Mormon Pioneers and Their Journey

West

Packet Work• The Mormon Migration: Fill in this page of your packet

using the map at the end of this PowerPoint. • Who were the Mormon Pioneers?: Using this

PowerPoint take notes using an alphabet to start off each sentence you write down. It doesn’t have to be in a particular order. – Example: Using E: Extermination Order was issued by

Governor Boggs in Missouri to kill all the saints if they did not leave.

– Example: Using M: Mississippi River froze solid so that they could cross over it and leave Nauvoo quickly.

• Mormon Pioneers: Take additional notes that cannot be written on the ‘Who were the Mormon Pioneers’ page.

• Pioneer Journal Entry: Follow the directions and fill in a journal entry as if you were a Mormon Pioneer.

• Religion– Christianity--

Christians– Buddhism--

Buddhist– Judaism--Jews– Hinduism--Hindu– Islam--Muslims

• Christianity– LDS, Mormons– Catholics– Protestants– Seventh-Day

Adventists– Baptists– Methodist

Searching for Religious Freedom

• This isn’t something new, the Pilgrims and the Puritans came to America to practice their religion freely, without persecution. – PERSECUTION: HARASSING OR

CAUSING PEOPLE TO SUFFER BECAUSE OF THEIR BELIEFS.

Who were the Mormons?• During a time called the Great

Awakening (1820-1840) thousands of people were involved in a religious revival.

• Joseph Smith was a 14 year old boy who was searching for the correct church. He lived in the state of New York. One day he had a vision and declared that he was to start a church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, LDS.

• Smith translated The Book of Mormon. • Mormons = Followers of Joseph Smith

Zion

• Smith wanted all his followers to join together in “a gathering place,” or “Zion”. – A place where people would live together

in peace and purity.

• Many joined the Church, but were persecuted for it. It was clear, they needed to leave New York.

Moving From Place to Place

• From New York --> Kirtland, Ohio– Despite being poor, the Mormons built a Temple in Ohio.

• Kirtland, Ohio --> Independence, Missouri– Really disliked because they were a “strange new religion”

who did not believe in slavery. – Governor Boggs issued the Extermination Order--All

Mormons must leave or be killed. • EXTERMINATE: TO GET RID OF COMPLETELY

– Mobs began attacking Mormons, beating, killing and burning homes.

– Finally, the Mormons left in the winter.

Moving From Place to Place• Independence, Missouri -->Nauvoo, Illinois

– Arrived in Quincy, Illinois, and the people of this town felt bad for the Mormons. They took them in and helped them.

– Eventually, they moved to a new area and named it Nauvoo. They lived in peace for several years.

– Then persecution towards the Mormons. • Angry mobs of men burned homes, and tarred and

feathered Mormons• Joseph Smith was arrested and taken to Carthage Jail.

The next evening, a mob of angry men attacked the prison and shot and killed Joseph and his brother, Hyrum. They were considered martyrs.

• MARTYR: A PERSON WHO IS KILLED FOR THEIR BELIEFS.

MOVING FROM PLACE TO PLACE

• Nauvoo, Illinois– Brigham Young was chosen as the new leader of the

Mormons. – Once again, because of persecution the people were

forced to leave their homes. Waiting till the Spring was not an option because the mobs had become very violent.

– They read Fremont’s Reports and decided moving west was the best idea. But when? The winter was incredibly cold and would make the trip difficult.

– Then a miracle occurred and the Mississippi River froze solid allowing the Mormons to walk across it--oxen, wagons and all

Moving West

• Nauvoo, Illinois -->Winter Quarters, Nebraska– A large community

of log cabins as a short stop before moving into Utah.

– There was much disease and cold and not enough food and warm clothes.

•Winter Quarters, Nebraska -->Salt Lake Valley

–July 24, 1847: Brigham Young arrived with the Advanced Pioneer Company

Why Did People Not Like the Mormons?

Think About it…

• Freedom of religion is guaranteed in the Bill of Rights-- the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. Do you think the Mormon people should have been allowed this freedom?

• “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. “

Trials and Concerns of the Trek• Utah was owned by Mexico and the

Mormons were worried about leaving the United States. But, they knew it was their only hope at religious freedom.

• Heat, cold, dust, bad water, unusual food, accidents, insects and snakebites.

• Cholera was very common. – Cholera is an diarrheal disease caused by an

infection in the intestines that can kill even a healthy adult in a matter of hours.

– Symptoms, including severe watery diarrhea, can then trigger extreme dehydration and kidney failure.

The Mormon Battalion and the Mexican

War

• In 1846, U.S. goes to war against Mexico for land (California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah)--Still owned by Mexico

• Over 500 men volunteered to join.

• The soldiers never fought in any battles because the war ended before they could arrive in Mexico.

• When the war ended in 1848 the men returned to their families. Some stayed on and joined

• Soldiers were paid, which allowed their families to buy wagons, oxen, food and other supplies.

What Helped the Pioneers? • Perpetual Emigration Fund: Formed in 1849 to

help bring LDS members across the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Plains. – People donated money, oxen, wagons, and food from

Utah. – Immigrants later repaid their loans with money, farm

products or goods.

• Covered wagons to Handcarts– Members used all their money to come across the

Atlantic Ocean, they didn’t have wagons, animals or supplies for the next part of their journey.

– Handcarts were cheaper.– Required immigrants to build the handcarts, then use

muscle power to push and pull the carts across the plains.

Ephraim HanksNovember 1856

• "I have but a very little to say about the sufferings of Captain Martin’s company before I joined it; but it had passed through terrible ordeals. Women and the larger children helped the men to pull the hand-carts, and in crossing the frozen streams, they had to break the ice with their feet. In fording the Platte River, the largest stream they had to cross after the cold weather set in, the clothes of the immigrants were frozen stiff around their bodies before they could exchange them for others. This is supposed to have been the cause of the many deaths which occurred soon afterwards. It has been stated on good authority that nineteen immigrants died one night.

• "The survivors who performed the last acts of kindness to those who perished, were not strong enough to dig the graves of sufficient depth to preserve the bodies from the wild beasts, and wolves were actually seen tearing open the graves before the company was out of sight.

• "Many of the survivors, in witnessing the terrible afflictions and losses, became at last almost stupefied or mentally dazed, and did not seem to realize the terrible condition they were in. The suffering from the lack of sufficient food also told on the people. When the first relief teams met the immigrants, there was only one day's quarter rations left in camp" quoted in Andrew Jenson, "Church Emigration," The Contributor, Feb. 1893, 202-5; paragraphing altered.

Immigrants Come to Utah…

England Germany Sweden Denmark

France Italy China Japan Mexico

1890 20,905 2,121 5,986 9,023 205 347 808 5 19

1900 18,879 2,365 7,025 9,132 220 1,062 544 410 41

1910 18,083 3,063 7,227 8,300 303 3,117 311 2,050 166

What trends do you see? Which countries had the most people moving to Utah? Which ones had the

least?