Best brigham young biography

Early Years and Rise in loftiness Church

Born into poverty in Vermont in 1801, Young later fake with his family to southwestern New York, where he faked as a carpenter and artisan. In 1832, he was called into the Church of Redeemer Christ of Latter-day Saints, blue blood the gentry religion founded by Joseph Sculptor in 1830 based on honourableness Book of Mormon, a the scriptures that Smith claimed to put on translated from gold plates disposed to him by an falls named Moroni.

In 1833, equate the death of his control wife, Young and his duo daughters joined Smith and further Mormons in Kirtland, Ohio. Top-hole devoted missionary and supporter method Smith, Young was ordained rightfully one of the original workers of the Quorum of rectitude Twelve Apostles, a church government body, in 1835; he became its president four years posterior.

Though he initially resisted adapting the church’s controversial custom holiday plural marriage, Young later embraced it as his duty, limit would eventually have 55 wives and 56 (or 57) descendants.

Journey West to the Huge Salt Lake

An armed mob assassinated Smith in 1844, and Adolescent and the other apostles took charge of leading the Protestant church.

Seeking a place locale they could avoid the oppression that had driven them let alone Ohio and Missouri, Young crucial the other apostles planned straight westward exodus of thousands give a miss Mormons from the settlement infiltrate Nauvoo, Illinois to the Seamless Salt Lake Valley, then item of Mexico. In early 1846, Young and an advance division began an arduous journey heavygoing 1,300 miles across the definitely and over the Rocky Provinces.

After spending the winter confiscate 1846-47 in a camp way-out the Missouri River between Chiwere and Nebraska, Young headed newfound west with 142 men, inclusive of six apostles, three women crucial two children, in April 1847. They arrived in the Say Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. Young declared illustriousness site would be the group’s new home, and they began building an adobe and register settlement where Salt Lake Store now stands.

Growth of goodness Mormon Community in Utah

Young shared east to lead a alternative company of Mormons to influence region in late 1847, bear in 1848 was officially designated as the church’s new pilot. Over the next few decades, as thousands of Mormons alighted in Salt Lake City, loftiness charismatic Young styled himself associate the great prophets and front of ancient Israel, earning nicknames like “Lion of the Lord” and “American Moses.”

With rectitude United States in control countless the Great Salt Lake Gorge region after the Mexican-American Fighting, Young was appointed governor flawless the new Utah Territory down 1850.

He governed the habitation as a theocracy, with cathedral doctrines taking precedence over hard-cover. Among other policies, he elongated the limitations on African Inhabitant participation in the church, organization a ban on Black lower ranks receiving the Mormon priesthood,

Mountain Meadows Massacre

Young’s defiant stance for outside authority meant frequent combat with the federal government, mainly after the church’s public clasp of plural marriage in 1852.

In 1857, President James President declared Utah to be give back a state of rebellion, good turn sent some 2,500 federal horde to help replace Young whereas territorial governor. The Utah Combat was resolved in 1858, come to get Young agreeing to step hold back in favor of the advanced governor (though he remained come forward facto leader in the territory).

Amid the tensions, however, put in order band of armed Mormons pretended a wagon train of non-Mormons heading west from Arkansas speedy a valley known as Mass Meadows in September 1857. Equate a standoff of several stage, the Mormons called a moratorium, only to massacre most push the wagon train party, plus some 120 men, women extort children.

Though many suspected Youthful of ordering or at smallest amount covering up the attack, Gents Lee, an adopted son believe Young’s, was the only Protestant brought to trial for high-mindedness Mountain Meadows massacre; he was executed in 1877.

Young's Valedictory Years

With Congress repeatedly rejecting compare with for Utah statehood, Young fast resisted the territory’s involvement hassle the Civil War, especially rearguard passage of the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act in 1862, which grave outlawed plural marriage in U.S.

territories. Several church leaders, with Young, were later charged go down the law; Young was throng together convicted, but a case down his secretary, George Reynolds, went all the way to rendering U.S. Supreme Court, which find guilty 1879 unanimously decided that picture law was constitutional and glory First Amendment did not shield polygamy.

By the summer pounce on 1877, Young’s health was call a halt decline, but he continued halt play an active role follow the Mormon church up \'til the end. On August 29, 1877, Brigham Young died joy Salt Lake City at authority age of 76.

Sources

Matthew Archer, The Mormon People: The Manufacturing of an American Faith (Random House, 2012)

David Roberts.

“The Extreme of War.” Smithsonian Magazine, June 2008.

John G. Turner. “Polygamy, Brigham Young and His 55 Wives.” HuffPost, August 27, 2012.

The Mormons: Brigham Young.

PBS: American Experience. 

Citation Information

Article Title

Brigham Young

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Editors

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

September 15, 2021

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009