Brigham Young and the Utah Territory

Brigham Young and the Utah Territory

Mormon leader Brigham Young originally proposed the creation of an enormous state containing all of present-day Utah, and large portions of California, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho and Wyoming - an astonishing total of 480,000 square miles. He intended this vast state to be called "Deseret", a name taken from the Book of Mormon meaning "honey bee".

When Utah became a territory as part of the Missouri Compromise of 1850, it was whittled down to a greatly reduced size. Disregarding Young's chosen name, the area was dubbed "Utah", a name derived from "Yuta", a Spanish reference to the Ute Indian Tribe. As the Utah territory grew and prospered, its population became a mix of Mormons and non-Mormons from all over the world. However, many of America's leaders believed that the territory was the province of un-American, religious fanatics. Mormon leaders struggled to overcome that perception and watched helplessly as the territories surrounding Utah achieved statehood, all with smaller, and less settled, populations. Between 1849 and 1887, Utah's territorial legislature petitioned the United States Congress for statehood six times, each denied. The major obstacles to Utah statehood were rooted in conflicts between Mormons and non-Mormons. Most of the time, most of the people got along well and lived peacefully side by side, but when politics and economics entered the picture, clashes seemed inevitable. For a long time, territorial Utah had no political parties. Since the Mormons were in the majority, they controlled all aspects of government which weren't mandated by Federal authorities. In that environment, non-Mormons didn't have much chance of being elected to public office.

After the transcontinental railroad was completed at Promontory, Utah in 1869, a lobby of federal officers, railroad workers, miners, cattlemen, merchants, bankers, and business men formed the Liberal Party. A People's Party, for which most Mormons voted, was also formed. By 1891, the Democratic and Republican parties were organized in the Utah territory. Most Mormons gravitated to the Democratic party. To achieve better political balance and present a more favorable political climate for statehood, some Mormon leaders actively recruited church members to join the Republican Party. Another obstacle to statehood was Territorial residents' disagreement over immigration policies. The Mormons were anxious to welcome convert immigrants from all over the world. They believed that immigrants would strengthen the economy. Non-Mormons generally were wary of the influx of immigrants, and feared they would be a threat to the availability of land and jobs.

Perhaps the most dramatic obstacle to Utah statehood was the Mormons' practice of polygamy. It wasn't a universal practice, but early Mormons believed it was a religious responsibility to participate in plural marriage. Outside of the Mormon church, polygamy was viewed as a threat to civic standards. Federal laws were passed against the practice of polygamy, and polygamists were stripped of their right to vote. Later, laws allowed federal confiscation of goods and property owned by the Mormon church. By 1890, faced with all members of the Mormon church, not just polygamists, losing their civil rights, Church President Wilford Woodruff issued a statement forbidding the practice of polygamy. In May of 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed Utah's Enabling Act, satisfied that Utah had met the criteria for statehood. During 1895, in a 66 day session, Mormon and non-Mormon delegates elected by the citizens drafted a state constitution which gave women the right to vote and ensured them rights equal to men. It also outlawed polygamy "forever", and guaranteed a separation of church and state.

1. Brigham Young initially proposed ____ as the name of the area that would become Utah .

Deseret
Honey Bee
Utah
Guadalupe

2. Utah became a territory as a result of the ____ .

war with the indians
war with Mexico
Missouri Compromise
Mormons

3. The transcontinental railroad was completed in ____ .

1869
1864
1895
1890

4. The most dramatic obstacle for Utah statehood was ____ .

interference by the Mormons in government administration
the lack of political parties
isolation
polygamy

5. President ____ in 1894 signed the Enabling Act which stated that Utah had met the criteria for becoming a state.

Brigham Young
Grover Cleveland
Wilford Woodruff
James K. Polk

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