I know how and when Mormons settled in Utah. However, I don't know why Mormons travled the Mormon trail to Utah???PLEASE HELP!
2007-03-18 11:46:07 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Because the Mormons were persecuted and some of them killed in Ohio, Illinois, and Missouri. They were looking for Zion (where they could all live in peace), but the state governments were afraid that a large group of Mormons would take their political power as well as hurt their economy. Not to mention, their widely misunderstood practices caused fear in the statespeople. People always fear what they don't understand.
So the Mormons decided to head west, where they could start new with no previous group of people who would be intimidated by them.
2007-03-18 11:54:14 · answer #1 · answered by Whitney Ann 2 · 7⤊ 0⤋
First of all i want to start out by saying that there was no Mormon trail when they came to Utah. The trail came about why they were making there way to Utah. The Mormons were driven out of the towns that they had settled before from crime. People would not like the Mormons so they would drive them out of the towns. Also the federal government/president of the United States at the time would not help them out at all. They would go to them and try to get help but they would not help at all. Brigham Young who was not president of the church at the time since they did not have a presdient would lead them out West. They looked at settling places elsewhere but decided that the Salt Lake Valley was the best.
I can tell you more if you want.
2007-03-19 06:28:52 · answer #2 · answered by freedoma586 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Everywhere the Mormons settled, as soon as they had built up a good settlement, or settlements, with good homes, and farms, etc., the mobs would come in and chase them out. The last one before they went to the Great Salt Lake was Nauvoo, Illinois. At the time, it was bigger than Chicago. When the Mormons got there, it was a swamp. But they built it up to be a beautiful city. So, naturally, the mobs came in and chased the Mormons out, and took over. The Mormons (most of them, anyway) had enough, and, following a vision that Joseph Smith had before his assassination, headed west, and settled in the mountains around the Great Salt Lake. They settled in a desolate dessert, and turned it into an almost paradise.
2007-03-18 11:58:07 · answer #3 · answered by mormon_4_jesus 7 · 7⤊ 0⤋
Mormons wanted to enjoy the blessings of the US Constitution, ie enjoy the right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, religious freedom, etc.
However, these "rights" were not afforded them by the citizens of Missouri, Ohio, Illinois, etc.
In fact, Governor Wilburn Boggs of Missouri issued an "extermination order" giving armed mobs governmental permission to kill Mormon men, women and children. Very ironic that this was issued in America.
So, to practice their religion as promised by the US Constitution, they ironically had to leave the USA and escape to Utah, which was owned by Mexico at the time.
In other words, they fled for their lives and for the religion.
2007-03-21 17:02:33 · answer #4 · answered by Kerry 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The short and sweet of it is: They tried to settle a few places and were persecuted, killed, etc. So, they thought they could find a place and establish it to free from those who sought to destroy them. There were colonies established a long the way, but Salt Lake was specifically designated by Brigham Young as a place to establish Zion.
2007-03-19 08:51:20 · answer #5 · answered by straightup 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Mormon docotrines and lifestyle were abhorent to the many other places they tried to settle. Basically, they were driven out of several states.
NY, OH, IN, MO, etc.
In Utah they found a haven that didn't have too many laws that might govern them or control them.
2007-03-18 11:54:08 · answer #6 · answered by Bobby Jim 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
For religious freedom. Even though the USA was supposed to have freedom of religion the Mormons were severely persecuted. They traveled west to have Freedom of religion.
2007-03-19 17:29:12 · answer #7 · answered by J T 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hi,
This is a link http://www.lds.org/gospellibrary/pioneer/02_Nauvoo.html
to the official church website - this particular page goes over the basic history of the pioneers, and what was happening just before they left.
2007-03-19 09:02:32 · answer #8 · answered by daisyk 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They went to Utah because they scared the farmer's in Nauvoo, Illinois with their unusual religious practices such as polygamy. The farmers massacred them in 1846.
2007-03-18 12:09:41 · answer #9 · answered by duwbryd 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
to escape religious persecution and to make a homeland for Brigham Young
2007-03-18 11:50:11 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋