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America 1835-1900 Lesson 5 The Mormons PowerPoint

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103 views

America 1835-1900 Lesson 5 The Mormons PowerPoint

Uploaded by

Boris Deák
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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America 1835-1900

The Mormons
Learning Objective
To analyse the reasons why the Mormons moved from the east to the west of
America.
Targeting Assessment Objectives AO1, AO2 and AO3

Success Criteria
• To describe why Mormons faced persecution in the east.
• To use sources to create a picture of the Mormon migration.
• To analyse the reasons for the Mormon War.
Key Terms
Make an accurate sentence that includes at least three of the words shown here.

Sioux gold trapping

buffalo Indigenous tipi

west farming east


Joseph Smith
In 1830, Joseph Smith published the Book of Mormon. This book was inspired by his
visions of Jesus and angels and was based on writings on golden tablets that Smith had
found. Only readable with a spirit-stone, Smith had transcribed the tablets into a book.
Smith lived in the burned-over district, an area of the east of the USA where religions
inspired by Christianity were created in great numbers. Many people liked Smith’s new
religion, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, also known as Mormonism.
Unfortunately, due to some of their religious practices, Mormons were also distrusted or
disliked by others, especially more traditional Christians.

In pairs, look through your Mormon Practices


cards. Each card may give a clue as to why
some people disliked the Mormons. Place the
cards in a line, with the card you think most
explains why Mormons were disliked at one end
and the card that explains the least on the other.
Joseph Smith
Feeling unwelcome in the east, Joseph Smith led the Mormons to a new land in Illinois, in the
Midwest of the USA in 1839. There the Mormons bought the town of Commerce and renamed
it Nauvoo in 1840. This was to be the place the Mormons settled and started a new life.
Unfortunately, the persecution did not stop upon the founding of Nauvoo and Joseph Smith
was hounded by anti-Mormons. In 1842, Smith had a vision showing him that the Mormons
should move further west. He would never make the journey however as he was imprisoned for
treason
after forming a Mormon militia which he
planned on using to take control of the
local area. Angry men wearing black
face paint raided his prison and shot him
to death before there could be a trial.
The Mormon religion splintered following
Smith’s death, with at least seven men
declaring themselves the new leader of the
Church. The majority of Mormons stayed
together and were led by Brigham Young.
Brigham Young
Brigham Young succeeded Smith in leading the Church and, in 1846, he led the
Mormons from Nauvoo to Utah, a largely unclaimed territory in the Mexican-owned
west.
Young wished to create a new Mormon country called Deseret. He believed that
Mormons could self-rule, and opened talks with Mexico to take control of the land. Utah
would not belong to Mexico for long, however: the Mexican-American war ended in
1848, one year after the Mormons arrived in Utah. With the USA victorious, Utah was
taken by the USA. The country Young had wanted to escape had just caught up with
him!
Create a timeline that shows the important
events in the Mormon exodus west by using
the dates from your Activity Sheet.
The Mormon Trail
The route that Young took with the Mormons was to become known as the Mormon
Trail.

In groups of four, move around the room and read the sources describing the
Mormon Trail. Use the sources to answer the questions on your activity sheets and
then to create a picture of the Mormon migration on a large piece of paper.
Salt Lake City
The area that Young settled in was called Salt Lake City. It was in a desert area with
huge salt flats. Through hard work and a strong spirit of community, Mormons worked to
build homes and temples, irrigate the desert land to grow crops and created a haven for
Mormons from all over the world.
Young sent missionaries out into the world to convert people to Mormonism and
succeeded in bringing people from all across Europe and converting ex-slaves and
Indigenous peoples to the Mormon faith.
Salt Lake City became known for its rich variety of cultures and societies, united in their
religious faith.
Imagine that you are a new Mormon
missionary and have been sent to
England in 1848. What can you tell
people about your religion and Salt
Lake City to encourage them to become
Mormons?
Salt Lake City
After Utah became an American territory, the federal government wished to replace
Young as governor of the territory.
The US government sent a force of 2,500 troops to depose Young.
The Mormon War was fought between the Mormons and federal government from 1857
to ‘58. Although not a very bloody war, both sides were responsible for raids and attacks
on the other. The most violent instance of the war was the Mountain Meadow Massacre,
where a group of Mormons killed a group of settlers who were hiding around their carts.
All of the adult settlers were killed with only 17 child survivors being spared. Many of
these children were adopted by Mormon families. In all, the war claimed 150 lives on
both sides.
The war ended with Young agreeing to a new American governor taking control of Utah.
Imagine that you are a new Mormon missionary and have been sent to England in 1848.
What can you tell people about your religion and Salt Lake City to encourage them to
become Mormons?
The Problem of Polygamy
Although bought under federal control in 1858, Utah was not allowed to become a full
state until it followed US law. This meant stopping the practice of polygamy as it was
illegal in the rest of the USA.
After much arguing and discussion, the Mormons eventually agreed to outlaw the
practice and Utah became a state in 1896.

Pause for Thought


What might have been two benefits
of polygamy for Mormon communities?
Would banning polygamy have been a
difficult thing to do for the Mormons?
Why Go West?
Match the groups of pioneers to their reasons for heading to the west of the USA.

Group Reason

Mormons To flee persecution.


Farmers To find new land to farm.
49ers To find gold.
Mountain Men To trap animals for fur.

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