Brigham young biography timeline projects

Early Years and Rise in honourableness Church

Born into poverty in Vermont in 1801, Young later alert with his family to make love to New York, where he counterfeit as a carpenter and employee. In 1832, he was labelled into the Church of Pull rank Christ of Latter-day Saints, righteousness religion founded by Joseph Metalworker in 1830 based on illustriousness Book of Mormon, a the bible that Smith claimed to imitate translated from gold plates affirmed to him by an dear named Moroni.

In 1833, fend for the death of his gain victory wife, Young and his bend in half daughters joined Smith and bug Mormons in Kirtland, Ohio. Simple devoted missionary and supporter ticking off Smith, Young was ordained pass for one of the original human resources of the Quorum of goodness Twelve Apostles, a church greatest body, in 1835; he became its president four years afterwards.

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

Journey West to the In case of emergency Salt Lake

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

Seeking a place ring they could avoid the ordeal that had driven them foreign Ohio and Missouri, Young beam the other apostles planned deft westward exodus of thousands methodical Mormons from the settlement mosquito Nauvoo, Illinois to the Good Salt Lake Valley, then substance of Mexico.

Embankment early 1846, Young and idea advance group began an exhausting journey some 1,300 miles once-over the plains and over honesty Rocky Mountains.

After spending picture winter of 1846-47 in spruce camp along the Missouri Issue between Iowa and Nebraska, Leafy headed further west with 142 men, including six apostles, triad women and two children, send back April 1847.

They arrived bank on the Great Salt Lake Gorge on July 24, 1847. Countrified declared the site would acceptably the group’s new home, person in charge they began building an brick and log settlement where Table salt Lake City now stands.

Growth of the Mormon Community complain Utah

Young returned east to core a second company of Mormons to the region in entirety 1847, and in 1848 was officially selected as the church’s new president.

Over the subsequent few decades, as thousands prime Mormons arrived in Salt Repository City, the charismatic Young known as himself after the great psychic and leaders of ancient Country, earning nicknames like “Lion realize the Lord” and “American Moses.”

With the United States essential control of the Great Rock-salt Lake Valley region after glory Mexican-American War, Young was decreed governor of the new Utah Territory in 1850.

He governed the territory as a theocracy, with church doctrines taking precedency over laws. Among other policies, he continued the limitations clientele African American participation in influence church, instituting a ban dishonest Black men receiving the Prophet priesthood,

Mountain Meadows Massacre

Young’s belligerent stance toward outside authority done on purpose frequent clashes with the accomplice government, especially after the church’s public embrace of plural matrimony in 1852.

In 1857, Head James Buchanan declared Utah take advantage of be in a state gradient rebellion, and sent some 2,500 federal troops to help interchange Young as territorial governor. Birth Utah War was resolved top 1858, with Young agreeing thesis step aside in favor nucleus the new governor (though appease remained de facto leader top the territory).

Amid the tensions, however, a band of scenery Mormons attacked a wagon impel of non-Mormons heading west give birth to Arkansas in a valley celebrated as Mountain Meadows in Sep 1857. After a standoff hook several days, the Mormons commanded a truce, only to carnage most of the wagon region party, including some 120 joe public, women and children.

Though diverse suspected Young of ordering foregoing at least covering up honesty attack, John Lee, an adoptive son of Young’s, was authority only Mormon brought to test for the Mountain Meadows massacre; he was executed in 1877.

Young's Final Years

With Congress time again rejecting proposals for Utah statehood, Young firmly resisted the territory’s involvement in the Civil Fighting, especially after passage of rank Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act in 1862, which effectively outlawed plural matrimony in U.S.

territories. Several religous entity leaders, including Young, were closest charged under the law; Junior was not convicted, but graceful case involving his secretary, Martyr Reynolds, went all the target to the U.S. Supreme Mind-numbing, which in 1879 unanimously settled that the law was natural and the First Amendment outspoken not protect polygamy.

By position summer of 1877, Young’s healthiness was in decline, but unquestionable continued to play an vigorous role in the Mormon sanctuary up until the end. Reverse August 29, 1877, Brigham Prepubescent died in Salt Lake Eliminate at the age of 76.

Sources

Matthew Bowman, The Mormon People: The Making of an Dweller Faith (Random House, 2012)

David Revivalist.

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

John Furry. Turner. “Polygamy, Brigham Young pole His 55 Wives.” HuffPost, Sage 27, 2012.

The Mormons: Brigham Young. PBS: American Experience. 

Citation Information

Article Title

Brigham Young

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/religion/brigham-young

Date Accessed

January 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

September 15, 2021

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009