These beliefs were very important to the Mormons and they took them very seriously. The Mormon beliefs were very strong and they were aware of their identity and had a lot of focus in their religion.
(C) Do you agree with this statement? (Not shown)
I agree with the statement because each of the points expressed in the question are all equally important reasons for the success of the Mormons.
(1) The leadership of Joseph Smith
The leadership of Joseph Smith was an important part of the success of the Mormons. He was the founder of the Mormon religion and without his determination and belief the Mormon religion would not have so many believers and followers. Joseph Smith claimed that in 1832 he saw a vision of the angel Moroni and that he was told to find gold plates that were hidden in Palmyra, New York State, he found the plates and translated them to form the Book of Mormons. From then on, Smith set about to preach this newfound religion and to convert believers. Joseph Smith led the Mormons (now in their thousands) to Kirtland, Ohio where they were successful. Here they developed their first temple and even founded a bank but their population grew and this made them un-easy. In 1837 there was a Financial Crisis and the Non-Mormon people drove the Mormons out of Kirtland. Joseph Smith led the Mormons to Missouri, but they were not welcome here and violence soon broke out. The Mormons formed a secret police force called the Danites. The Mormons then escaped to Nauvoo, Illinois. Here, Joseph Smith started to build their Zion (holy city) and was determined that the Mormons would not be driven out. By 1842, the Mormons army was 2,000 strong and Joseph Smith decided to run for President of the U.S. As you can imagine, this caused a lot of conflict between the Mormons and the Non-Mormons. In June 1844, Smith and his brother, Hyrum were captured and imprisoned and on 27th of June, an angry mob attacked the jail were Smith was being held, and Joseph Smith was shot and killed, alongside his brother.
(2) The leadership of Brigham Young
This man, Brigham Young was a very determined young man, who was very clever and had a sense of responsibility. He was dedicated to the Mormon religion and claimed to have converted 9,000 people while on a mission to Britain. He gained the respect of the Mormon community when he led them out of Missouri during the time when Smith was in prison. When Young returned from a campaign supporting Smith’s Presidency, he assumed leadership when Smith had been killed.
He had an enormous effect on the Mormons. Brigham Young was very responsible and he thought of a number of plans that were to help the Mormons during their dangerous journey from Missouri. Young’s method was very military, everyone had a job to do. He saw a vision of the Great Salt Lake and decided that that was where they were going to settle. Almost everyone disagreed with this choice and some even moved on, but most people believed in Brigham Young and chose to stay at the Great Salt Lake. By the end of May 1848, Salt Lake City had a population of 15000 but problems were arising. While everyone who lived there was quite content with what they had created, they believed that they should be given their own state therefore being politically independent. Salt Lake City was currently part of Mexico but when Mexico and the U.S. had a war, the U.S. won and the Salt Lake City was handled over to them. The U.S agreed to let the Mormons have their own state but it was smaller than what they had hoped for and there were not allowed to make their own laws. Some people chose to obey their own laws and this caused conflict from the Government. In 1857, 140 migrants were massacred and everyone blamed each other. But the Mormons gained from this massacre, the Government changed their minds and finally the Mormons were allowed to live their own lives and have their own state…Utah, and in return the Mormons agreed to have a Non-Mormon governor.
Without the hard work and determination of Brigham Young and his expertise leadership, I don’t think that the Mormons would have found such success, Young was truly an important part of their success.
(3) The Beliefs and Discipline of the Mormons
The Mormons religion is very much based around their morals and beliefs and I believe that these played a major part of their success as this spurred the Mormons on to achieve everything they wanted to. The discipline that the Mormons received from both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young helped keep the people under control and to help them keep their heads clear and make them concentrate on what they were doing. Without a clear mind, the Mormon people would get easily wound up and might give up. Their beliefs in both leaders helped them believe in themselves and that was what gave them the success.
(4) The agreement between the US government and the Mormons in the 1860’s
The agreement, to let the Mormons have their own state and their own laws, as long as polygamy was banned, was an important part of the Mormons success. This was because, without the Mormons having their state Utah, the Mormons really had nowhere to call ‘home’ and nowhere to develop their religion. Having their own state was important as it gave the Mormons their own space to develop their population and to let their religion grow. It also brought a certain amount of peace between the Mormons and the Non-Mormons as the Mormons where in their own state, away from all non-Mormons therefore avoiding conflict. Having their own state let their religion flourish and gradually become a success.
