Transcript From Deseret to Utah:

From Deseret to Utah:
The Proposed State and the
Accepted Territory
From Deseret to Utah
Deseret
Organization of Deseret Government
The Great Compromise
Territory versus State
Organization of a Territorial Government
Territory of Utah
Today we will learn…


History Objective –
We will identify the
changes that occurred
when Utah became a
territory of the U.S.

Language Objective –
We will listen to and
write the important
details from the
presentations.
Behavior Objective – Participation & Work Ethic:
We will listen to the presentation and video clips
and write the important details in our notes.
Seeking Statehood

1849-50 was a period of
intense change that had
consequences for Utah
and the rest of the United
States.



End of the MexicanAmerican War
Gold Rush in California
Events occurring all
around their new home
prompted Brigham Young
and the other leaders of
the LDS church to seek
statehood in March 1849.
The State of Deseret

Although at first the Mormons wanted
to become a territory, when they
learned that California and New Mexico
were petitioning for statehood, the
leaders of the LDS Church held a
constitutional convention.



The church leaders appointed
themselves to the top government
offices.


The boundaries of this state were very
large.
Part of the state was even in present
day California.
Ex. Brigham Young was appointed
governor.
They took this constitution and a
petition to Washington, D.C.

They wanted to call their state Deseret,
because in the Book of Mormon this
meant honeybee. (“Busy as a Bee”)
The Government of Deseret
(1849-1851)
President of
the Church
1st
Counselor
2nd
Counselor
Council of
Twelve
Stake Presidents (Oversees several bishops.)
Bishops (Usually leads a town or part of a town.)
Becoming a Territory



After the end of the MexicanAmerican War, the United
States had a large new
territory, but faced a difficult
challenge because of it.
While the Mormons have
been settling the Great
Basin, the rest of the country
has been in turmoil over the
issue of slavery.
Tension, and even violence,
between those who
supported slavery and those
who supported abolition was
growing.
Maintaining the Balance

Northern states and
Southern states were divided
over the issue of whether the
new territories in the west
would be free or slave
states.


At this time a balance existed
that gave slave states an equal
number of votes as free states
in Congress.
After gold was discovered in
California and thousands of
people had flocked to the
region, California asked to be
admitted as a free state.
“The Great Compromiser”

Congress needed a
resolution and turned to
Senator Henry Clay from
Kentucky.


Although he was very sick
at the time, he pleaded
for a compromise.
Each side needed to give
up something to reach an
agreement.
The Compromise of 1850

Clay proposed that California be admitted as a free state and the
rest of the land gained in the Mexican-American War be
organized into two large territories.

Clay also proposed that the people in the two territories vote on whether
slavery would be legal in their region. After much debate and some
revisions, the Compromise of 1850 was passed by Congress.
What do you think?


The Utah legislature
voted to make slavery
legal in the territory.
Why do you think
slavery was never
widely practiced in
Utah if it was legal?
A State or A Territory?

Although being a territory gave Utah some
privileges, there were more benefits for
being a state.
Privileges
Territory
State
Vote for president of the country?
No
Yes
Choose local officials?
Part
Yes
Make local laws?
Part
Yes
Representatives can vote in Congress
No
Yes
Taxes
Part
Yes
A New Name

Congress did not accept
the name “Deseret” for
the new territory.


It sounded too much like
“desert” which might slow
immigration to the west.
Instead they choose to
name the area after the
Ute tribe, the largest
native tribe in the region.
The Utah Territorial Government
(1851 – 1896)
U.S. Congress
Territorial
Supreme Court
(appointed)
Three
District
Courts
Governor
(appointed)
Territorial
Legislature
(elected)
Council (13)
Representatives
(26)
Leaders of the Territory


President Fillmore appointed Brigham
Young as the first governor along with a
secretary.
Three judges were also sent to the
territory.


They were mostly inexperienced outsiders who
moved to the territory from the East.
They did not understand Utah and its Mormon
culture, which angered the local people.

“I was sent to Utah as one of the justices of
the courts. I carried with me all of the
prejudices and hate that have been against
Mormonism….When I arrived in Ogden I was
somewhat astonished to find that the people
looked like other people; they lived in houses,
and wore clothes, and went about their
business, and appeared not differently from
the people I had seen in the United States.”
-Judge John W. Judd
Delegate to Washington, D.C.

Utah was also able to send a
delegate to Washington.


Even today, territorial
representatives in Congress
cannot vote, but they can
express the concerns of the
territory they represent.
The government of the
territory of Utah was mostly
under the control of the
federal government, which
was typical for territories at
this time.
Governor Young



While he served as governor,
Brigham Young organized the
territorial government, worked with
Native American leaders, and
established a working relationship
with the federal government.
He was also known as “the Great
Colonizer”, beginning over 300 new
towns all over the territory,
organized the immigration of
thousands, and developed
agricultural and manufacturing
industries.
He was governor for almost two
terms (1850-57), but remained the
president of the LDS Church until his
death in 1877.
Fillmore, Our First Capital City



Anson Call took thirty families
from Salt Lake City to start a
community near the center of
Utah.
Because of its central location,
it was chosen by the territorial
legislature to be Utah’s first
capital.
It was named for President
Fillmore, and its county, Millard,
was also the named for him.

The legislature met in the Capitol Building for one session, but moved back to
SLC because it was more convenient for most of the representatives.
Utah on the Mind of the Nation




Although larger problems loomed on the horizon
for the rest of the nation, becoming a territory
brought Utah and the Mormons back into the
governing sphere of the United States.
The nation had a lot of distractions in the
coming years, but Utah was often in the national
press and opinion was not always in Utah’s
favor.
A period of intense struggle began that led to
conflicts between the people of Utah and the
government of the U.S.
It also led to the longest quest for statehood in
U.S. history.
Catch Up Day


Today is a work day. You may catch up on
unfinished assignments.
It is not a day to chat with your neighbors!



Talking will result in the loss of today as a work day.
Instead we will study and take the test tomorrow!!
Things to do:





Finish your graph of handcarts, wagons, and freight.
Finish the map and the reading on the back of it.
Complete any notes.
Work on the study guide.
If everything is finished and you don’t have a book to
read, I will give you something to do.