investments that seem not to require "the Spirit", and he wanted to run by me what had been proposed to him. I was happy to listen for a few minutes and tell him what I thought.
...be for the whites. The blacks, though free, won’t have the right to vote because by giving them that right would mean that they would become a citizen which will lead to other races becoming a citizen as well and the whites didn’t want that to happen. Mormons were prosperous so many people were jealous and became hostile and started to torment the Mormons, causing them to leave to Utah, where they thrived. Overall, the frontier was a place where many different races met and fought against one another through racial violence and discriminating against one another just because their race or color.
The ritual for the “errant woman” in Numbers 5:11-31 is only one of many instances in the Old Testament that deals with the crime of adultery. The crime is described throughout the books in the Hebrew Bible, such as Genesis 20:6, Lev. 18:20, Ezek. 18:6, Ps. 51:6, and Mal. 3:5. A variety of texts discuss the evil of adultery. The Israelites held the act in such harsh light, that a commandment against committing adultery is found in the Decalogue. This certainly indicates that extra-martial affairs were viewed in a severe manner.
to be a place to avoid. Few considered it a place to traverse, to spread
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the crowning achievement of Thomas Jefferson’s Presidency. Without the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the United States may never have expanded west. The expedition set out from outside St. Louis in May of 1804. During that summer and into the fall, the explorers paddled upstream, northwest on the Missouri River to Fort Mandan where the Corps of Discovery set up camp, wintered, and prepared for the journey to the Pacific. This expedition was extremely important for the new nation because on their journey, the Corps of Discovery did find a water route to the Pacific Ocean. They documented and cataloged the geography, as well as new flora and fauna they encountered, resulting in an extensive journal of new scientific information. They also established diplomatic and trade relations with the Native American Tribes they encountered along the way.
Two different English settlements came to the Americas, one that goes by the name Jamestown that was led by Captain John Smith and the other named Plymouth led by William Bradford came to Americas with no knowledge of the terrain or the people they might encounter. From the long journey on the Mayflower, leaving England for multiple reasons, having to built a new salvation through the harsh conditions, and hoping their main purpose is achieved peaceful.
But the church did not see it that way. The church believed that the only way to
"Growth of the Church - LDS Newsroom." LDS News | Mormon News - Official Newsroom of the Church. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. .
using the bible it will not tell you what is the correct thing to do.
In the very first part of the bible, in Geneses, it says that man was
In 1803 the Louisiana purchase took place, which cost the United States 15 million dollars this included the land west of the Mississippi. The Louisiana purchase doubled the size of the Unites states. Almost 7 million Americans headed west in search for securing land and the hope of being wealthy. All together tripping the size of the United States. the westward expansion greatly affected the Native Americans. The government repeatedly relocated the native Americans eventually forcing them to live in reservations. With buffalo being scarce the Native American’s were pressured to live on a reservation due to their need for food.
The Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints is a radical sect that branched off from the Mormon church after the church renounced polygamy (ABC News). Roughly 10,000 people are part of the FLDS base located on the Arizona-Utah border (ABC News) The members of FLDS view Warren Jeffs their "prophet" and God even though he is currently serving a life sentence in prison for the sexual assault of two girls, one of whom was a 12-year-old he considered his wife (Farberov, Snejana). FLDS members constantly pray for Jeffs to break out of prison; they stop whatever they are doing every hour of every day to pray for his escape (ABC News). Jeffs believes that he has not escaped yet because the members do not have enough faith (ABC News). Jeffs decides
It is obvious times have changed over the years and values have become a major issue of concern but I have also found that early settlers dealt with this as well. With faith, family and teamwork being the source that holds this thought together, it is the belief “in god we trust” I find greatly to be most powerful when honesty demonstrated.
Pioneer living conditions for women are definitely not easy. Being a woman, you are expected to take care of the children of the family, feed the family, clothe the family, clean the home, and cook for the family and hired hands. To me, this seems like a full time job for sure, especially when dealing with limited resources. Social events that were available to pioneer women and their families included barn raisings, corn husking, political meetings for the area, school functions, and more such as church meetings.