Hi, I was wondering if anyone could tell me the reason or reasons the mormon culture was forced in the westward move in the 1860s? Was it because of religious beliefs that were not approved of in (then) america? In the 1860s, current Utah was not a part of america, it was Mexico, so was mormonism “banned” from america then? Thanks for educating me.
2 Responses to “Hi, I was wondering if anyone could tell me the reason or re…”
Richard
2010-06-22 04:34:26
Lds.org is the place you need to go in order to find the true details of your desired answer, below are a few links to timelines and the infamous "extermination order" by Gov. Boggs of Missouri. The Extermination Order, History of the Church.
I believe you have most of the informaion you are looking for already, yes the state of Utah woud have been part of Mexico at the time the LDS got there. The area however was populated mainly by the American Indians. I don't know that "Mormonism" was officialy "banned" in the US as our constitution states plainly the right for men to worship how they want. That said the us goverment did in fact have its suspicitions that the LDS were up to something, as they sent out the US army to investigate. That however was based mostly on false information and rumors. If you want to read up on the LDS peaceful resistance toward the us army you can look up and read information on Lot Smith who was a commander of the LDS forces who harrassed the US army by borrowing their horses. Lot was reprimanded by Brigham Young and eventully Brigham made enough gestures of peace to settle the fears of the US gov... Up in Salt Lake City are the updated buildings of the old Fort Douglas.. You can find added truth at Fort Douglas Military Museum
Melissa
2010-06-27 18:27:34
This question, to be answered fully would require a book, because it encompasses a large portion of the history of the LDS church. The short answer, is that since the time the church was reorganized, the members were persecuted and tormented for their beliefs. This led to the saints moving around to different locations, many located on what was then the edge of the United States, in Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri. By the time Joseph Smith was martyred at Carthage Jail, there were plans for the saints to move yet again, to where Utah is now located. This move was in part to gain peace, so they could live and practice their religion without all the turmoil that they had been experiencing. Turmoil that included being attacked in their homes in the middle of the night by drunk mobs, tarred and feathered merely because they were LDS, wives raped and children killed. Many horrible things happened during that dark time.
I believe you have most of the informaion you are looking for already, yes the state of Utah woud have been part of Mexico at the time the LDS got there. The area however was populated mainly by the American Indians. I don't know that "Mormonism" was officialy "banned" in the US as our constitution states plainly the right for men to worship how they want. That said the us goverment did in fact have its suspicitions that the LDS were up to something, as they sent out the US army to investigate. That however was based mostly on false information and rumors. If you want to read up on the LDS peaceful resistance toward the us army you can look up and read information on Lot Smith who was a commander of the LDS forces who harrassed the US army by borrowing their horses. Lot was reprimanded by Brigham Young and eventully Brigham made enough gestures of peace to settle the fears of the US gov... Up in Salt Lake City are the updated buildings of the old Fort Douglas.. You can find added truth at Fort Douglas Military Museum