THE AMERICAN WEST - MORMONS QUIZ (GCSE History)

The Mormons were part of the [blank_start]early[blank_end] settlers between [blank_start]1830[blank_end] and [blank_start]1840[blank_end]

HOW IT STARTED: A man called [blank_start]Joseph Smith[blank_end] claimed he saw a vision of an angel called [blank_start]Moroni[blank_end] in [blank_start]1823[blank_end]. The angel told Smith to find engraved plates on a hillside. He found and translated them which became [blank_start]the book of Mormon[blank_end] in [blank_start]1830[blank_end]. The book states how Jesus visited America after the Resurrection and that the Native Americans were descendants of 3 lost tribes from Israel.

Which of these were beliefs/followings of the Mormons?

It was [blank_start]Joseph Smith[blank_end] who created the Mormon religion and [blank_start]Brigham Young[blank_end] who lead them to Salt Lake City.

The whites did not like their beliefs for several reasons: [blank_start]Polygamy[blank_end] was seen as scandalous and as bad as slavery. [blank_start]Making others join their religion[blank_end] raised fears of domination and angered non-converts. [blank_start]Joining politics[blank_end] was a threat to non-converts who didn't want to follow Mormon rules. [blank_start]Group property[blank_end] was strange as individual property was very important to them. [blank_start]Belief they were God's children[blank_end] made them seem arrogant and pretentious to non-mormons.

First, the Mormons were in [blank_start]Kirtland[blank_end] (1831-1837), They then travelled to [blank_start]Missouri[blank_end] (1837-1838), Then [blank_start]Nauvoo, Illinois[blank_end] (1839-1846), Until Finally they settled in [blank_start]Salt Lake City[blank_end] in 1847 onwards.

Joseph Smith was arrested in 1844 in Nauvoo, Illinois and then killed in jail by an angry mob.

How did Brigham Young lead the Mormons to Salt Lake City? He [blank_start]divided[blank_end] people into groups and sub groups, each with their own [blank_start]leader[blank_end] Taught them how to travel in columns and circles [blank_start]Strict rules[blank_end] that we enforced with punishment It was down to his exceptional [blank_start]organisation[blank_end] and [blank_start]leadership[blank_end] skills.

When the Mormons arrived in Salt Lake City, the land was [blank_start]dry[blank_end] with [blank_start]harsh[blank_end] weather. This made the Mormons very [blank_start]uncertain[blank_end] about wanting to stay.

As Salt Lake city was [blank_start]not a good[blank_end] place to start a civilisation when they arrived, the morale was very [blank_start]low[blank_end]. Brigham Young motivated people [blank_start]when they were thinking of giving up[blank_end] and encouraged many others to join them for, [blank_start]much needed[blank_end], help. It was because of Young's amazing leadership, enthusiasm, commitment and charisma that 'made the desert bloom'.

The first few months at Salt Lake were awful; many died because of cold and hunger and grasshoppers killed their crops in the summer. To fix this, Brigham Young knew they would need more [blank_start]people[blank_end] and become [blank_start]self sufficient[blank_end]. They began [blank_start]growing[blank_end] their own [blank_start]crops[blank_end] and didn't need to rely on anyone else.