EVENTS

•  1830: Smith and a few followers established a church in Kirtland, Ohio.  It expanded rapidly.  By 1831, they had established a second church in Missouri. 

•  1832: Smith was tarred-and-feathered in Kirtland. 

•  1833: The Mormon printing press in Kirtland was destroyed by a mob.  Mobs drove the Missouri Mormons out of Jackson County (to Clay County). 

•  1836: The Missouri Mormons were driven out of Clay County to Caldwell and Daviess Counties. 

•  1837: Smith set up the Kirtland Safety Society, which went bankrupt in 10 months; Smith was fined for running an illegal bank. 

•  1838: After a split in the Church, Smith left Kirtland, and set up in Far West, Missouri. 

A militia called the Danites was formed to police and defend the Mormons, loot the Gentiles, and kill people who left the Church. 

After a brawl at Gallatin when settlers tried to prevent Mormons from voting, a full-scale war broke out.  There was a pitched battle at Crooked River, a mob massacred a Mormon congregation at Haun's Mill, and Gov Lilburn Boggs issued an order for the Mormons to be driven from the State.  Smith was imprisoned and sentenced to death, but released. 

•  1839: Smith and Brigham Young established a settlement in Nauvoo, Illinois, a marshy area he hoped no one else wanted.  They were allowed home rule.  The town quickly grew to the size of Chicago. 

•  1843: Smith announced that the Church would allow polygamy. 

•  1844: Smith stood for President, and announced that Mormons could become gods.  He was imprisoned, but killed by a mob. 

The Church disintegrated.  Some, led by Lyman Wight, went to Texas.  James Strang set up as king of a ‘reorganised’ church on Beaver Island in Michigan.  Sidney Rigdon set up in Pittsburgh. 

•  1847: The majority of the Church, however, accepted the leadership of Brigham Young, who ordered and organised their migration to Salt Lake City. 

Did You Know

Mormons believed that Adam-ondi-Ahman in Daviess County Missouri is the site of the Garden of Eden, and the Book of Mormon sees America as a ‘promised land’ gifted to the descendants of Joseph.

Writing in 2011, historian David Gore drew attention to the connections between these ideas and American exceptionalism – the belief that America has a special covenant from God. Joseph Smith preached American exceptionalism, and this may explain the popularity of Mormonism in America, as well as its unpopularity.

Consider:

1.  Study Source A.  Draw from it all the reasons you can infer as to why the Mormons were hated.

2. Study Source B.  Draw from it all the reasons you can infer as to why the Mormons moved West.

3.  Compare Source B to what you know about the History of the Mormons 1830-47, and why the Mormons were hated.  How reliable is it as an explanation of why the Mormons moved West?

4. Compare Sources A and B.  Why do these sources differ in their views over the relations between Mormons and Gentiles in Missouri in the 1830s?

• AQA-style Questions

  5.  In what ways were the lives of the Mormons affected by persecution?

• Edexcel-style Questions

  1.  Explain two consequences of the death of Joseph Smith in 1844.

• OCR-style Questions

  1a.  Identify one feature of the Mormon religion which outraged many Americans.

  1b.  Name one place the Mormons tried to settle before they migrated to Salt Lake City.

  1c.  Give one example of how the Mormons were persecuted before 1847.

  3.  Why did the Mormons move west in 1847?  Explain your answer.

  4.  How far do you agree that the Mormons were the cause of their own persecution? 

Source A

Little more than two years ago, some two or three of this people made their appearance in the Upper Missouri, and they now number some twelve hundred souls in this county; and each successive autumn and spring pours forth its swarm among us ...  flooding us with the very dregs of their composition. 

Elevated, as they mostly are, but little above the condition of our blacks either in regard to property or education; they have become a subject of much anxiety on that part, serious and well grounded complaints having been already made of their corrupting influence on our slaves. 

We are daily told, and not by the ignorant alone, but by all classes of them, that we, (the Gentiles,) of this county are to be cut off, and our lands appropriated by them for inheritances.  Whether this is to be accomplished by the hand of the destroying angel, the judgments of God, or the arm of power, they are not fully agreed among themselves. 

It requires no gift of prophecy to tell that the day is not far distant when the civil government of the country will be in their hands.  When the sheriff, the justices, and the county judges will be Mormons, or persons wishing to court their favor from motives of interest or ambition. 

What would be the fate of our lives and property, in the hands of jurors and witnesses, who do not blush to declare, and would not apon [upon ] occasion hesitate to swear that they have wrought miracles, and have been the subjects of miraculous and supernatural cures; have conversations with God and his angels.

Report by a local newspaper, the Western Monitor, of a speech to a meeting of citizens held in July 1833.

Source B

Many were brought to repentance, were immersed in the water, and were filled with the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands.  They saw visions and prophesied, devils were cast out and the sick healed by the laying on of hnds.

Numbers joined the church and we were increasing rapidly.  We made large purchases of land, our farms teemed with plenty, and peace an happiness were enjoyed throughout our neighborhood. 

But as we could not associate with our neighbors who were many of them the basest of men, and had fled from the face of civilized society to the frontier country to escape the hand of justice in their midnight revels, their Sabbath breaking, horse racing and gambling, they commenced at first to ridicule, then to persecute, and finally an organized mob assembled and burned our houses, tarred and feathered and whipped many of our brethren and finally drove them from their habitations...

We next settled in Caldwell and Davies counties where we made large and extensive settlements, thinking to free ourselves from the power of oppression by settling in places with very few inhabitants in them.  But here we were not allowed to live in peace, but in 1838 we were again attacked by mobs, an exterminating order was issued by Gov. Boggs and under sanction of the law an organised banditti ranged through the country, robbed us of our cattle, sheep, horses, hogs, &c., many of our people were murdered in cold blood, the chastity of our women was violated, and we were forced to sign away our property at the point of the sword ...  and although we had deeds for our land and had violated no law, we could obtain no justice.

The Wentworth Letter (1842) – Joseph Smith’s account of events in Missouri in the 1830s.

Source C

At five o’clock in the morning the bugle is to be sounded as a signal for every man to arise and attend prayers before he leaves his wagon. 

Then the people will engage in cooking, eating, feeding teams, etc., until seven o’clock, at which time the train is to move at the sound of the bugle. 

Each teamster is to keep beside his team with loaded gun in hand or within easy reach, while the extra men, observing the same rule regarding their weapons, are to walk by the side of the particular wagons to which they belong; and no man may leave his post without the permission of his officers. 

In case of an attack or any hostile demonstration by Indians, the wagons will travel in double file – the order of encampment to be in a circle. 

At half past eight each evening the bugles are to be sounded again, upon which signal all will hold prayers in their wagons, and be retired to rest by nine o’clock.

from Brigham Young's order for the journey.

Consider:

1  Discuss Source C.  How useful is it to an historian wanting to understand why the Mormons were able to survive the journey to Salt Lake Valley?

2. Source D illustrates what Eric Eliason calls the 'pioneer myth' of the Mormon trek west.  Studying the image, what messages does it convey?  Find other images of the Mormon handcarts to find the different elements of the myth.  Eliason points out that most of the Mormons went at least part of the way by railroad, and that their wagon-trains were better organised and better-supported than most.  So why the myth?