History 1492-1860 - Research Paper Example

The event is significant in history because it shows that the United States was not always a cohesive country. Surprisingly few changes occured after the massacre took place, and not many people were even punished even in the larger conflict. In fact, there is still some controversy over exactly what went on, and exactly who was involved, to this very day. To really understand what happened during the Mountain Meadows Massacre, it is necessary to get a clear view of what was going on otherwise in Utah at the time it occurred The massacre was not just some random act, but one that was caused by many circumstances.

It was set within the period of the Utah War, which was an "armed confrontation over power and authority during 1857–58 between the civil-religious leadership of Utah Territory, led by Governor Brigham Young, and the administration of President James Buchanan."1 This conflict itself had been caused by tensions between Mormon and non-Mormon Americans. Non-Mormons thought that the Mormons were heretics, while Mormons felt they were being unfairly criticized because of their correct religious beliefs.

These two circumstances led to "a cultural clash between themselves and their neighbors . and Mormons attempting to defend themselves or strike back before being overwhelmed in a still larger wave of violence."2 Some other reasons for the conflict include incompetence on the behalf of both President Buchanan and Governor Brigham Young, who was also the supreme leader of the Mormon Church. Buchanan "new shockingly little in 1857 about either conditions in Utah or Brigham Youngs likely reaction to his removal as governor" and also made bad choices about who he put in charge of the situation.

3 Young, on the other hand, exaggerated things a lot, and his "hostile, violent rhetoric as governor" very quickly created the sort of environment where Mormon settlers who looked to