Mormons vs USA in the 1850s

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Marcus
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Mormons vs USA in the 1850s

#1

Post by Marcus » 03 Jul 2003, 16:50

The below is from the excellent "Battle cry of Freedon: The Civil War Era" by James M McPherson and I'm looking for more info on this conflict between the mormons and the US government, in particular the armed conflict.
Are there any good books on these events?
James M. McPherson wrote:The greatest threat to the Saints was the conflict with the United States government, which acquired the Great Basin from Mexico just as the Mormons were founding their Zion at Sale Lake. In 1850 [Brigham] Young persuaded Washington to name him governor of the new territory of Utah. This united church and state at the top and preserved peace for a time. But Gentile territorial judges and other officials complained that their authority existed in name only; the people obeyed laws handed down and interpreted by the church hierarchy. Tensions between Mormons and Gentiles sometimes escalated to violent confrontations. American opinion turned sharply against the Saints in 1852 when the curch openly embraced plural marriage as divinely ordained (Brigham Young himself took a total of 55 wives). In 1856 the first national platform of the Republican party branded polygamy a "barbarism" equal to slavery. In 1857 President James Buchanan declared the Mormons to be in rebellion and sent troops to force their submission to a new governor. During the Saints' guerilla warfare against these soldiers in the fall of 1857, a group of Mormon fanatics massacred 120 California-bound emigrants at Mountain Meadows. This prompted the government to send more troops. A realist, Young accepted the inevitable, surrendered his civil authority, restrained his followers, and made an uneasy peace with the United States.
/Marcus

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Marcus
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#2

Post by Marcus » 02 Aug 2003, 22:40

Anyone?

/Marcus


cybercat
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#3

Post by cybercat » 03 Aug 2003, 03:34

I'm not even going to go there Marcus...hehehe

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Dan W.
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#4

Post by Dan W. » 03 Aug 2003, 06:28

Sorry Marcus, can't help you there. I live close to Nauvoo, Illinois where the Mormon religion (founded by Joeseph Smith) got its start and where he was later murdered.

The movement was forced to flee, and settled in Salt Lake City Utah, where I have also been and visited the famous Mormon Temple.

I would suggest a search of Salt Lake City archives and I'm sure you can either find what you are looking for or e-mail someone who can advise you on suggested reading. Good luck.

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Takao
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#5

Post by Takao » 03 Aug 2003, 08:15

Hi Marcus,

While I like reading about the West, I must say it is not my forte. Ran Brigham young through Yahoo's search engine, and this site seems like a good place to start.

http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/s_z/young.htm

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Marcus
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#6

Post by Marcus » 03 Aug 2003, 10:39

Image Image Image
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I've found three books that deal with the massacre if not the conflict in general: "American Massacre: The Tragedy at Mountain Meadows, September 11, 1857" by Sally Denton, "The Mountain Meadows Massacre" by Juanita Brooks, "Blood of the Prophets: Brigham Young and the Massacre at Mountain Meadows" by Will Bagley.

Image
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This one seems to be a good overview on this period in general: "Forgotten Kingdom: The Mormon Theocracy in the American West, 1847-1896" by David L. Bigler

/Marcus

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