Mormons

Joseph Smith and the First Mormons

Joesph Smith, claimed that in 1823 he dug up some golden plates from a mountainside in Palmyra. He said he had been guided to the plates by an angel, who helped him translate the mysterious writing on them. It said Whoever found the plates would restore the church of Jesus Christ and build up God's kingdom, ready for the second coming of Christ.Joseph Smith Started with only 5 followers, who were called Mormons, after the angels father, but in 1830 his charismatic public speaking resulted in several hundred people joining his church of latter day saints. They became very unpopular in New York and preachers denounced them as blasphemous, and newspapers accused Smith of being a fraud. After praying for guidance, Smith took his followers to the village of Kirtland, Ohio. But were not able to stay.

Brigham Young

Brigham Young's first job was as leader were to organise the move of 1,5000 men, women and children into dangerous, unknown territory and to help them survive a journey that had not been expected to make. He:- Divided the Mormons into manageable groups, each with a leader- Insisted on strict discipline, giving everyone a specific role to play- Taught them how to form their wagons into a circle at night for safety- Insisted on regular resting placesThe advance party followed the ruts made by the wagon wheels of the Donner party, reaching the top of the pass that led down to Great Salt lake city, the group had to decide whether to press on to the fertile lands of Orgeon and California or descend into the infertile, empty salt lake flats that surrounded the Great Salt Lake. The main party fleeing from Illinois arrived at the Great Salt Lake in August 1847, but over the years Mormons arrived continuously.

Establishing Salt Lake City

The first months were hard. Many died from cold and hunger, and grasshoppers devoured crops. Brigham Young had total control over his community, which obeyed him without question and believed that all of his decisions were inspired by God. He decided that no one owned land, water or timber, it would all be fairly allocated by the Mormon Church.

Spreading Throughout Utah

Brigham Young's plan was that Mormons should spread throughout Utah, he had every part of the territory surveyed in order to find out where it would be possible to farm. Once an area was found to be suitable, a town was marked out and irrigation ditches dug, and setllers were chosen to make sure occupations. To make the boundaries of Brigham Young's territory secure, towns such as Las Vegas were planned along its Boundary.

The CityThe temple and the Temple square were in the center of the city. Around the square, wide streets marked off blocks of land of the same size. These were each divided into eight plots for houses and gardens. Each family was given a plot.

Five-acre plotsfor the young artisans and mechanics who had little time to work on the land

Ten-acre Plotsfor those with small families or elderly couples whose children had left home

Farms Between ten and eighty acresfor larger families

Encouraging Emigration

If the Mormon territory of Utah was to flourish, it needed thousands and thousands of settlers to work in the cities and on the land to create prosperity.Brigham Young set up a perpetual emigration fund, to provide money for poor Mormons living elsewhere in America and in Europe to make the journey, bringing with them the range of skills needed. In England alone 32,894 converts were ready to leave by the end of 1851. They had to repay the money once they were in Utah.

Brigham Young: Politician

Brigham Young wanted the Mormons to be free to follow their own beliefs and customs, free from outside interference. In order to do this they had to be politically independent.

New Page